Although a recent SBC Digital Day panel was titled ‘Adapting Marketing as Football Sponsorships Fade,’ the discussion concluded that sponsorship isn’t fading, but rather evolving.
Football sponsorships have been key to iGaming marketing strategies, with the Premier League – described by Russell Yershon, CEO of Connectingbrands.com – as the “grandest stage of all.”
However, with front‑of‑shirt gambling sponsorships set to be banned from next season, operators are now being forced to rethink how they engage fans away from traditional kit deals.
New sponsorship routes
Both Yershon and fellow panellist Joaquin Gago, CEO of BetandDeal, noted that the Premier League will still be a battleground for brand exposure. While front‑of‑shirt space disappears, sleeve and training‑kit deals are expected to become the next hot bed of activity for brand visibility.
However, the panel agreed that the most exciting opportunities lie outside the dependable sport of football.
Moderator for the panel and iGaming Expert Editor Joe Streeter pointed to combat sport promotion MVP’s upcoming MMA event on Netflix, featuring stars such as Ronda Rousey and Nate Diaz. The event, like many of the streaming platforms past live sports broadcasts, is expected to attract huge audiences around the world.
“It’s absolutely massive. It’s another route for these big global brands to think we know what the Netflix audience is, so let’s go and speak with the rights holder and see what we can do,” Yershon said.
This opened the door to a wider discussion on athlete‑led sponsorships, with Yershon recalling working with boxer David Haye during his first fight against Tony Bellew for a gambling‑related brand, noting that the “unbelievable coverage” it generated.
With streaming platforms like YouTube, Netflix and Amazon increasingly hosting live sports, the panellists also suggested that operators can reach fans directly and bypass the limitations of club‑based partnerships.
Activation and localisation matter more than ever
As the conversation continued, Gago highlighted the rise of localised influencer campaigns, explaining that “influencers are being used more in casino than sports because they are easier games to communicate and engage with the audience.”
This has become far more common in recent years, with influencers, who may not have the same follower volume as retired footballers, often proving more effective because their communities are hyper‑focused on the specific markets a brand is trying to penetrate.
Both panellists agreed that localisation is now a non‑negotiable, with Gago explaining it is essential to partner with, or have, local people who really understand the country and culture, and that a campaign must be personalised to the market you want to enter.
There are challenges to this strategy, however. Yershon stressed that careful talent selection is essential, stating due diligence ensures influencers not only represent the brand positively but also reach the right demographic.
He concluded his point by stating that no matter what path a brand decides to go down, activation is the difference between visibility and wasted spend.
“You need to have a clear plan… otherwise you’re chasing your tail,” Yershon warned, emphasising investment without strategy rarely delivers measurable results.
Regulation at the centre of all decisions
The panel agreed that regulatory frameworks are the single biggest influence on sponsorship decisions, and that understanding the rules around marketing is just as important as understanding the culture of the country a brand is entering.
Retired footballers, for example, have traditionally been strong ambassadors for betting companies because of their notability with older audiences. However, this isn’t always straightforward.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) demonstrated this last year when it upheld a challenge against a promoted post on X by Sky Bet. The post featured an embedded video clip from The Overlap podcast, and the ASA ruled it was likely to be of strong appeal to under‑18s due to the presence of Gary Neville.
Flutter questioned the ruling, arguing “black‑market operators flood the internet and social media without any checks,” highlighting the imbalance between regulated brands following strict guidelines and unregulated operators facing no scrutiny at all.
This debate ties into ongoing discussions around a potential rule which could ban unregulated operators from sponsoring sports in England altogether, a move which would significantly change the sponsorship landscape.
Noting this, the conversation then turned to how clubs themselves navigate these complexities and who’s really responsible.
Yershon referenced Eveton’s partnership with Stake, which was forced to shut down its UK operations after its branded logo appeared as a watermark on a “widely viewed video” on social media featuring an adult actress.
“For Stake as a brand, you want to be on the grandest stage of all, which is Premier League front-of-shirt. Working with a team like Everton, you can benefit from that from the global awareness, so I see no issue with that whatsoever. It’s up to the Premier League club.
“In terms of whether it’s right or wrong, if the law says you can do it, then why not,” he added, before calling on the regulator as the one that needs to take a stand.
