Regardless of the criticism which gambling operators have been facing lately, 50% of Premier League clubs would have a gambling company as their shirt sponsor in the 2019/20 season.
According to reports, English Premier League clubs are likely to generate record earnings of more than £340 million from shirt sponsorship agreements in the upcoming season. The figure represents an increase of over 10% in comparison to the earnings of £315.6 million registered over the 2018/19 season.
Now, ten of the 20 leading football clubs are set to display a gambling company’s branding on their kits. Last season, there were nine clubs which had a gambling operator as a shirt sponsor. In addition, the upcoming season will see the joint highest number of English Premier League (EPL) clubs ever which have been partnering with a gambling brand. The combined deals’ total worth is estimated to £69 million.
The presence of gambling brands is even bigger in the Championship, where 17 out of 24 clubs will have a betting logo on their shirts.
About two decades ago, not a single gambling operator was present at the English Premier League as a kit sponsor. As mentioned above, there were nine of them being displayed as shirt sponsors of EPL clubs in the 2018/19 season. For some time now, there have been some major shifts in EPL clubs main sponsors. At first, electronics companies have reigned as major sponsors in the Premier League, but they got later displaced by beer and alcohol brands. The latter, however, have been replaced on EPL clubs’ main shirt sponsors by gambling giants.
Increased Presence of Gambling Companies as Football Club’s Shirt Sponsors Could Be Dangerous
As previously reported by Casino Guardian, the UK gambling industry has been trying to get its tentacles deeper into football despite growing concerns among anti-gambling campaigners, Members of Parliament and competent authorities that partnership with popular football clubs would make gambling look normal to consumers.
The Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Tom Watson, has earlier revealed that his party plans to impose a ban on gambling brands from football shirts in case the party won the elections, explaining that the local gambling industry was undermining its own claims for responsible behaviour. As reminded by Mr Watson, gambling operators have pledged to remain committed to reducing the amount of advertising in football. Despite making these promises, gambling companies have continued to seek a larger presence in football matches.
According to Labour’s Deputy Leader, it was high time that the competent authorities took some measures to tackle the increased presence of gambling companies as football shirt sponsors.
While none of the top six clubs in the English Premier League has a gambling company as a kit/shirt sponsor, the industry has been aimed at taking over the sponsorship for the rest of the clubs. Currently, it is Betway which is reported as the largest contributor via its £10-million sponsorship agreement with West Ham United.
- Author
Olivia Cole
