As sports betting grows, affiliates are exploring new ways to build meaningful relationships with football teams and expand their audiences. We spoke to leading affiliates and a sports brand consultant about the evolving landscape, from sponsorship pros and cons to compliance challenges and creative partnership strategies.
Recently, betting sponsorships in football have been in the public spotlight – particularly in England – but all for the wrong reasons. Stake.com, the front-of-shirt sponsor of Everton FC, gave up its UK gambling licence this February after facing backlash for a social video featuring porn star Bonnie Blue boasting about sleeping with “180 barely-legal 18-year-olds” outside Nottingham Trent University. Two other Premier League clubs, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City, received direct warnings from the Gambling Commission for having non-UK betting sponsors.
That said, despite the upcoming ban on shirt deals in the 2026/27 Premier League, clubs are cashing in while they can. In this season, half of England’s top flight have betting sponsors. This March, the House of Lords voted down proposed changes to the Football Governance Bill that aimed to ban gambling advertisements in English football via a clear majority of 339 to 74. While it seems that the sponsorship net is still wide open for operators to score, what are the opportunities like for affiliates – or can they build relationships with football teams in other ways?
Who is sponsoring?
OLBG is arguably the most prolific sponsor in the sports betting affiliate space, having backed dart player Matthew Edgar, jockeys Paul O'Brien and Harry Reed, and serving as the official yard sponsor of Harry Derham Racing. Last year, it signed its first football sponsorship deal by becoming a front-of-shirt partner for Lions Gibraltar FC (below).
Richard Moffat, OLBG CEO and Affiliate Idol winner at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2024, says sponsorships have always been the company’s “long-term brand-building” strategy beyond traditional performance marketing. The key benefits, according to Moffat, go beyond boosting brand awareness through content creation and increasing social media visibility. OLBG’s racing club, for instance, directly funds racehorses and invites members to yard visits and other social events to foster community.
Moffat sees women’s football as the next big opportunity for affiliate sponsorships, noting that “the growth of the sport in recent years has been phenomenal with increased investment and rising attendance figures”. However, he warns that “the demographics of men’s and women’s football audiences differ significantly” and says “sponsorship strategies must be carefully considered”. In an upcoming football sponsorship, OLBG chose to support the club as a whole rather than focusing solely on its women’s team.
The demographics of men’s and women’s football audiences differ significantly, meaning that sponsorship strategies must be carefully considered
Russell Yershon, director at Connectingbrands.co.uk, echoes this concern, adding that women’s football often draws more families “who aren’t the typical sports betting demographic”. He suggests gambling brands should lead with bingo and casino offerings when targeting female audiences.
Other affiliates have also got stuck in with Will Tyrrell, director of UK Media at Checkd Group, helping the company to sponsor Altrincham FC for several years alongside a documentary, which drew over 100,000 long-form views. Gentoo Media has sponsored several Danish football clubs in the past; its AskGamblers brand also backed Red Star Belgrade in 2018 prior to its acquisition. According to Toke Theilade, head of sports at Gentoo Media, while the company is traditionally casino-focused, it is now “shifting more towards sports” and actively exploring new sponsorship opportunities.
If affiliates can’t be sure the sponsorship will bring in more traffic and ultimately more profits, then it’s not worth it
Challenges ahead
While betting sponsorships can effectively boost brand awareness, Yershon suggests that affiliates must weigh the pros and cons. Compared to multi-billion operators, he believes that affiliates are relatively nimble, and sponsorships tend to cost a fortune, so they might not be a suitable option for smaller affiliates. Tracking the return on investment (ROI) can also pose a challenge.
“Affiliates focus on driving traffic to their websites through digital marketing, where they can measure spending and ROI. If they can’t be sure the sponsorship will bring in more traffic and ultimately more profits, then it’s not worth it,” Yershon says.
Affiliates should avoid partnerships where the audience is too young or vulnerable
Ensuring football sponsorship compliance is a must. Last year, the Premier League, EFL, FA and Women’s Super League jointly adopted a new code of conduct for gambling brand partnerships in football, specifying that betting sponsorships must be designed to limit their reach to under-18s and vulnerable persons. While brands can include responsible gambling messages in their campaigns, Yershon notes that “some marketing assets, like match programmes or big screen ads, will inevitably be seen by underage fans”.
