Introduction
The professional football industry is one of the most lucrative markets with a vast variety of profitable options and links to industries that include sportswear, gaming, tourism, marketing, and gambling industry among many others. Names of large online casino brands and sportsbook platforms are present on football venues across the world and numerous football teams even feature casino logos and brand names on their jerseys.
We did some research and came up with some amazing arguments that help explain this tight connection between the online casino industry and the world’s most important unimportant thing. The involvement of online casinos in football and vice versa is a mutually beneficial venture supported by a market of hundreds of millions of international sports fans and gambling enthusiasts.
Unparalleled TV presence benefits for online casinos through sponsorships
As primary sponsors for numerous football teams, online casinos have the opportunity to show their brand to tens of thousands of fans on the stadiums and millions of TV spectators during the 90-minute-long course of the game. Apart from sideline commercials that both TV cameras and visitors on the stands can’t miss during the game, many football teams wear gambling industry brands on their jerseys, allowing fans interested in live betting to quickly end the search for the best payout online casino while enjoying the game.
The chance for screen time comes whenever a team member appears wearing the official team shirt which includes post-game interviews, promotional videos, and any other photo opportunity. The list of teams that feature or have recently worn online gambling sites on their gear includes both European powerhouses and low-ranked teams such as:
There were certain initiatives to prevent future sponsorship deals between European football clubs and online casinos, at least in sense of primary sponsorships, however, football executives are not very supportive of these proposals and legislative changes.
Football fans represent a strong consumer base for the online gambling industry
Since COVID-19 pandemics complicated access to brick-and-mortar gambling venues, the market swiftly shifted to the online environment and made online gambling platforms the dominant user choice. The rapid consumer growth propelled the development of a wide range of online gambling options, wager types, and most importantly densified the competition, and forced online casino houses to fight hard for every visitor. Football audience is a pool of potential consumers unlike any other, which is why casino brands invest heavily in visibility among fans across the globe.
Live betting is especially attractive for football fans, giving those who like to gamble a chance to bet on an extensive list of events during the game, ranging from the first foul to more corner kicks or the next team to score a goal. With so many betting options related to football matches, the online casino industry gets to increase the excitement with every football match.
The fact that football fans are heavily invested in the outcome of every match makes every cent invested in marketing worthwhile. Forming a marketing strategy is much more efficient for online casinos than it is for most industries since casino marketers already know where their target audience can be found.
In Spain, most football teams hold some sort of sponsorship agreement with online casino brands, and this partnership led to an increase of online gambling activity among the user group between the age of 18 and 25 in a short period. Even after the La Liga executives banned the use of online casino brands on their team jerseys Spanish teams kept their sponsorship deals.
In England, EFL issued an official statement which points out the importance of the gambling industry for the monetary stability of all football teams. According to a report issued by EFL, the casino industry invests over 40 million GBP annually through different sponsorship deals with the league and individual clubs within different divisions of the EFL.
Both online casinos and football teams attract a worldwide audience
Popular events such as the UEFA Champions League or FIFA World Cup attract people from all sorts of backgrounds all over the globe. Millions of people are involved in these events and most of them have their predictions and expectations, some based on emotions and others on data analysis. Online casinos also crunch an enormous volume of information in order to produce betting odds and these statistics are available to visitors so they could increase their chances of winning their bets on unfamiliar teams.
Since gambling websites are available worldwide, their offer usually consists of virtually every football event in the world, so people from different countries can bet on matches played within foreign football divisions. Even those countries that prohibit online gambling such as Qatar, Poland, UAE, and most Asian countries can’t prevent gamblers from using VPNs and other software solutions to bypass the restrictions and gamble on foreign casino websites.
In those countries where online betting is legal, users have the chance to browse through the internet and seek out websites that provide wagering on matches that are unavailable with their local bookmakers. One could say that online gambling extended the field of interest beyond what’s offered locally, introducing the players to football events that take place in less popular leagues.
Conclusion
The benefits of the incorporation of online gambling within the football industry are mutual, especially during the COVID-19 restrictions. Football teams need extra funds since the ticket sales are lower due to social distancing measures and online casinos wish to attract as many football fans as possible now that the internet is the dominant gambling platform. Although certain governments and institutions are questioning the connection between sports institutions and gambling companies, teams are not eager to dismiss any sort of support and online casinos are not willing to give up on their optimal marketing arena.
