Chelsea Football Club is actively discussing the possibility of entering into a sponsorship agreement with the popular online casino Stake.com, according to SportBusiness. The aim of these negotiations is a possible partnership whereby Stake.com could be the new jersey sponsor for a top division team.
The five-time Premier League champions, despite a league-wide gambling sponsorship ban, are considering partnering with online casinos from Australia and Curaçao after a three-year deal with telecom network Three ends.
Stake will only be able to sponsor Chelsea until 2025. The company is reportedly offering a significantly larger amount to close this deal. The deal is thought to be worth £40m a year, a better deal than the amount Three previously paid for.
This also significantly exceeds Stake’s current payment obligation to Everton under their current £10m a year deal, which will run until the 2025-26 season when the gambling sponsorship ban comes into effect.
The partial ban is due to growing pressure from the government, which recently published a white paper on reform of the Gambling Law, as well as increased criticism from activists who claim that the established links between football and gambling have a negative impact on spectators and cause harm.
The league’s ban on gambling sponsorship only applies to the front of jerseys, so sleeve sponsorship remains an option for gambling or betting companies.
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