EMEA gambling and betting sponsorship is heavily focused on soccer, driven by its unparalleled scale and consistent exposure, making it the top choice for brand visibility and customer reach. With $764.45 million in value, it eclipsed all other listed sports many times in 2025, reveals GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform.
GlobalData’s report, “Sponsorship Sector Report – Gambling & Betting – EMEA 2025,” reveals soccer’s unmatched audience reach, year-round visibility, and concentration of premium rights, plus the vast sponsorship inventory created by Europe’s deep league structure, with roughly 18 to 20 teams per league across many countries, making it the priority for betting brands seeking maximum exposure and customer acquisition
The report further reveals that between 2020 and 2025, the EMEA gambling sponsorship market has matured, with soccer retaining dominance but overall deal activity slowing after 2023 due to tighter regulation and industry consolidation.
Gambling brands invest most in sports series sponsorships, as these deals offer ongoing exposure and bundled rights across an entire season, making them more efficient than sponsoring individual teams or events.
Olivia Snooks, Sport Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Most bets, in-play markets, and live-odds products are built around soccer, so gambling brands spend where turnover and margins are highest. Matches run almost daily across domestic leagues and UEFA competitions, creating constant opportunities for odds promotion, shirt sponsorship, and perimeter branding. Other sports are more event-based, limiting gambling value, while sectors like automotive don’t need such high-frequency exposure because car purchases are infrequent, high-consideration decisions driven more by long-term brand equity and model launches than daily prompts.”
Gambling and betting brands spend the most per deal on sports series as they provide season-long, high-frequency exposure around repeated betting moments across many matches and broadcasts via a single, centralized agreement. Sports series deliver the highest average deal value, $4.67 million, despite accounting for only 23% of total deal value, indicating fewer but larger premium agreements rather than many smaller deals.
Snooks continues: “Additionally, team partnerships account for 45% of gambling and betting brand spend because there are many clubs that offer flexible, locally targeted assets ranging from shirt sponsorships to perimeter boards and activations at relatively accessible price points. These deals also let betting brands hook fans with team relevant mechanics, such as club specific welcome offers and matchday promotions, boosted odds tied to that team, and live in play odds or player markets pushed through stadium, broadcast, and digital inventory.
The top 10 EMEA betting sponsorships for 2025 in terms of annual deal value are led by a few major deals, primarily centered on UEFA and other related soccer properties. The largest deal is the UEFA Champions League partnership with bet365. In August 2024, UEFA named bet365 an official sponsor of the UEFA Champions League for the 2024 to 2027 cycle, making it the first sports betting brand to secure a partnership at this level. The agreement provides high visibility exposure through in stadium perimeter LED advertising, media backdrops, and official Champions League digital channels.
Snooks concludes: “Commercially, the deal has the potential to set a new benchmark for betting brand involvement in elite soccer, prompting similar partnerships across other UEFA properties and domestic leagues and strengthening bookmakers’ status as ‘blue-chip’ sponsors. It may also intensify rivalry for comparable rights, raising sponsorship valuations and reshaping how clubs and competitions package commercial inventory. However, the Champions League’s visibility will bring heightened scrutiny from regulators and public health stakeholders, especially as gambling advertising rules tighten, making robust responsible gambling safeguards essential.”
