The number of betting companies sponsoring sports teams in England has halved since 2019, according to a new study by consultancy Caytoo.
What may have led to this drop is the possible ban on this type of sponsorship, being a key issue in the government’s review of the Gambling Act of 2005.
Caytoo’s biennial study analyzed the sponsorships of 221 English men’s and women’s football, cricket, domestic rugby and rugby league sports teams.
Since the last study, game sponsorship in team sports has dropped from 15.3% to 8.1%, and is now fourth on the list of most popular types of sponsors, down 7.2%.
Leading the way is construction and engineering with 11.2%, followed by automotive in second and financial services in third, with 9.4% and 8.5% respectively.
The biggest drop in terms of sponsorship of the game was registered in football, which fell from 32.7% to 15.2%. The game is, however, still the most prevalent sector within football.
“This shift has been driven by society’s increased demand for professional sports to be more socially responsible when it comes to their fans and communities,” said Caytoo’s head of research and analysis Alex Burmaster.
Airlines and aviation, alcohol and the logistics and supply chain sector also saw a drop in market share.
Bets in other regions
While England finds itself in a scenario of declining sports betting sponsorship, Canada recently passed laws that allow sports betting in the country.
Canada has moved forward with the process to release single-event sports betting once the Senate has passed the third and final reading of Bill C-218, the Safe and Regulated Sports Act.
Passed without any modification, Act C-218 provides the opportunity for Canada’s ten provinces to decide whether they want to independently regulate betting on sporting events.
