According to data and analytics company GlobalData, the gambling industry’s deals with European football teams have an estimated annual value of $128.32 million. There are 42 unique team deals across 10 European soccer leagues—almost double the next most prominent industry in the market, the industrial goods and services industry, at just 22 deals. Sponsoring a European football (soccer) club is one of the most influential ways of building brand awareness today. With football having an estimated 209 million fans, gambling companies are among the many industries taking advantage of the exposure. Over 60% of clubs in the top three leagues have some form of sponsorship from gambling companies. Read on as we discuss the most popular ones.
William Hill
Arguably one of the most popular companies in the gambling industry, William Hill’s vast sports betting platform makes football an obvious choice for sponsorship. With a global reach, it has sponsored various clubs for many years, notably a three-year deal with Chelsea between 2016 and 2019. Partnering with teams such as Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Everton, William Hill was able to become their new official betting partner, offering odds through their website, portfolio of app store games, and hosted matchday betting services at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s home ground.
Betway
Betway is an online gambling company offering betting and gambling products, including sportsbooks and online casinos. Perhaps the second most common household name in betting, Betway is another leading company in football sponsorships. With teams such as West Ham United, Arsenal, Atlético de Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, FC Schalke 04, and Brighton & Hove Albion, it is undoubtedly a leading company in this industry. Its global sponsorships go beyond football to include horse racing, cricket, basketball, and hockey.
Sportsbet.io
Despite not being a household name, Sportsbet.io, a relatively new platform, is setting itself apart from the competition by accepting cryptocurrencies. It was established in 2016 by the founder and chief executive of Coingaming Group and has partnered with Southampton, Newcastle United, and Arsenal. With such prestigious football clubs, this is no small feat, and the platform should be commended on its growth so far.
Stake.com
Stake.com, the world’s leading crypto casino, was founded in 2017. The global sportsbook and casino has over five million users and partnerships with English football teams Gillingham, Watford, and Everton, Indian football club Mumbai City, and Argentine footballer Sergio Agüero. Like Betway, it also branched out of football sponsorships with deals with Formula One drivers, UFC fighters, and more.
888 Holdings
Though you may have heard of 888 Sport more than 888 Holdings, its parent company, the latter has sponsored the English Premier League team West Ham United, becoming the club’s principal sponsor and featuring their logo on the shirts. They have also sponsored the Spanish club RCD Mallorca and branched out into other sports, such as the NFL.
Bet365
Undoubtedly one of the biggest brands in the gambling industry, Bet365 made its name as one of the first betting companies to trade online and is now a global brand. Its sponsorship portfolio is vast, and it is one of the most prolific football sponsors worldwide, including teams such as Leeds United, Newcastle United, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Parimatch
Boasting collaborations with teams like Everton, Leicester, and Chelsea, Parimatch is another company that is fearless in managing multiple partnerships simultaneously, enhancing its portfolio and brand awareness. As Everton’s official sponsor and Chelsea’s official betting partner, this is proving to be a lucrative investment for the company.
Bwin
Formerly known as BetandWin, Bwin is a company that offers sports betting and live betting services, online casino games, and various virtual games. Regarding football sponsorship, Bwin favors European teams, with big names like FC Union Berlin, Borussia Dortmund, Dynamo Dresden, and FC St. Pauli.
Dafabet
Dafabet is an online betting site founded in November 2004. It has built up quite an impressive portfolio, boasting partnerships with teams like Everton, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa, Celtic, Burnley FC, Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland FC, and Fulham, as well as many more.
BetVictor
BetVictor is an online gambling company that provides services such as sports betting and online casinos. In the 2021/22 season, they replaced Dafabet as sponsors of Premier League team Fulham FC. Doing so enhanced their brand, and they went on to partner with talkSPORT to launch a new UK sports betting brand, talkSPORT BET, in August 2022.
Paddy Power
Paddy Power is an Irish gambling company offering sports betting, online casino, online poker, and online bingo. In terms of sponsorship, Paddy Power has broken the mold with its ‘Save Our Shirt’ campaign. They believe that sponsorship has bastardized football shirts and have called for logos to be removed from football shirts. They partnered with Huddersfield Town in the 2019/2020 season and made a big statement, eliminating the sponsor’s mark from the shirt entirely. This was a bold move by the gambling company that undoubtedly brought it as much exposure as traditional sponsorship, with people appreciating companies with good values today.
The English Premier League has announced plans to ban sponsorship from the gambling industry at the beginning of the 2026-27 season. However, despite this, the market is still active in many of the big European soccer leagues. Across the 10 big European leagues, there has been a yearly increase of four new gambling-brand shirt sponsorship deals this season, with 12 new deals announced across the continent in the past 12 months, so we are still waiting to see whether their reign will be over.