• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

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British bookmakers remain fan favourites in wake of international sponsorship

Sports and betting have long gone hand in hand, no less so than in modern English football.

The Premier League, England’s highest division, has long been a beacon of the high calibre of our country’s domestic football, and is now more popular internationally than ever before. 

English football’s increasing international outreach has caught the attention of gambling firms across the globe. 

Sponsorships occur at both institutional and club level. For example, the lower tiers of English football are sponsored by Sky Bet. League One, currently home to Sunderland, provides sponsorship revenue which trickles down into the club’s pockets. The club also has a dual sponsorship with British bookmaker Coral. 

North East Premier League outfit Newcastle United operate with a considerably higher profile, and they too garner vital sponsorship revenue from both international and domestic-based bookmakers. 

The Magpies currently have three sponsorship deals operating concurrently. Chinese gambling firm Fun88 are the club’s main sponsor this season, the company’s logo emblazoned across the front of their shirts. While MansionBet, registered in Gibraltar and Stoke-based bet365 act as ancillary sponsors. 

Newcastle United are just one of ten Premier League sides that currently have a gambling firm as a shirt sponsor, while more clubs maintain an affiliation with one or more betting firms through additional sponsorship deals.

Despite the infiltration of many international gambling operators into the English football scene, it is British bookmakers that retain a large share of the domestic market.

Ladbrokes in particular still maintain a presence on the high street, operating a number of shops in the north east area, in particular in Newcastle. It remains easy to see why they are still considered a fan favourite. 

British based Ladbrokes tailor their service to the UK market, offering potential new customers a lucrative bonus with the Ladbrokes sign up offer, providing an online alternative to their continued high street presence. 

Despite the likes of other British based bookmakers such as Coral and bet365 sponsoring local teams, it could be their enduring presence on the high street that has kept local punters loyal despite heavy brand backing in the form of football sponsorship. 

The emergence of international operators as sponsors of English football demonstrates how betting firms can target both British and foreign audiences, particularly through the Premier League. 

Competition remains high and many betting sites now offer a number of potentially lucrative betting promotions in order to attract new customers and differentiate their product from the rest of the pile. 

Despite renewed criticism of gambling sponsorship in English football, British based bookmakers continue to dominate the domestic market. 

A combination of tradition, perception of the modern British punter, and perhaps even a high street presence, has kept domestic bookmakers in business in the wake of the explosion of international interest and financing across the various tiers of English football.

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