Aston Villa and Burnley became the second and third soccer teams from the Premier League to sign a sponsorship deal with an online casino company ahead of an impending ban on shirts in the last two weeks.
Aston Villa signed a multi-year shirt deal with Vietnamese operator BK8, and Burnley signed with W88.
The Ashton Villa deal runs until the end of the 2025-26 season, which is when the ban for having casino and sports betting company advertisements on the front of match-day shirts takes place.
The Premier League enacted the ban after the British government published its Gambling Act reform White Paper. The top sporting organization in the U.K. also received pressure from anti-gambling groups.
In April, the league announced it was banning gambling companies from advertising on the front of jerseys on game day starting with the 2026-27 season. The move does allow for companies to have patches on sleeves.
On June 22, it was reported that Chelsea FC had entered discussions with Stake.com for a sponsorship deal. The Australian-Curaçaoan online casino also has a deal with Everton FC where they see about $11 million annually. Stake also had a previous deal with Watford.
As part of the deal, BK8 will have advertising at the Aston Villa stadium and the company will donate money to a local charity for every third shirt sold.
BK8 EMEA Managing Director Michael Gatt said in a statement that they are excited to partner with Aston Villa.
“Being able to give something back to the supporters for their dedication is a hugely significant part of the reason we want to be involved with a prestigious institution,” Gatt said. “As a brand working in football for the last few years, we have committed to working closely with our partners’ local community initiatives and ensure we continue our commitment to delivering on our ambitions in this area. We will work tirelessly to make an impact in this area with a number of programs across the region that engage with supporters locally and on a global scale.”
An Aston Villa spokesperson added: “We look forward to exciting collaborations together that will help to grow both brands, particularly within Southeast Asia.”
The Burnley deal is only for the upcoming 2023-24 season but includes both the men’s and women’s first team. The men were promoted to the Premier League after relegation in 2022.
Hilly Ehrlich, W88 Business Development Manager, stated: “We’re hugely passionate about Premier League football and delighted to partner with Burnley FC as the team returns to the Premier League. With Vincent Kompany at the helm, we’re excited to see the team perform well this season.”
W88 is no stranger to the Premier League. Last year they sponsored Crystal Palace and have had deals in the past with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City.
The Premier League was busy securing a partnership with betting data company Genius Sports. The two entities agreed to extend their data partnership through the 2024-25 season.
The deal allows Genius Sports to retain its exclusive rights to collect, package and sell low-latency betting data. They also have a similar service with the English Football League and the Scottish Professional Football League. The company’s partners also include the NFL, PGA Tour, Liga MX and Major League Baseball.
Genius Sports has been supplying gambling data to the Premier League since 2019. That information is gathered using technology from Second Spectrum, which Genius Sports purchased in 2021 for $200 million.
