There are two things that UK sports fans seem to love more than life itself. First, they love their football. Very rare is the UK resident that doesn't have a football club or two that they follow and support with great enthusiasm. The other thing UK sports fans seem to enjoy is wagering on football matches.
For many decades, any relationships between the UK football community and the gambling industry were viewed with great skepticism. Of course, there were concerns that any football involvement with members of the sports betting community could lead to criminal activities such as match-fixing.
Sure, there have been isolated incidents of gamblers paying off players and managers to throw games or worse. But, that is the point. Those incidents have pretty much been isolated and perhaps overstated.
The ongoing formation of alliances between football clubs and gambling providers
At some point maybe 10 years ago, officials from major soccer leagues like the Premier League and Champions League began to realize their objections to associations with the gambling community were largely unfounded. They also began to realize such associations could be mutually beneficial to both the pro football community and gambling interests.After coming to these realizations, the negotiations began and partnership deals have since become commonplace between big soccer clubs and top gambling operators. With the explosion of online/mobile gambling in the last five years, the forming of such partnerships has continued to soar.
How gambling operators benefit from football partnerships
Of course, anything worth doing in business must be done with the financial bottom line as the target. What football clubs can offer to sports gambling operators is a way to mass market to millions of sports/football fans who might easily be converted into sports bettors, and it works.It works, and that is exactly why top UK gambling operators will invest tens of millions of dollars each year to lock up sponsorship deals with Premier and Champions League clubs. There are real financial benefits to be derived from placing a gambling corporate logo on a football stadium banner or football jersey when tens of thousands of fans attend a game live with millions more viewing on the "telly".
How football clubs benefit from gambling sponsorships
On the other side of the football/gambling interest relationship model sits the football clubs. How do they benefit from these relationships? Yes, it's all about money as well.If a corporate gambling interest is willing to pay tens of millions of dollars each year for marketing rights, that gives top football clubs more capital to invest in their organizations. While some owners will stuff that money in their pockets, some of the smaller clubs will use this revenue to compete will the rich larger clubs. A good strong partnership deal with a willing corporate gambling sponsor has the potential of creating enough capital for a smaller club to start signing elite players. It's a win-win for the football leagues because there is more parity between teams and the fans get a better product.
How gamstop's partnership with football clubs drives responsible gambling
The last thing any top football league or club wants is unwanted scrutiny in relation to their gambling sponsorships/partnerships. What football club owners, managers, and players have come to realize is the best way to avoid scrutiny is to show full support for responsible gambling. That is exactly what top football clubs are starting to do.It's been commonplace for football clubs to promote responsible gambling on their club websites. For many clubs, this is being done for the PR and because they believe it's the right thing to do.
Surprisingly, GamStop, the UKGC's self-exclusion program, has made its own inroads in getting support from Premier League soccer clubs. It's become commonplace for football fans to visit football club fan sites and see links to the GamStop program. This is done to make sure football fans understand that while there is nothing wrong with betting on football matches, problem gambling resources also need to be made available for problem gamblers who need help.
Here's the thing. Football fans tend to idolize their favorite clubs and players. When clubs and players promote responsible gambling and support programs like GamStop, the fans listen. Why? Idol influence is a very strong motivator.
By the way, GamStop works. If online gamblers register with the program, they will be blocked from accessing licensed UK gambling sites. If they change their minds and think it's safe to continue gambling, UK online gamblers can find UK betting operators not blocked by GamStop.
Ultimately, here is the message football clubs seem to be sending to football fans who bet on sports. Come enjoy our football matches. Wager and enjoy your sports wagering activities as long as you do so in a responsible manner. If by chance you lose control over your online gambling, the GamStop scheme offers you a level of protection.
In the future, the expectation is more of the UK's top football clubs and online operators will be coming together to develop sponsorships deals. The beneficiaries of these relationships will include the clubs and gambling operators. More importantly, UK football fans and online gamblers also figure to benefit.
This is almost assured as long as both the football clubs and gambling operators are always mindful of the fact they need to stay focused on promoting the idea of responsible gambling. It's the right thing to do.
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