Shifting sponsorship perceptions
Michael Chopra
‘A FORCE FOR GOOD’: HOW CAN THE INDUSTRY REINVENT GAMBLING SPONSORSHIPS? WITH THE GOVERNMENT’S REVIEW into the 2005
Gambling Act now underway, the future for betting sponsorships remains uncertain. But can operators use their sponsorship agreements as a force for good?
O
ver the course of 2020 or more specifically, the last few months - much of the focus surrounding sports sponsorship has been on the detrimental effect that clubs and leagues partnering with betting operators can have on audiences and customers, and young people especially. The government review into the Gambling Act has sparked widespread
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debate across the betting industry, which is under heightened political scrutiny as a result of the review. Whilst clubs, leagues and federations await a decision, the gambling sector has demonstrated how it can make a difference within sport. The way that sponsorships are activated may sway the government’s decision on the issue. Most notably, earlier this year, Kindred Group’s
casino brand 32Red - which has agreements in place with three EFL Championship clubs and Scottish giants Rangers - re-invested in Derby County’s mental health programme, ‘Team Talk’, after vowing to ‘reinvent sponsorship’ within sport and football. Mental health in sport is now more topical than ever. In September, the Professional Footballers’ Association reported that 464 of its members had received counselling from the Sporting Chance clinic to date this year, compared to 563 for the whole of 2019. With the figure for 2020 rapidly closing in, 32Red injected tens of thousands of pounds into the mental health campaign, overseen by the Derby County Community Trust. And the parent company’s General Manager Neil Banbury insinuated that a ban on betting operators partnering with sports clubs could have a profound on social responsibility initiatives, such as Derby’s Team Talk. “Sponsors and clubs are also in a unique position to do more to make sponsorship truly benefit the whole community of a football club, and promote healthier, safer gambling through our activation,” he explained. “A ban on an industry that supports the sport in such a strong way would clearly have a huge impact – both in terms of initiatives we support but also the broader football pyramid. As the EFL have recently said, the significant contribution betting companies make to the ongoing financial sustainability of professional football at all levels is as important now as it has ever been due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” He continued: “It would also not have the desired effect that those who support it wish for. It would remove the industry from the public’s eye at the very moment that responsible operators like Kindred are developing innovative and effective ways to communicate healthier gambling behaviour to adult audiences.” Similarly, the National League’s official betting partner LV Bet pledged its support to the division’s mental health initiative through exclusive social and digital content, including interviews with managers and players as part of the contract which encompasses 68 teams across three divisions. Marcin Jablonski, LV Bet’s Chief
