Aston Villa Football Club, currently demonstrating their on-pitch prowess by holding the fourth spot in the Premier League and progressing into the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, is set to feature the Betano logo on their shirts from the 2024-25 season onwards. This partnership agreement spans two years, heralding a significant collaboration between the football club and the gaming company.
This sponsorship development arrives on the heels of Betano’s announcements of high-profile deals as the official sponsor of the Euro 2024 and Copa America 2024 tournaments, both scheduled for June. The association with such marquee football events is reflective of Betano’s strategic expansion into the sports sponsorship arena.
Aston Villa’s president of business operations, Chris Heck, extolled the virtues of the partnership with Betano, expressing optimism for mutual prosperity. Heck remarked on the shared dedication to excellence between Aston Villa and Betano, emphasizing their joint aspirations for impressive achievements both on and off the field. He articulated that this partnership inaugurates an exhilarating chapter for the respective entities involved.
Complementing Heck’s sentiments, George Daskalakis, the founder and chief executive of Kaizen Gaming, Betano’s parent company, drew parallels between Aston Villa’s sensational on-field performance and Betano’s growth trajectory, noting their synonymous accomplishments as a promising sign for the alliance.
The footing of this partnership is particularly noteworthy as Betano, via a collaboration between Kaizen Gaming and provider BVGroup, readies itself to penetrate the UK market ahead of Euro 2024, which will take place in Germany. Betano’s brand, already recognized across Europe, Africa, and the Americas, expects to augment its global footprint in one of the world’s largest regulated online gaming markets.
Julio Iglesias Hernando, Kaizen’s chief commercial officer, candidly shared the challenges of entering the competitive UK market, likening it to vying in the Premier League. Asserting the necessity for distinguished partners for a triumphant market entry, Hernando expressed confidence in the strategic alliance with BVGroup, anticipating a successful venture in the UK.
Notwithstanding this vigorous pursuit of partnerships, the broader context features English football’s shifting stance on gambling sponsorships. In April 2023, Premier League clubs resolved to prohibit gambling companies from shirt-front sponsorship, a ban slated for enactment before the 2026-27 season. Until this embargo takes effect, clubs like Aston Villa retain the liberty to showcase gambling sponsors on their shirts.
This decision did not come without contention; Aston Villa faced the ire of their own supporters’ trust back in June when it declared a principal partnership with BK8 despite the forthcoming sponsorship ban. The Aston Villa Supporters’ Trust decried the partnership as a “cynical last-minute attempt” to capitalize financially on gambling sponsorships, neglecting to consider the detrimental effects of gambling addiction.
Aston Villa’s alliance with Betano can be viewed through a multifaceted lens. While it represents a strategic move in the broader context of football’s commercial interests, it also juxtaposes against the backdrop of increasing regulatory scrutiny and the ethical debate surrounding gambling’s impact on sports and its fans.
Whatever the perspective, Aston Villa and Betano have now linked arms in anticipation of shared success. As the 2024-25 season approaches, the visibility of Betano’s logo on Aston Villa’s shirts will symbolize not just a sponsorship deal, but the complex and evolving narrative of corporate partnerships in the realm of football.
