Rovers and Wednesday pen gambling deals ahead of Championship return

Championship football is becoming hot real estate for betting marketing teams, with the English Football League (EFL) season kicking off tonight as Wolverhampton Wanderers meet Blackburn Rovers.

And on the topic of the Ribble Valley’s finest, the 1994/95 Premier League champions now have the honour of being included in SBC News’ Sponsor Spotlight thanks to a freshly signed deal indicative of a big trend in British football marketing.

Rovers join the betting wave

As we are all aware, front-of-shirt sponsorships by betting firms are no longer allowed in the Premier League. Sleeve sponsorships can continue, but available space has been quickly snapped up by the betting firms willing to shelve out the right amount of cash.

For firms targeting UK growth, however, the Championship remains a valuable marketing avenue with 12.7 million people attending games during the 2023/24 season – making it the second most attended tournament in the world that season.

This kind of visibility is exactly what Kwiff is going for by sponsoring Blackrun Rovers as the club’s official betting partner for the 2026/27 season. Dawn-Elizabeth Howe, the firm’s Director of Acquisition, said that the duo hope to “build a long-lasting partnership”.

“As a brand that shares our ambition to engage supporters in new and innovative ways, Kwiff is a natural fit for Blackburn Rovers,” said Zach Spicer, Rovers’ Commercial Sales Manager.

And another one! The Owls land on a casino

Sheffield Wednesday – one of the most historic clubs in Yorkshire, and indeed the UK, and by far the more significant of the two sides of Sheffield (hope my family biases are not coming out too strong here…)

The Owls of Owlerton also recently penned a deal with a gambling firm, casino operator Mr Q. 

The iGaming firm, one of a crowd of disruptors attempting to carve their name into the UK’s betting and gaming marketplace in recent years, has become principal partner of the club for the 2026/27 season.

Not to cast things in a dour note, but the deal could be symbolic of why football clubs pen deals with betting and gaming firms to begin with – the get a solid financial lifeline in doing so, and with Sheffield Wednesday having only exited administration in May this year, the club is definitely in need of financial reassurance.

“As we continue to rebuild and develop the football club, attracting ambitious brands of this calibre is another important step forward,” said David Bruce, Sheffield Wednesday Chief Executive Officer.

“This partnership reflects the momentum we’re building across the business and our shared ambition to create a modern, progressive football club that delivers exceptional experiences for our supporters, partners and wider community.”

PokerStars joins long-running Italian trend

Turning away from England for now, we’re heading to Italy, a country just as mad about football as their counterparts and 2021 European Championship final challengers (let’s try and forget that one) in the northwest of Europe.

Like the Premier League, Italy’s Serie A also has restrictions on sponsorship – though its outright ban dates back to 2018, while the Premier League’s much more generous ban on front-of-shirt logos has only just come into effect.

Italian football still counts on the betting and gaming sector as a reliable commercial partner, however, and the duo have found a way of working together through infotainment deals. The latest of these saw PokerStars News partner with Venezia FC.

“PokerStarsNews brings with it a large community of enthusiasts who will find in our Club and the Venetian region a context rich in identity, tradition, passion, and international vocation,” said Nicola Boscaro, Venezia’s Chief Revenue Officer.

“We are confident that this synergy will generate content that will engage our fans and further strengthen the bond between Venezia FC and its community.”

World Pool snags a racing legend

Sponsorship isn’t just limited to football of course. Horse racing is no stranger to brand ambassador work, with almost every major operator in the UK and Ireland having displayed its brand logo at a racecourse in some corner of each respective country.

The World Pool, the global commingling organisation headed up by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), made its own marketing move this week. The firm partnered with Mickaël Barzalona, a French Champion jockey.

Barzalona will produce regular blogs and insight ahead of key French racedays. This takes on significance for the World Pool due to its partnership with Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU), which is actively trying to boost the global appeal of French racing.

“In France we have some of the greatest racing around and I’m excited to share my thoughts as a World Pool ambassador on our top-class racing to fans in Hong Kong and around the world,” said Barzalona.

Spotlight rankings: Who’s standing out?

1. PokerStars/Venezia

The choice for this is simple – everyone is gunning for growth in Italy right now, with the new online gaming marketplace having been met with a warm reception from the industry. 

PokerStars’ owner, Flutter Entertainment, is one of many gambling groups chasing leads in Europe’s second largest gaming market. In lieu of a direct sponsorship, an infotainment deal will do the trick, for now.

2. Mr Q/Sheffield Wednesday

It was a tough call between the Owls and the Rovers for this one, but Sheffield Wednesday being one of the two major clubs in one of England’s largest cities, a historic name in the English game, and with a huge following despite recent on and off-pitch struggles, gives them the edge today.

3. Kwiff/Rovers

While Sheffield Wednesday’s larger fanbase may have given them the edge in this race, Blackburn Rovers will always have the 1994/95 Premier League title, something Owls fans can unfortunately only dream of currently. 

This gives the club a lot of historic clout, and makes it a big name for a mid-sized firm like Kwiff to partner with as it chases growth in a UK market which many industry leaders expect to be one for the big firms only any time soon.

4. World Pool/Barzalona

The intrinsic link between betting and horse racing can’t be denied, but neither can the fact that football is by far the biggest sport in the world. That’s the main thing that’s given the three deals above the edge this week.

Still though, the rationale behind the World Pool’s deal with this prominent jockey can’t be argued with, especially as French racing looks to further grow its international profile.