“It’s also crucial to think about the audience of the club or athlete you’re sponsoring,” Theilade adds. “There have been cases where brands have sponsored individuals or teams with a very young fanbase, which is a bad look for the industry. Affiliates should avoid partnerships where the audience is too young or vulnerable.”
In addition, Moffat notes that a unique challenge with football partnerships is rights management, as “broadcasting and media companies hold significant control over how sponsorships can be activated, and the rules around live and recorded content – whether inside or outside the stadium – can be complex”. Other sports, by contrast, may offer more flexibility for promotional opportunities.
The key concern with sponsorships is when partnerships become overly transactional
Maximising sponsorships
Like any relationship, Moffat sees trust and collaboration as the foundation of a successful football sponsorship.
“The key concern with sponsorships is when partnerships become overly transactional, with rigid contracts dictating every minor detail. If one party is overly cautious about giving too much away, and the other is solely focused on maximizing ROI, the sponsorship is unlikely to succeed,” he says.
He believes a long-term commitment works best, pointing out that OLBG has recently renewed its sponsorship of Harry Derham Racing for another five years. Creating tailored content is equally important for driving engagement, as shown through the affiliate’s regular interviews with horse racing partners offering betting insights.
We’re very interested in the Brazilian market, and I’d expect sponsorships there to be much cheaper than in the UK
When negotiating with football clubs, Theilade advises sports betting affiliates to prioritise digital assets over physical visibility, leveraging clubs’ domain authority to enhance SEO.
“Unlike many local sponsors, we’re not too concerned about traditional sponsorship elements like stadium banners or PA mentions. What matters more is the digital presence – things like logo placement, articles about our products, backlinks and social media content.”
He also encourages sports betting affiliates to consider supporting local clubs, lower-tier leagues and teams in emerging markets like Brazil or Latin America, where deals are typically more affordable.
“We’re very interested in the Brazilian market, and I’d expect sponsorships there to be much cheaper than in the UK,” he says. “In some places, football might not even be the top sport – basketball or tennis might be bigger. So, we have to consider what the local audience is most interested in.”
Although you are not sponsoring a club, you are getting a brand ambassador, which could work really well and is much cheaper
Sporting legend ambassadors
A more affordable route for smaller affiliates to collaborate with football teams, Yershon explains, is to work directly with sporting legends rather than committing to full sponsorship deals. This can include inviting athletes to appear on podcasts, live streams or interviews to help drive traffic.
“This way, although you are not sponsoring a club, you are getting a brand ambassador, which could work really well in my experience and is much cheaper,” Yershon says.
Checkd Group’s YouTube channel No Tippy Tappy Football (below) won Marketing Campaign of the Year at last year’s iGB Affiliate Awards. Sponsored by William Hill, the channel now has 41.3k subscribers and regularly features football figures like Phil Jones and Charlie Adam, thanks to the affiliate’s long-standing relationship with former Premier League manager Sam Allardyce as the face of the show.
Although any team partnership runs the risk of alienating rival fanbases, Tyrrell believes “having a different guest each week enables the channel to explore diverse content angles for most football clubs”, helping reduce that risk. Ensuring compliance with platform rules and local regulations is also crucial. Tyrrell says the affiliate’s production team carefully reviews potential guests’ social media audiences before entering into deals, as well as “handling any approvals needed from their compliance teams”.
Even so, Theilade says he wouldn’t pick one strategy over the other, seeing value in both.
“Ideally, we’d do both – using sponsorships to boost brand recognition while leveraging interviews to create engaging content and establish credibility,” he says. “And of course, there’s also the aspect of giving back. Supporting clubs or athletes can be a meaningful way to contribute to the sports community.”
Whether it’s sponsoring, collaborating with sports figures or building direct fan engagement, it’s clear that affiliates need to think beyond scoring an easy goal when it comes to football. Long-term brand building, responsible messaging and meaningful partnerships with clubs or former players will help shape lasting success – creating value not just for the business but for the wider sporting community they choose to support.