Which football teams in Europe are sponsored by gambling companies?

Football teams relied heavily on the support of gambling companies to promote the brand and to keep the interest in the beautiful sport. In recent years, the number of people who watch football has increased steadily, just like the number of punters placing bets. Not surprisingly, bookmakers are willing to invest heavily in sponsorship deals that involve football clubs. All over Europe, there are plenty of such partnerships, with many teams proudly displaying the names of the sponsors on the shirts.

20% of football clubs team up with gambling companies in Europe

The sponsorship deals take many forms, but the overall numbers speak volumes about the magnitude of these agreements. In Europe, nearly 1/5 of the football clubs in the most important championships have such arrangements with gambling companies. Most of them are bookmakers, which have vested interests in the leagues themselves, but casinos and poker rooms are also on the board. In many cases, the gambling brand is allowed to display its logo and name on the shirts of the footballers.

These partnerships are mutually beneficial, so they’re expected to pick up speed in countries that allow them. Interestingly enough, there are many nations where these deals are frowned upon and in some cases measures were taken to curb the spending. In countries such as Italy and Spain, there are plenty of active partnerships and many more underway. However, regulators are considering measures that would limit the exposure, in an attempt to protect the most vulnerable people from gambling addiction.

Major deals for Premier League football teams

The English top-flight is widely regarded as the strongest in the world right now, with its teams being among the favourites to win the most important European competitions. It comes as no surprise that so many gambling companies are interested in sponsoring local teams, especially the top contenders. They were already plenty of football clubs that had some deals but the number increased and this season, only Norwich doesn’t have any betting brand partnership.

There are a total of 20 football clubs in the Premier League and nine of them display the brands listed on this website and names of gambling companies on their shirts. This is also an increase from previous years and an indication that things are likely to advance in this direction unless the regulators step in. One of the interesting things is that the traditional top six teams have so far resisted the temptation of displaying betting logos on their shirts.

Regulators are concerned that unless measures are taken to curb spending and these partnerships, many people will be exposed to the temptation of gambling. Not only adults, but also minors watch football games, so the message gets across easily even to those who shouldn’t normally be exposed to gambling. For the time being, there are only talks about what should be done and no concrete actions.