FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Burnely are the latest prominent soccer clubs to announce new sponsorship agreements with gambling brands. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Ongoing partnership

The flurry of prominent soccer clubs signing new sponsorship deals with gambling operators is still going strong, with big clubs like Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Burnley announcing agreements in recent days.

Barcelona is extending its existing relationship with 1xbet for another five years

FC Barcelona is extending its existing relationship with 1xbet for another five years, cementing it as an official betting partner. This doesn’t just apply to the senior men’s team, as the deal also covers the women’s soccer team and the variety of indoor sports teams under the Barcelona umbrella. Even certain ex-club legends will take part in marketing campaigns.

Circumventing the ban

Despite a blanket ban in Italy on gambling companies sponsoring sports teams, Betsson Sports’ logo will appear on Inter Milan’s jerseys starting next season. The four-year deal is the club’s largest-ever shirt sponsorship agreement, reportedly worth a base of €30m ($32m) per year plus bonuses if certain targets are met.

The club is circumventing the sponsorship ban by showing the Betsson Sports infotainment logo rather than that of the betting platform Betsson. The former is a subsidiary that promotes itself as a sports entertainment brand. Through this agreement, Betsson plans to run a number of fan engagement opportunities involving players.

Betsson has a number of brands including StarCasino Sport, which has agreements with other notable Italian soccer clubs like Roma and AC Milan.

The current Serie A champions already have another gambling-related sponsor on board. The MGM Resorts International-owned LeoVegas is the sponsor of the team’s training kit up until the end of next season.

Commanding big fees

Finally, recently relegated Burnley FC will have 96.com on the front of its jerseys for the upcoming season. The Lancashire-based side was demoted from the English Premier League in May and will be trying to return to the big leagues straight away.

a record sponsorship deal for the club

The two-year agreement will see the online gambling operator’s branding appear across the home stadium, on social media, and on other digital platforms as it launches in the UK market. This is a record sponsorship deal for the club while it plies its trade in the second-tier Championship.