The agreement between Sky Betting & Gambling and the English Football League is the largest title sponsorship in the entire history of the league. The gambling company owned by Flutter Entertainment has been an essential partner for EFL since their first sponsorship deal started during the 2013/14 season. Ever since the two parties have significantly supported one another. Sky Betting & Gaming’s chief commercial officer Steve Birch spoke about the thrilling 10-year anniversary that is fast approaching.
An Enormous Sense of Pride
Birch expressed the company’s “enormous sense of pride” ahead of Sky Bet’s preparation to enter its tenth consecutive season as title sponsors of the EFL. He called the deal “one of the longest and most significant partnerships in professional sport” for the brand that grew into the most popular betting brand in the UK. However, the sponsorship agreement went even further over the years, assisting a number of EFL clubs, educating coaches and players, and increasing the protection of customers at risk of problem gambling.
The agreement revolves around “a clear memorandum of understanding” that the two parties agreed upon. The memorandum established the way the companies’ joint objectives should be delivered while safeguarding the concept of social responsibility. The same memorandum helped set up the framework that enables Sky Bet to engage with millions of EFL aficionados and reunite them with teams, players, and communities that share their passion for the sport.
Back to Full Capacity
Wembley Stadium is getting ready to go back to its full capacity this upcoming season at the end of the numerous restrictions imposed during the pandemic. In May, the stadium packed almost 200,000 soccer fans across three finals in May. at the same time, attendance during EFL’s finals and play-offs and viewership of the same events almost recorded new records. Sky Bet was, therefore, “pleased” to get access to its “largest sponsorship inventory”. The company decided to pour over 70% of the respective inventory into the “Take Time to Think” campaign that promotes safer gambling. The sane resources went into actions that encouraged customers to set limits on their deposit limits and use similar responsible gambling tools.
This new season, the two parties plan on continuing their safer gambling approach via the “Take Time to Think” campaign with upgraded LED advertising boards and fresh badges for all 72 clubs part of the EFL. The badges will be used to promote the same campaign together with big screen ads that will be allocated to Sky Bet.
TalkBanStop & EPIC Risk Management Collaboration
Birch also spoke about the company’s collaboration with EPIC Risk Management as a result of the ongoing partnership with the EFL. EPIC is a top independent consultation firm in the UK that tackles the minimization of gambling harms. Sky Bet currently has a £1 million ($1.2 million) agreement spread across several years. The deal focuses on the education of players and club staff members in regard to the risks associated with compulsive gambling.
Sky Bet also plans on continuing to raise awareness of “TalkBanStop”. This is a collaboration between Gamban, GamCare, and GamStop, mixing a series of tools with advanced support to assist vulnerable players and help them stop gambling and initiate their recovery journeys. The campaign has the support of the Gambling Commission and it relies on dedicated self-exclusion options and blocking software.
At the beginning of July, Spotlight Sports Group announced fresh partnership with Sky Bet for the development, hosting, and maintenance of a micro-site for Sky Bet.