In the latest edition of Industry Eye, Ed Pownall again examines the biggest gambling headlines of the week, ranging from Northwest England to the Northeast of the US.
Diving straight into the first story of the week, Pownall visited the Lancashire city of Preston, where local EFL Championship football club Preston North End has severed ties with front-of-shirt sponsor 32Red, the online casino operator.
Pownall noted: “While this doesn’t appear to be a big deal in itself, it could be a sign of things to come, so watch this exact space – change is afoot if you ask me.”
The cancellation of the sponsorship agreement comes as marketing and branding links between football clubs and gambling companies comes under increasing public and political scrutiny, with a ban on such arrangements touted as ‘the most likely outcome’ of the review of the 2005 Gambling Act.
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In contrast to Preston North End, global sports media business LiveScore instead spent this week focusing on building new partnerships as opposed to moving away from old ones.
The real-time sports updates provider has partnered with Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo, naming the Manchester United and Real Madrid legend as its global brand ambassador.
However, Pownall was not all that impressed with the new agreement, saying: “They don’t come much more expensive than that! I hope you’ve got a plan because these big stars can become awfully elusive when you want them to do something for you. I’m not sure about this one LiveScore, not sure at all.”
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Finally, Pownall visited the US state of New Jersey – always a popular destination for the gambling industry – where Swedish online casino LeoVegas has formed a market access agreement with US gaming and entertainment conglomerate Caesars Entertainment.
“I’m guessing ‘market access’ is just a clever way of circumnavigating the license, but beyond that – 2022?” Pownal remarked. “It’s only May! Get a move on LeoVegas!”
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In other news in the Northeastern state, gambling revenue has increased 326% year-on-year, although revenue in April did not quite reach the record income generated one month prior.
“I appreciate that there wasn’t much sport last year, but that still makes a huge upward curve in my book,” Pownall exclaimed. “The US gold rush is well and truly on!”
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