As reported by The Telegraph, Aston Villa joined forces with the online gambling operator BK8. The announcement comes after the soccer team’s current sponsorship with the online car retailer, Cazoo, is getting close to expiring.
Aston Villa FC Signs Controversial Sponsorship with BK8
The main sponsor of Aston Villa is Cazoo but their deal with the club is set to expire at the end of the season. It is yet to be confirmed whether the duo will join forces for a new sleeve sponsorship or part ways. Still, the deal with BK8 is lauded as Aston Villa’s biggest sponsorship agreement.
Reportedly, the soccer team teamed up with the gambling operator for a term of three years. This collaboration would make BK8 the soccer team’s main shirt sponsor. Still, additional details about the collaboration are yet to be confirmed by either of the involved parties.
Back in December, Aston Villa joined forces with William Hill, a leading sports betting brand famous around the globe. The collaboration saw the gambling company become the official in-stadium betting partner of the famous soccer team.
Not the First BK8 Sponsorship Deal
The announcement about the sponsorship deal raises eyebrows, considering that BK8 previously had a sponsorship deal with another famous soccer club that ended abruptly. Previously, the gambling company had joined forces with Norwich City, another famous professional soccer club. However, the sponsorship agreement was ended after sexually provocative advertisements were tied to the online casino operator.
This happened back in 2021 and although Norwich City had joined forces with BK8, the team decided to end the collaboration. The deal faced outlash from fans who saw YouTube marketing by BK8 implying sexual acts. Consequently, the team pointed out that such ads did not align with its “wider vision and values,” effectively ending the collaboration with BK8.
The newly inked sponsorship deal comes while the government is still reviewing the Gambling Act. Previously, Premier league soccer clubs agreed voluntarily to discontinue gambling shirt sponsorships in an effort to avoid restrictive legislation from the government. Yet, it remains unclear whether or not the published review of the Gambling Act will include text related to shirt sponsorships.