Bookmakers should prepare for life without shirt sponsorships, says marketing exec
12BET consultant Rory Anderson thinks the Labour Party’s plans to ban football betting sponsorships is a sign of things to come
Betting firms should prepare for a future without shirt sponsorships, according to 12Bet marketing consultant Rory Anderson.
Following calls from the Labour Party to ban betting shirt sponsors, Anderson told EGR that bookmakers should be reconsidering the deals anyway, with their marginal value decreasing all the time.
He said: “A ban was always the danger and you have to question who benefits from all these sponsorship deals when there are three or four betting firms at each club.
“The brands are not seeing the value they saw three or four years ago, and yet they are paying more and it’s also not reflecting well on the clubs.
“They simply aren’t true partnerships anymore- when you talk about the benefits of such sponsorships, like positive association and emotional connection, it’s very difficult to achieve those without brand category exclusivity.
“Sports sponsorships are supposed to excite, engage and inspire, but now, a lot of this is lost.”
Anderson also believes that further regulation placed on gambling sponsorships will see the Premier League become rife with partnership deals from a different industry altogether.
Anderson’s comments come after the Labour Party said that it would ban football clubs from signing sponsorship deals with gambling companies in order to tackle a ‘hidden epidemic’ of addiction.
The policy, unveiled by deputy leader Tom Watson, is part of a plan to protect children from early exposure to gambling.
Watson said Labour would seek a ban implementation from the Football Association but the party would be prepared to legislate if necessary.
He said: “Shirt sponsorship sends out a message that football clubs don’t take problem gambling among their own fans seriously enough.”