What Gambling Companies Sponsor Sports Teams?

eSports has become a huge industry. It just makes sense that casino companies sponsor some teams that compete. You can find information about these in articles like https://spin.city/en/tournaments/active , but we will make it easy for you.

Today, we will share our compilation of gambling companies that sponsor sports and eSports teams. Note that these companies, of course, cannot manipulate the outcome of the events. They merely sponsor teams so they can advertise their companies.

Bwin

Bwin has been around since 1997. It is an Austrian company that has expanded its operations from online sports betting to poker. They even have online casinos now.

The company works closely with Playtech, a giant in the game development industry for casinos. There are many slot machines that Bwin offers from Playtech’s library.

Bwin sponsors sports teams, and they have been doing this for a while. For example, they sponsor Real Madrid. They also sponsor Bayern Munich and Manchester United.

Bwin is deeply involved in soccer. There is even a Bwin Cup. Apart from football, the company also sponsors basketball, but not the NBA. It sponsors a team in the International Basketball Association. Finally, the company also has sponsorship deals with Motorsports and Poker.

As of late, Bwin has extended its partnership in support of some German football teams. The deal will last for three seasons. The teams included in the deal are:

• Borussia Dortmund
• Union Berlin
• Cologne
• St. Pauli
• Dynamo Dresden

This deal will end in 2024 and will help Bwin become a global brand. The company is also sponsoring grassroots football and other young athletes.

Bet365

Bet365 is one of the biggest sports betting sites in the world. It has been an active sponsor of sports teams for many years, and it is why you can see its name plastered all over Europe.

The company has been around since the year 2000. It advertises online, and it also has advertisements on television. They offer sports betting products and services and online casino games.

A few years ago, in 2019, Bet365 made a sponsorship deal with ten teams in football. They sponsored many teams, such as:

• RCD Espanyol
• Villareal
• Athletic Club
• SD Eibar
• Getafe
• SD Huesca

Today, Bet365 is actively sponsoring teams in the Premier League. Here are some examples:

• Leicester
• Wolverhampton
• Newcastle United

The company has grown so big that there is now a stadium named after it. The home stadium of Stoke City’s FC, which was formerly known as Britannia Stadium, is now called Bet365 Stadium.

Bet365 is also sponsoring greyhound racing. The reason behind this is the tightening regulation of sponsorship in the football domain.

Bet365 covers four major categories in greyhound racing and will be featured in Racing Post Greyhound TV.

Betfair

Betfair is another huge gambling company that has been around for more than 20 years. Like Bet365, Betfair started as a sportsbook company, which eventually expanded to casinos, bingos, and online poker games.

Today, Betfair is the world’s biggest betting company or betting exchange site. It is also the first company that sponsors a football team, which it did back in 2003.

Historically, Betfair has sponsored:

• Arsenal
• Barcelona
• Manchester United
• Southampton
• Leicester City

Betfair also made some news when it announced its 3-year sponsorship of CONMEBOL’s Libertadores and Sudamericana. This sponsorship is expected to expire in 2022. Betfair does sponsor not only football teams but also other teams in several sports.

Betfair also signed Ronaldo Nazário as its brand ambassador. According to Ronaldo, it is with pride and honour that he will once again wear the same shirt he did 20 years ago. He said that this partnership would ring an excellent experience for the fans.

Betway

Also a giant, Betway is an online sportsbook that has been around since 2006. Now, the company also offers casino games and eSports betting. Part of the company’s advertising strategy is to sponsor teams, which is why the company actively seeks deals with teams.

Betway is a sponsor of Westham United. This deal cost the company somewhere around 20 million pounds. On top of this, Betway sponsors Leicester City.

As a sportsbook, football is not the only sport that Betway supports or sponsors. The company is active in the sponsorship of other teams in horseracing, cricket, NBA, and also eSports.

Summary

Sponsorship is not entirely new. If you watch basketball or F1, you will always see the names of products in the clothing or the cars. Sponsorship has been around since sports became official.

Gambling companies are not different from any corporation. They have a business, and they want people to see their brands. As such, it should not be so surprising that they will also get their names out there in sports uniforms or other places where they can advertise.

Of course, gambling is a personal choice, and it is a hot topic whether or not they should be allowed to sponsor teams. It is the legislators who should decide on this.