As gambling sponsorships face scrutiny, English Football League and Sky Bet agree ‘record’ title sponsorship extension

As gambling sponsorships face scrutiny, English Football League and Sky Bet agree ‘record’ title sponsorship extension

Article brief provided by SportsPro
  • SportsPro
June 7, 2023 8:44 PM

The English Football League (EFL) has agreed a new five-year deal with its title sponsor Sky Bet.

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Campaigners had called on the British government to ban gambling sponsorship in UK sport as part of its review of the Gambling Act, but a whitepaper published in April instead called on the sector to draw up its own “robust” code for socially-responsible betting sponsorship.

The new deal, which runs until 2029, represents a 50 per cent increase in fee from Sky Bet and will also see UK£6 million (US47.47 million) added to a community fund across the course of the contract to support projects in the areas around the 72 clubs in English soccer’s bottom three professional tiers.