It’s no hidden secret that football teams have a long history with gambling operators, particularly when it comes to sponsorships. Most UK football clubs are sponsored by various firms including gambling operators, but is Arsenal?
Arsenal Gambling Sponsorships
Although most football clubs are sponsored by well-known casino and betting companies such as 888 Casino or 32Red, Arsenal is currently sponsored by a relatively smaller gambling company; Vbet. The firm is a sports betting website that allows you to wager on various sports games and activities including football, as well as special events and politics too.
According to Arsenal, the sponsorship will run through to 2022 with branding appearing on Arsenal’s football kits as well as on digital assets involving the club. What’s more, Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour has been recruited as the Brand Ambassador. VBet is the only gambling firm sponsoring Arsenal and it’s unclear how much the sponsorship is worth.
What Companies Sponsor Arsenal?
Leading & Official Partners
In addition to VBet, Arsenal has signed sponsorships with various firms and organisations. Right now, Arsenal’s leading partners include Adidas, Emirates, and Visit Rwanda. In addition, Arsenal’s other sponsorships have all been signed with Acronis, Cover More Travel Insurance, GKFX, video game publisher Konami, Santa Rita, Vitality health and life insurance, WorldRemit money transfer service, and video communication service Zoom.
Regional Partners
It doesn’t stop there, however, as Arsenal also has several regional partners which include 424, Banque Du Caire, Camden Town Brewery, Ganzberg German beer, Hyde Park Developments, Intel, Lavazza coffee shops, MBNA, Octopus Energy, and SKOL Brewery Limited Rwanda.
Why Do Football Clubs Sign Sponsorships?
There are numerous reasons why companies like to sponsor football clubs, and both the company and the football club benefit from these partnerships. First of all, football clubs receive a large sum of money they can use to fund training grounds and local areas. In addition, these sponsorships help promote gambling which contributes hugely to the country’s economy.
For companies and businesses, football sponsorships are a great way of promoting their brand, particularly when football club kits are branded with a firm’s logo. These sponsorships can also build brand awareness, particularly if it’s a smaller firm, increase product sales, help market a brand new product, appeal to a wide audience, and drive more website traffic via digital advertisements.
There’s plenty of controversy surrounding sponsorships, particularly when it comes to gambling sponsors. Many people are worried that these sponsorships normalise gambling for younger people and encourage people to gamble recklessly. However, most gambling firms that sponsor football clubs do so responsible, and actually encourage their audience to monitor their spending and time gambling to ensure they do not develop any problems.
In short, most football clubs in the UK have multiple sponsorships with various companies, Arsenal included. There are numerous advantages and disadvantages to football sponsorships and we hope we’ve outlined why so many clubs like Arsenal have struck these big sponsorships.
