When Norwich City tore up a sponsorship deal with international gambling operator BK8 in 2021 after just three days, citing their, erm, questionable marketing material, most thought that would be the last they heard of the firm.
And yet, here we are 18 months later, and BK8 have negotiated strategic partnerships with Crystal Palace, Burnley and Huddersfield Town.
Incredibly, the Asian firm has now reportedly penned a new Premier League deal despite the previous controversies, with suggestions they will replace Cazoo as the main sponsor of Aston Villa in time for the 2023/24 season.
Unsurprisingly, Villa fans have been in uproar over the move, and have called upon their club to rethink the agreement – this could be another BK8 deal that lasts less than 72 hours.
The Aston Villa Supporters Trust has called out chief executive Christian Purslow, claiming he had told them earlier in the season that a gambling sponsor would not be approached to replace Cazoo.
@Villa_Trust @GambleWithLives
Aston Villa Fans Consultation Group statement regarding the reported sponsorship deal between Aston Villa and BK8.#AVFC pic.twitter.com/e8OkE5cj5j— Villa Trust (@Villa_Trust) January 13, 2023
“Our club is not holding itself to a high enough standard, especially when it comes to the ethics of sponsorship arrangements,” a statement from the fan group reads. “While the club has acknowledged supporter concerns to the potential sponsor, we have not received any explanation or clarification of the deal.”
The deal comes at a particularly strange time, with Premier League clubs expected to sign off on a voluntary agreement to shun betting firms as sponsors as part of the government’s forever-delayed gambling industry white paper.
Inappropriate Behaviour
Norwich City announced their sponsorship agreement with BK8 to some fanfare in 2021 – and were left with serious egg on their face following allegations of inappropriate sausage use by their new partner.
Much of BK8’s early marketing efforts were rather near-the-knuckle, but whereas cheeky chappies like Paddy Power have straddled the line between good taste and bad, the little-known Asian firm bulldozed the lines completely.
Scantily-clad women, simulating sex acts with food items best left on the breakfast table, were just one of the ads that saw the betting and casino operator land in hot water, and leave self-styled ‘family club’ Norwich rather red-faced into the bargain. They were forced to apologise to fans and former players Darren Eadie and Grant Holt, who were present as ambassadors at the sponsorship unveiling.
A BK8 statement effectively pinned the blame of affiliates:
“We apologise for the social media content published by the affiliates of BK8, which has cause offence and have taken immediate steps to change the way we market the brand,” it read.
“BK8 commits to the fans that we will inject a portion of these sponsorship funds back into charities and relevant associations. This marks the first step in our journey to win back the trust of Premier League football fans.”
Whether they have won back that trust or not seems doubtful, but the depth of their chequebook has certainly won Aston Villa’s commercial directors over….
Are Gambling Sponsors Banned on Premier League Shirts?
At this point, your guess is as good as mine or anybody else’s as to when the government’s gambling white paper will be published.
The contents of the dossier are a closely-guarded secret, although it’s thought they will stop short of a formal ban on gambling sponsors appearing on the front of shirts of English football clubs.
It’s thought, however, that Premier League sides will be ‘encouraged’ to agree to a voluntary ban, which would also see limits placed upon the number of hoardings and marketing messages given over to gambling firms at top-flight clubs.
However, it’s believed that EFL clubs may escape the ban, as they require the revenue brought in by offshore betting sponsors to keep themselves afloat financially.
Curiously, some Premier League clubs are sponsored by gambling firms that don’t even have a presence in the UK market. It makes you wonder why the likes of Dafabet, Hollywoodbets and W88 – the shirt sponsors of Bournemouth, Brentford and Fulham respectively – are so keen on forking out millions on deals that have no commercial value.
According to gambling industry lawyer Carl Rohsler, the benefits of sponsoring a club that plays in a league popular around the globe outweigh the initial investment.
He cited the example of Marsbet, a Turkish firm that doesn’t even have a UK operating licence. They are a principal sponsor of Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership, and Rohsler believes that the extensive televised audience around the world for live football still reaps its rewards.
“They will get television exposure in every bar in Turkey,” he reasoned. “People in Turkey will look at the game – people who don’t have any chance to gamble because they only have one state operator and it is an illegal thing to do.
“How do they bring a Turkish language gambling operator together with those Turkish punters when they can’t advertise in Turkey?”
