Gambling operators now represent more than half of English Premier League front-of-shirt sponsors, with AFC Bournemouth entering into a partnership with Asian sports betting brand BJ88.
Around 11 Premier League teams now feature betting sponsorship on the front of players’ shirts. With the exception of Chelsea, everyone has already confirmed their main sponsors ahead of the 2024-25 season, which starts next month.
What is BJ88?
This season, AFC Bournemouth players will wear shirts with the BJ88 logo. An unknown brand in the UK, the BJ88 is supplied by TGP Europe, the same company behind the Stake.com brand. TGP Europe is licensed by the Gambling Commission of Great Britain.
But while it’s currently focused on Asia, BJ88 will apparently soon expand to the UK. Visitors to the newly created site see a message saying that a new sports betting and casino offering will be available to UK players “very soon”.
In its agreement with the club, BJ88 will make a financial donation to various community projects. The brand will also work with AFC Bournemouth to promote responsible and safer gambling.
This is not BJ88’s first foray into sports sponsorship. She is Bologna’s official partner in Italy’s Serie A and has also worked with cricketer Kevin Pietersen.
As for Bournemouth, commercial director Rob Mitchell said the new partnership was a record deal for the club. “Their investment will have huge significance in helping us compete in the Premier League, both on and off the pitch,” he said.
Other partnerships in the Premier League
AFC Bournemouth joins Aston Villa, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Leicester, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, West Ham and Wolves who will have betting match markings on their shirts during the 2024-25 season.
The mass entry comes despite clubs collectively agreeing last April to stop accepting gambling-related sponsorships on the front of match shirts.
This will not take effect until the 2025-26 season. Agreements entered into before this date are permitted as long as they are completed before 2025-26.
The impending ban appears to have had little impact on current activity. Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Wolves have also struck similar shirt deals with Asian brands in recent weeks.
In other words, teams will still be able to work with gambling operators in other ways, such as having official partnerships in place and featuring the brand around the stadium and on training apparel. Wolves, for example, last season introduced LeoVegas branding on the front of their training kit.
Socially Responsible Sponsorship Codes of Conduct
Against this backdrop, the Premier League this week joined several other UK sporting bodies in issuing new “socially responsible” codes of conduct for gambling sponsorships, with the aim of protecting vulnerable spectators.
Focusing on football, the Premier League, English Football League (EFL), Football Association and Women’s Super League have formally agreed to adopt a new code. This code covers gambling sponsorships used in English football, as outlined in the government’s white paper on gambling.
Therefore, the codes will be implemented at the start of the 2024-25 season and will focus on four main areas: protection, social responsibility, reinvestment and integrity.
