Everton Enters New Season With Crypto Gambling Sponsor Stake

The new Premier League season commenced on August 5, 2022, and there are many notable changes. Apart from the businesses done during the summer transfer window, another newsworthy development is sponsorship. Several clubs in the Premiership have signed deals with new sponsors, and Everton is one of such teams. The Merseyside football club recently signed a multimillion deal with crypto betting giant, Stake.com.

Everton’s chief executive, Denise Barrett-Baxendale, was reported in 2020 saying it wouldn’t prefer another betting company. This came immediately after the club chose to end its deal with Sportpesa. Following this decision, Everton opted for a deal with Cazoo, a British car dealer.

The club failed to secure an extension on the multimillion shirt deal with the online car retailer after the 2021/22 season. Nevertheless, the Toffees found a great replacement, and now Stake.com sponsors Everton F.C. If you’re still wondering what the logo on Everton men’s and women’s shirts means, here is all you need to know:

What is Stake.com?

Everton’s current club record main partner is a household name in the world of gambling. Stake.com has been in operation since 2017, when it first joined the gaming sector. It took the company less than five years to make its name in the industry and compete with renowned brands.

Today, Stake.com has handled over 80 billion transactions, making it one of the busiest betting platforms. There are also about five million registered users, which is just an indication of its popularity. This privately-owned entity employs over 200 individuals working across various regions, including the U.K.

Stake.com is slowly building ties with the sporting industry including boxing and football. The company was recently unveiled as the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) official betting partner in Asia, Brazil and Latin America. This partnership continues Stake’s plans of joining the sporting industry and building further on its growing popularity given the fact that UFC reaches billions of people in global TV viewership. Francis Ngannou and Israel Adesanya are among the main UFC stars that have partnered with this crypto betting giant.

Another important move worth noting is Stake’s decision to sign a deal with Sergio Aguero. The Argentine striker built a name during his time with Manchester City. Every Premier League fan today knows how good a player he was, and that helps Stake’s penetration into the footballing world.

Another household name associated with Stake.com is Drake. The Canadian rapper plays a very important role in building the company’s brand image. Drake has promoted Stake.com through several live casino streams. Stake looks to benefit from the superstar’s huge fan base.

If you’re into betting and gaming, there are many games you can play on Stake.com. The platform allows you to enjoy its original casino games like Limbo, Dice, Mines, Hilo, Keno, and Blackjack.

Are you looking to bet on your team this weekend? English Premier League betting on Stake is something you might want to try. Visit the company’s official website to learn more about its games and other features it has to offer.

Everton’s previous sponsorship deals

The most recent Everton sponsors were Sportpesa – a Kenyan betting company – and Cazoo. Sportpesa’s partnership with the Toffees, which was struck in 2017, was the most lucrative in the club’s history at the time. The GBP£9.6 million deal would see the gaming giant’s logo appear in front of the men’s and women’s shirts.

According to the initial agreement, the Sportpesa-Everton partnership was supposed to run for five years. It was, however, terminated at the end of the 2019/20 season, two years early. This came after many fans and stakeholders campaigned against the ever-increasing role of gambling companies in football.

However, Everton’s executive director, Denise Barrett-Baxendale, cited that the termination followed the club’s “review in operations and commercial strategy.” Another factor that might have played a role in the decision is Sportpesa’s difficult financial year in 2019. This was mainly because of the new taxation policies set by the Kenyan government during that period.

The end of Sportpesa’s sponsorship paved the way for a new Everton partner, Cazoo. However, the Toffees ended their ties with the British car dealer in 2022 in a bid to find a more lucrative deal. On July 1, 2022, the club signed a deal with another gaming company, Stake.com. So, what does this deal entail? Here are the details:

All you need to know about Everton’s record deal

The new partnership with Stake.com comes even after Denise Barrett-Baxendale claimed that the club wouldn’t go for a betting company in an “ideal world”. The club’s chief executive stated that the decision to approach Stake.com wasn’t easy, but it was an opportunity they had to take. Nevertheless, this deal promises to add to a lot of positive aspects that the club already enjoys.

Barrett-Baxendale termed the crypto gaming company as an organisation with a lot of ambitions. Stake’s growth strategies, especially in the football industry, contributed to Everton’s decision to sign a deal with them. The two parties have a lot in store for Everton fans. Therefore, you should be excited about the future if you’re part of this community.

Details about Stake’s sponsorship

Everton will receive a total of GBP£10m every season, surpassing the previous record set by Sportpesa. This new record deal allows Stake.com to advertise its brand on Everton’s merchandise and other agreed-upon platforms. The company’s logo will appear on the front of the players’ shirts throughout this season and in years to come.

The agreement also gives the betting and gaming giant the opportunity to show its logo on Everton’s digital platforms. If you attend live matches or watch them on your TV, you’ll see the company’s logo on the screens and media backdrops at Goodison Park. Everton’s official training ground, Finch Farm, will also have the same.

English football is loved by many across the world, which makes this an effective avenue of reaching many sports fans. In fact, Akhil Sarin – the Head of Acquisition for Stake.com – cited the club’s loyal fan base as one of the reasons the company didn’t hesitate to sign the deal. Taking all these factors into consideration, this partnership is definitely going to be beneficial to both parties.

Other sponsorships involving Stake.com

Everton is the second English club to sign a deal with the crypto gambling sponsor. Watford FC was the first one to appear on the list back in 2021. In another club-record deal, Stake.com went into an agreement with Watford, which had just been promoted from the Championship that season.

Like Everton, Watford FC offered a great platform for Stake.com to penetrate the Premier League and also drive brand awareness across the globe. The record deal saw Stake.com become the club’s principal shirt sponsor. According to the agreement, Watford receives GBP£5 million per season. That amount could rise if the club meets certain thresholds specified in the deal.

Stake.com isn’t only building ties with the football community but also trying to penetrate other sports. Being UFC’s official betting company, for instance, gives it a great opportunity to reach boxing fans. This year alone, Stake.com has sponsored Volleyball World events and middleweight championship events. The company’s number of partners is likely to increase in the coming months as Stake looks to continue building its global outreach.

Is crypto betting legal in the U.K?

While mentioning Stake.com, it’s important to also note the legal side of things. Crypto gambling on Stake’s platform is legal and functional in Australia, the company’s native country. But are its operations legal in the United Kingdom? Until recently, the company was unable to operate legally in the country.

Stake.com received the license to join the best UK betting sites in December 2021. The company commenced its operations in the country with license number 38898 under the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) guidelines.

The company currently has its UK website up and running and works in partnership with TGP Europe. Apart from Premier League betting, which is popular in Britain, Stake.com is also planning to roll out more markets exclusively for its U.K. customers. Political events, entertainments, and esports are among the products to look forward to.

It’s worth noting, though, that crypto-based betting is still illegal in the United Kingdom. But those companies that want to accept crypto assets must adhere to UKGC regulations. They must prove that those assets have gone through thorough anti-money laundering checks.

That said, Stake.com has no plans of accepting crypto payments even though it’s known for crypto gambling. It’s pledged to work in line with the UK licensing regulations and will only accept flat currency.

Conclusion

The popularity of Stake.com has grown in recent years in various parts of the world. In its bid to penetrate the sports and UK market, the company has partnered with two English clubs, Everton and Watford. The Toffees signed a deal with the Australian gambling company on July 1, 2022. The deal is expected to generate up to GBP£10, which is the most lucrative in the club’s history. Starting this season, 2022/23, Everton men’s and women’s shirts will have the company’s logo on the front. Stake.com will also appear on the club’s digital platforms and screens at Goodison Park.