Supporting top sports clubs is a common practice all over the world. Bookmakers often become sponsors. Thus, according to UEFA statistics, bookmakers and gambling companies are the main partners of European championships and at least three dozen major football teams. Hockey is not far behind in this regard: starting from the 2022-23 season, all clubs have the opportunity to enter into personal sponsorship contracts with any bookmaker, which they took advantage of.
But what are the advantages of such cooperation? What forms can it take in different sports and is there any benefit to bettors from this? Let's look into today's material.
Examples of cooperation between bookmakers and teams in football
Bookmakers actively sponsor the largest European football clubs. The leader here is, of course, the Premier League: for example, West Ham cooperates with Betway, Bournemouth supports bookmaker Dafabet, Fulham works with W88, and Southampton with Sportsbet. Top teams are no exception. For example, Betera bookmaker acts as the official betting partner of Juventus in the CIS, Maxline has signed a contract with Manchester United, Fonbet bookmaker works with three teams at once: Real Madrid, Milan and PSG.
Let's look at the nuances of such cooperation using the example of the largest bookmaker - Betera. In March 2023, the company announced a partnership with the Juventus football club, one of the strongest teams in Italy. At the same time, the bookmaker received the status of the official betting partner of the club throughout the CIS, which gives the company the right to exclusive content and special activities for its clients. These include trips to team matches with access to locker rooms and access to the sideline, as well as drawings for limited-edition merchandise, balls autographed by players, and more. For Juventus, the benefit, in addition to financial support, is the opportunity to reach fans from the CIS thanks to exclusive activities from the bookmaker. Thus, the deal is beneficial to both parties and helps in the development of the sport both from the club and from the betting operator. More information about cooperation can be found on the bookmaker’s official website: https://pm.by/ru/sport.
Examples of cooperation between bookmakers and teams in hockey
Increasingly, bookmaker logos can be found on hockey uniforms, as well as in ice arenas. Perhaps the most striking example here is the Kontinental Hockey League. The fact is that starting from the 2022-23 season, the KHL finally allowed clubs to enter into individual agreements with bookmakers. Thus, 1xStavka became a sponsor of Lokomotiv and Dynamo Moscow, Winline signed Ak Bars and Traktor, and Fonbet began cooperation with Salavat Yulaev, Avangard and Magnitka. A special milestone was the sponsorship contracts of the so-called “army” clubs: SKA chose the Betting League as a partner. Such an agreement suggests that even the most wealthy and financially independent clubs are interested in cooperation with bookmakers. At the same time, commercial income from work with the Betting League will go primarily to the development of children's sports, as well as the SKA club academy.
Another interesting vector of cooperation is support for national teams. Thus, BC Betera acts as the official betting partner of the national and national hockey teams of Belarus. This is a large project to promote the national team, the goal of which is to increase the recognition and prestige of professional sports, attract fans to the hockey stands and generally strengthen the country’s sports ecosystem.
Why do bookmakers support sports clubs?
According to statistics, it is bookmaker companies that most often act as sponsors of various teams - regardless of the type of sport. What makes bookmakers support clubs and what is their benefit? Let's figure it out.
Media effect and additional coverage
Tens of thousands of spectators come to stadiums to cheer for their favorite team. Even more fans follow games on TV or online, and follow athletes on social media. All this is a huge audience that is potentially interesting to bookmakers, because among the spectators there may be betters or clients of other bookmakers who would be nice to lure over to them. Thus, the more prestigious the club and the more top leagues it plays, the more profitable it is for the bookmaker. Therefore, teams of the level of Manchester City, Juventus, Real Madrid or Inter are usually hunted by not one, but several bookmakers at once.
