Only yesterday Arsenal announced a new betting partner. The deal is reportedly for four years and will see the Gunners bear the logo of Sportsbetio, this deal isn’t the first in the Premier league though. Sportsbet.io are already the sponsors of West Ham but aside Arsenal and West Ham, the likes of Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Everton, Bournemounth, Wolves, Burnley, and the recently relegated duo of Watford and Norwich all have betting partners.
Of the 24 clubs in the championship, 17 of them have a betting partner and according to a 2019 report by the Guardian, Premier league clubs stand to make as much as £349.1m from shirt deals with their different betting partners. Casinos and sports betting companies make up a good amount of the sponsorship money in the Premier league.
Although these deals are more common in football, they are also very common in cricket as well as in boxing. And even though the authorities have been very hostile to sports betting companies and casinos, during the 2019 Ashes, gambling adverts were banned on all live matches but this has not been able to stop sports betting and casinos.
Casinos and sports betting both have their advantages and disadvantages and it is always advisable to bet responsibly which includes only betting money you can afford to lose. Another way to be responsible is to always check for reliable casinos and sports betting companies to sign up with. For instance, companies like these that operate trustworthy casinos and or betting companies are highly regulated and come highly regarded by their customers.
Popular events that attract Lots of Betting
The premier league not only leads the way in global betting sponsorship, it also attracts the most betting money from punters. A recent study by BBC2’s Victoria Derbyshire program revealed that as much as 95% of a sample test of 25 televised Premier league matches featured different gambling commercials. It is believed that a single advertising spot on a televised match goes for as much as £35,000.
Another study carried out in 2016 showed that over £150m was spent on TV adverts by the gambling industry. According to Phil Carling who is the managing director of global football for marketing agency Octagon, 7 out of every 10 bets in the UK is on football with the majority going to the Premier league.
Aside from the premier league, the UEFA Champions league is also popular among bettors. The FIFA world cup also attracts a lot of betting money. In 2018, it was estimated that bookmakers made as much as £41.3 billion with the amount of money spent on gambling alone in the UK during the 2018 world cup estimated to be over £2.5 billion which was double of the £1 billion reportedly spent on gambling on the Brazil 2014 world cup in the UK.
Grand National and Cheltenham Festival
In 2019 the Grand national attracted over £400m betting money which is almost thrice the amount the 2015 edition of the yearly horse racing event attracted. We unfortunately do not have the figures for the 2021 grand national as it was held virtual due to the pandemic and betting figures are yet to be released but it is unlikely to be impressive mainly due to the pandemic.
The 2021 Cheltenham festival is the most controversial so far as the event was held during the pandemic which led to an increase in infections. Although the final figures are not yet released, Mirror Ireland claims over €300million was spent during the last Cheltenham festival which is quite impressive considering it was during a pandemic. With attendance and interest in the events understandably lower than it used to be.
