It seems that gambling operators’ dominance in professional Scottish football competitions is slowly being reduced. One of the leading UK gambling companies, William Hill, is ending its long-year sponsorship relationship with Scottish football, as the deal between the two parties is not to be extended.
A few days ago, a local media reported that William Hill had made a decision to end its nine-year sponsorship agreement with the Scottish Cup as of the end of the current season in May 2020. According to estimates, the sponsorship efforts of one of the largest bookmakers in the UK generated revenue amounting to more than £9 million for the Scottish Football Association since 2012. Now, the league is set to look for another title sponsor.
The decision comes six months after Ladbrokes made an announcement that it would not keep its position as a title sponsor of Scotland’s Championship, Premiership, League 1 and League 2 after the end of the 2019/20 campaign. In comparison, one other bookmaker, Betfred, has renewed its title Scottish League Cup sponsorship.
Reportedly, the decision not to renew the sponsorship agreement was affected by the recent confession of Brian Rice, manager of Hamilton Academical, that he had breached the gambling policy of the Scottish Football Association.
Increased Criticism of the Relationship between Gambling and Football Led to the Decision
At the time when William Hill revealed its decision to stand down as title sponsor of the league at the end of the ongoing season, a source close to the British gambling operator revealed for the Daily Record that William Hill now believes that football is “too crowded” with gambling brands, many of which are not in the UK market.
The company had also taken into consideration the public concerns regarding the increased association between gambling and football and had decided not to renew its sponsorship deal with the Scottish Cup. According to the unnamed source, for the time being, William Hill intends to stay away from any new football sponsorship negotiations in the UK. As mentioned above, there is an ongoing trend of professional football clubs, championships and gambling operators to tear apart their partnerships due to increased criticism that gambling brands have boosted their presence in football to an extent that could create a wrong impression in football fans, especially underage ones.
Most recently, the Football Association of Ireland and the English Premier League club Everton both ended their sponsorship agreements with the Kenyan gambling operator SportPesa before the deadline of their deals. As mentioned above, Ladbrokes has already announced its withdrawal as a sponsor of the Scottish Professional Football League at the end of the current season. Several years ago, the English Football Association also ended its relationship with the gambling brand, after only a year in the partnership due to increased criticism that its ties with local bookmakers were inappropriate.
Ian Maxwell, who heads the Scottish Football Association, explained that the sponsorship agreement with William Hill has helped for the development in many aspects of the game but has also seen much support for various initiatives such as the mental health programme of the Hampden Sports Clinic.
- Author
Olivia Cole
