Newly promoted Norwich City swaps Dafabet for Asia-facing BK8 brand

Norwich City has struck a front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with Asia-facing betting brand BK8 ahead of the 2021-22 season. BK8 has been selected to replace Dafabet as the primary sponsor on the club’s famous yellow jersey following the termination of Dafabet’s three-season commercial contract one year early. Norwich COO Ben Kensell said: “Over the course of the last two seasons, we’ve experienced some unprecedented and landmark moments. “Over our 2019-20 Premier League campaign, we announced record commercial revenue for the football club. More recently, we’ve also enjoyed a very successful Championship season throughout the challenges of pandemic. “Throughout that period Dafabet have been fantastic supporters. As a club with a clear model, the contribution of our official partners and the team at Dafabet has been crucial. As the partnership comes to an end, we thank them tremendously for their support and wish them well,” he added. Norwich City has chosen to continue working with a betting brand despite many English clubs, including Preston North End, walking away from gambling sponsorship deals in anticipation of the UK government’s Gambling Act 2005 review. The relationship between football and gambling has been under the regulatory microscope for some time now and a new Channel 4 documentary suggests fans were exposed to 716 betting logos in just one match between Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers during February. Norwich City has been sponsored by a gambling firm since signing a 2017 deal with LeoVegas.

💬 “We’re delighted to welcome BK8 as our new principal partner. It is excellent that they see the value in working with Norwich City." pic.twitter.com/a4cFl6zaa2

— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) June 7, 2021

Little is known about BK8, which has now gone live in the UK via a white-label agreement with solutions provider ProgressPlay. ProgressPlay holds an operating licence in the UK, Malta and Ireland and powers 202 UK-facing gambling domains, according to the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) website. “Both the club and BK8 are committed to supporting the ongoing review into betting and sports sponsorship,” said Kensell. “The industry continues to provide a valuable source of revenue to the club that makes a meaningful difference to our wider objectives as a club,” he added.