“Sport has the power to inspire in a way that little else can. It speaks to people in a language they understand.”
This was a quote by Nelson Mandela who realized the power that sport can play. Not only can sport break through barriers to the watching public but it can also be true when it comes to sponsorship.
Sponsorship has played a vital role in football for decades, and in an age where wages and costs are soaring, the need for sponsorship has never been greater. Offering vital cash revenues, the benefit of sponsorship has never been so vital for both the club and brand.
Over the last decade one of the industries to get into football sponsorship is the gambling industry and it’s now commonplace to find some of the largest online gambling companies sponsoring some truly iconic clubs.
In this article we will take a look at five clubs who have been sponsored by gambling companies and assess the impact that they have had.
- Real Madrid
“We’re Real Madrid – and being successful is part of our DNA” this was a quote from current Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos about the need for continued success at Real Madrid.
Recognized as the biggest team in the world, Real have won the most Champions League titles in history and are one of just a few clubs that have a truly global presence.
Fact: In 2007, Real made the decision to allow betting company Bwin to sponsor their shirts and the two enjoyed a relationship that lasted until 2013.
Worth a reported £19 million a year, Bwin’s decision to sponsor Real ensured that their brand would be seen by millions of people all over the world on a weekly basis.
Worn by the likes of Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, Bwin will long have a history with some of the game’s greatest players and the game’s greatest club.
- Manchester United
Although Manchester United can’t compete with Real Madrid when it comes to the amount of Champions League titles they have won, one area where they can compete is through global revenues.
Having garnered a huge reputation all over the world, Manchester United have had no shortage of requests from the biggest gambling companies in the world that have all wanted to pump money into the club.
First it was Manchester based online sportsbook BetFred who reportedly paid over £4 million a year to sponsor Utd, but they were then replaced with one of the largest online gambling companies in the world, Betfair.
Often regarded as the biggest club in the world, Betfair’s decision to sponsor Utd ensured that their brand had the potential to reach millions of people across the world.
- AC Milan
When it comes to European pedigree very few teams can match the exploits of AC Milan.
Having won seven Champions League titles, Milan were one of the first football clubs to raise revenues through the biggest gambling companies.
Due to their worldwide presence, Milan have taken a unique approach when it comes to betting sponsorships as they have several different betting partners in different regions all over the world.
In 2023 Milan signed a deal with Leyu Sports who became their official betting partner in Asia. In Turkey SekaBet are the Rosoneri’s official betting partner and in Africa it’s Premier Bet who have taken home the honours.
With Serie A unable to compete with the Premier League when it comes to lucrative TV revenue deals, the different betting partnerships that Milan have in place ensures that they can still compete at football’s top table.
AC Milan’s model is likely to be the blueprint for clubs moving forward. As gambling is quickly becoming legalised all over the world, there are many sites such as CasinoCanada expert opinion on igaming and betting.
With the gambling industry continuing to play a pivotal role in football finances, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see some of these names connected to football clubs in the future.
- Barcelona
When it comes to finances, no club has needed them more than Barcelona. After years of financial mismanagement which forced the club to sell players and drastically cut the wages of their star players, one of the avenues that the club turned to was sponsorship.
As a part of an increased sponsorship drive, Barcelona invited 1xbet to become its official betting sponsor. The two have worked together since 2019 with 1xbet reportedly paying the Spanish club €19 million a year.
Fact: Slowly and surely, Barcelona are slowly turning into the juggernaut they formerly were. Whilst their financial position is still precarious, vital betting partnerships with sites such as 1xbet are absolutely essential for the future lifeblood of the club.
- Stoke
It may seem strange to find Stoke City on this list, but Stoke were one of the first clubs to invest in a sports betting company when they landed a deal with one the UK’s best gambling companies, Bet365.
Bet365 was launched back in 2000 in Stoke and it made perfect sense for them to sponsor their hometown club.
Bet365’s shirt sponsorship began in 2012 and accompanied Stoke on their journey into the Premier League. As Stoke became an established Premier League side, the Bet365 brand was regularly being broadcast to all four corners of the globe.
Not only did Bet365 sponsor Stoke’s shirts, but they also bought the naming rights to the stadium – with Stoke playing their home games at the Bet365 Stadium, a name that is still in existence today.
With Bet365 signage surrounding the pitch and within the stadium itself, Stoke’s relationship with Bet365 is the perfect model to follow when it comes to the close link between football and betting sponsorship and how the two can work in perfect harmony.
The microscope is firmly on football and its finances, and for many clubs around the world, leaning on sport betting companies and casino brands have been vital in ensuring that clubs can remain operational.
However, in some countries there is increasing pressure on football authorities to do something about the levels of gambling in football. To tackle the growing concerns surrounding the influence of athletes and celebrities in promoting gambling, Ontario has implemented stringent regulations prohibiting their participation in such advertisements.
With problem gambling on the rise, all Premier League teams will be banned from having gambling sponsors on the front of their shirts, it’s a move that all English football league clubs may choose to follow.
There are calls for football clubs to promote sensible gambling but that is hard to do when games are being beamed all over the world.
Clubs vitally need the money that gambling sponsorship provides but if new rules are introduced, clubs may need to start looking elsewhere.
