One of the leading land-based and online bookmakers on the territory of the UK – Ladbrokes, has revealed that it has inked two new sponsorship deals for the 2017/18 football season. The partnership agreements have been signed with two Premier League clubs – Leicester City and Burnley.
Leicester City announced Ladbrokes as its new official UK and Ireland betting partner, providing the company with exposure to special LED advertising boards. Under the terms of the deal, Ladbrokes is to also become the in-stadia betting provider of the football club.
As an official betting partner of the Premier League football club, Ladbrokes is to offer special odds on Leicester City matches at the King Power Stadium. The company is to also be engaged with the constantly increasing supporters’ base, as it will be added to the club’s social media channels.
Burnley have agreed a three-year deal with the bookmaker, making Ladbrokes its sponsor. Under the contract, Ladbrokes is to be given the opportunity to provide matchday betting services at the Turf Moor stadium. As an official betting partner to the football club, the British bookmaker will also be given strong presence on Burnley’s official club website and social media channels. In addition, the company will be given various advertising options.
On the other hand, the club’s fans would be able to take advantage of some promotions and special offers provided by Ladbrokes over the 2017/18 season.
English FA Partnership
Until recently, Ladbrokes was the official betting partner of the English Football Association. Unfortunately for the bookmaker, in June 2017 the FA unexpectedly ended its sponsorship agreement with the company, which was estimated to £4 million on an annual basis, as it did no longer find it reasonable to have a betting partner.
The announcement for the termination of the four-year contract came only a year after Chairman Greg Clarke commissioned a three-month review. What is more, the English Football Association had faced strong criticism for promoting gambling while at the same time enforcing a blanket ban on football players who gambled on a global scale.
Back in April 2017, the Burnley midfielder Joey Barton was suspended for a year and a half after making a confession that he had breached those rules. Apart from that, he was forced to pay a £30,000 fine after being found guilty of placing a total of 1,260 bets on matches in a period of ten years.
At the time be was banned, Barton criticised the English Football Association, saying it should be more concerned about being dependent on gambling companies. The governing body of the FA carried out a three-month review of the Association’s approach in terms of the fact it regulated sports betting and at the same time inking partnership agreements with local bookmakers.
As a result, this June the Association released a statement, saying that the FA board had made a decision in May to end all sponsorship agreements with betting companies. The decision took effect at the end of the 2016/17 season.
- Author
Olivia Cole
