Betting and sports go hand in hand with punters from around the world enjoying a flutter on some of their favourite teams.
This relationship has naturally led to gambling companies such as bookmakers sponsoring some of the biggest clubs, leagues, and competitions in the world. And, as cryptocurrency has continued its meteoric rise, it too has seen its sponsorship deals rise.
The Scottish Football Association recently announced its partnership with William Hill, while elite clubs around Europe also feature some high-profile betting sponsorships. TG Casino, a top Bitcoin casino, is one of AC Milan’s main sponsors while the Premier League is packed with betting sponsors: Betway is West Ham’s main shirt sponsor, BK8 sponsors Aston Villa, and the list goes on.
Such is the relationship between betting companies and football teams, a 2020 UEFA report showed that they were the most common form of shirt sponsors in European football. However, that could change in the coming years, as some football associations have taken steps to reduce or even ban this type of advertising.
In England, betting sponsorships will be banned as front-of-shirt sponsors from the 2026/27 season and the ban spans all four of the league’s top divisions and the FA and Women’s Super League. Such a ban is already in place in Spanish football and there have been discussions to introduce such a ban in other countries including Italy.
In Ireland, the IFA has stated they will not consider gambling company sponsorship as national sponsors, but they have also said that this ban does not extend to clubs, who are free to make internal decisions regarding shirt and club sponsors.
One area that has led to more activity in football sponsorship in general is the growth of cryptocurrency. It took a few years following the launch of Bitcoin in 2009 for cryptocurrency to start making headlines, but crypto companies and founders of the currencies themselves now view sports sponsorships as being a viable means of gaining exposure.
Crypto.com, in particular, has sponsored events ranging from Formula 1 races to this year’s World Cup. In the US, the NFL has partnered with BitPanda. And clubs aren’t just taking crypto companies’ money. The TG Casino deal with AC Milan mentioned above, for example, means that $TGC holders gain certain fan rights. They will be able to vote on certain club-related issues and can win stadium tours and other special prizes.
Some major European clubs have taken this a step further, launching their own dedicated fan tokens, as well as Non-Fungible Token collections. They can raise capital through the sale of tokens and NFTs while also potentially raising awareness of their clubs.
Cryptocurrency sponsorships have made their way into Irish sports already. Floki, currently one of the world’s leading meme coins, has signed a deal with Cricket Ireland. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) has launched an NFT collection that it hopes will bring in additional revenue to aid its sporting interests.
Irish sports associations may ban gambling sponsorships or at least prohibit displaying betting brands on players’ T-shirts, but banning crypto sponsors will be more difficult, as it might naturally lead to the banning of other financial institutes. And the FA’s ban on gambling sponsorships seems to have seen some big-money deals pushed through in England, with companies and clubs hoping to take advantage while they still can. As such, more gambling sponsorship, as well as crypto sponsorship, may well be on the horizon for Irish sports.
