Betfair Signs Deal With Sunderland AFC

The English Premier League (EPL) is one of the biggest and most popular leagues in international sport. The EPL has millions of fans in the United Kingdom and across the globe as clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal have built for themselves a highly lucrative brand image.

Gambling establishments have targeted some of the premier clubs in an effort to partner with them and help promote their brand. During the past few months, a number of gambling establishments have successfully managed to form partnerships with EPL clubs. Liverpool FC tied up with Marathonbet as its regional betting partner; Crystal Palace and Bournemouth partnered with Mansion Group and most recently Sunderland AFC decided to partner with Betfair to become the team’s official UK betting partner.

The partnership between Betfair and Sunderland AFC will be for the EPL 2015-2016 season and based on mutual agreement could be renewed at the end of the 2016 season. Whenever a Sunderland player is interviewed, the Betfair logo will appear and also be a part of Sunderland’s LED TV screens.

In a statement, Sunderland AFC’s commercial director Gary Hutchinson said

I am absolutely delighted to welcome Betfair to the Sunderland family. It is the fourth addition to the club’s partnership portfolio ahead of the 2015-16 season and we look forward to building a successful relationship with them, as we look to strengthen our stature both on and off the pitch.

There have been issues in the past with gambling establishments and sports teams, with the most recent incident occurring in November 2014 when the UK Gambling Commission sent out a strict warning to clubs cautioning them from signing up with non-licensed gambling websites. The UK has strict gambling laws that impose high taxes on gambling establishments and in the past many firms have tried to operate in the U.K without obtaining a license.

Arsenal was one such club that had to pay attention to the warning issued by the UK Gambling Commission as the club had partnered with Bodog in late 2014 and Bodog did not have a license to operate in the U.K. Bodog has since then addressed those issues and has not had any trouble with the UK Gambling Commission. Betfair has an official license to operate in the U.K and hence its partnership with Sunderland AFC should not have any complications.