England’s Premier League clubs could face sponsorship losses in the tens of millions from Asian online bookmakers under new UK rules that will require operators advertising in the UK to obtain UK licensing.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton and Liverpool are among top clubs that have sponsorship deals with online operators that take very few bets from UK customers but benefit from the Premier League’s popularity in Asian betting markets. One such company is Dafavet, which sponsors Aston Villa’s shirts. Others such as 188Bet pay clubs for perimeter advertising at home matches but often in Asian languages to win business from people watching overseas.
In line with a new regulatory bill passed by Parliament, the UK Gambling Commission will begin licensing all operators that are “British-facing”. That will include Asian bookmakers technically advertising in the country, many of which are licensed offshore in jurisdictions such as the Isle of Man but are likely to be unwilling to pursue licensing in Britain proper.
A spokesman for one of them, betting giant SBOBet, which is involved in partnership deals with Southampton, Swansea City and West Ham United, claims between £60 million and £90 million in marketing revenue league-wide could be at risk.
