Talk of reform and more regulation for the gambling industry has been ongoing for many years.
Speculation that banning gambling sponsors in elite sport could happen has long been rife, though betting sites and online casinos have been paying large amounts of cash in such deals.
In football, many Premier League and Football League teams have had gambling sponsors over the years.
Indeed, the Football League’s primary sponsor is now a gambling company: SkyBet.
Let’s take a look at the football teams in London that currently have a gambling sponsor.
Brentford – Hollywoodbets
The Bees are in their second season of being sponsored by Hollywoodbets, a South African firm.
The sports betting company, which has its base in Durban, initially became an associate sponsor of the London side which meant its brand was displayed on the back of shirts.
For the start of the 2021-22 season, Hollywoodbets then switched to the front of Brentford’s jerseys after the company secured a two-year deal to become the club’s primary shirt sponsor.
West Ham – Betway
While some deals between London football teams and gambling sponsors are often short-lived, lasting for just a season or two, Betway has been West Ham’s principal partner since 2015.
It has been a fruitful partnership, although not one that has been without moments of controversy.
In September, Betway was fined more than £400,000 by industry regulator the Gambling Commission after the betting company was found to have placed its advertising on a children’s page on the official West Ham website, which the firm described as a technical error.
Betway also pointed out that it was among the world’s first betting operators to remove the company’s branding from under 18’s kit and supporter merchandise at club shops.
West Ham’s deal with Betway is set to expire in 2025, but reports have claimed it could be terminated early.
Fulham – W88
Following Fulham’s promotion to the Premier League for the 2022-23 season, the Cottagers announced the club had sealed a record deal with W88 to become its new shirt sponsor.
W88 was previously the shirt sponsor of Crystal Palace, another of the football teams to play their games in London.
Watford – Stake.com
Londoners might argue whether or not Watford really count as a capital club, but the Hornets have a gambling sponsor in the form of Stake.com, which is a crypto casino and betting site.
The agreement was first announced in the summer of 2021, with Watford revealing that a “multi-year” deal had been signed with Stake, a site that has signed up the likes of Canadian rap star Drake and ex-Argentina striker Sergio Aguero as brand ambassadors in recent years.
Stake also sponsors Everton of the Premier League, though tens of thousands of their fans signed a petition in protest against the deal when it was announced in the summer of 2022.
