Major brands show support for the Paris 2024 Olympics, betting operators included
(Unsplash/Gentrit Sylejmani)
Paris 2024 relies heavily on its partners for the successful execution of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. These partners provide crucial support through funding, technical services, and product contributions.
Official Partners for the event include Groupe ADP, Air France, Arcelor Mittal, Caisse des Dépôts, Cisco, CMA CGM, Danone, Decathlon, GL Events Group, Ile-de-France Mobilités, Le Coq Sportif, PwC.
Paris 2024 also lists ABEO, Air Liquide, Airweave, Arena, Doublet Wasserman Live, DXC Technology, Egis, and Enedis as Official Supporters. The list goes on with ES Global, Eviden, Fitness Park, Fnac Darty Group, Garden Gourmet, Gerflor, RATP Group, Highfield Boats, and Hype.
At its highest tier, Paris 2024 Olympics Worldwide Partners include sustainable travel option Airbnb, cloud services Alibaba, innovative insurance solutions Allianz and IT marvel Atos. Major tech brands are crowding this tier, including Intel, Panasonic, and Samsung. Other Worldwide Partners are Bridgestone, Coca-Cola, Omega, Deloitte, Toyota, P&G, and Visa.
The second most prestigious tier is Premium Partners. For this level, the Paris 2024 Olympics relies on Accor, Groupe BPCE, Carrefour, EDF, LVMH, Orange, and Sanofi. Interestingly, the list also includes FDJ. FDJ is France’s top lottery and main sports betting operator, ranking #2 in Europe and #4 globally.
Embracing gambling sponsorships in sports
Sports sponsorships are a major revenue source for franchises worldwide. Public opinion favors sports sponsorships. Engaging with sponsors, like trying free samples, is popular among 58% of US respondents at sporting events. Two-thirds of soccer fans find brands more appealing when they sponsor sports.
Betting brands remain prominent in the English Premier League, making up 35% of front-of-shirt sponsorships for the 2023-24 season, totaling nearly $72 million, as per GlobalData.
Seven of the Premier League’s 20 teams have betting company deals, including AFC Bournemouth (Dafabet), Aston Villa (BK8), Brentford (Hollywoodbets), Burnley (W88), Everton (Stake.com), Fulham (Sbotop), and West Ham United (Betway), collectively worth $71.79 million annually.
In contrast, other top European leagues like LaLiga banned such sponsorships starting 2020-21. Only two gambling-related deals exist outside the Premier League in the 2023-24 season: Montpellier and Le Havre FC in French Ligue 1 with Paratouche and Winamax, respectively.
While the Premier League plans to ban front-of-shirt gambling sponsorships by 2025/26, other sponsorship types and stadium advertising remain unaffected. Signage is the top revenue generator, notably in North America, which accounted for over a third of global revenue due to leagues like the NBA and NFL.
eSports sponsorship is also on the rise. The market generated $837 million in sponsorship and media rights revenue in 2022, making it the highest revenue segment. eSports promises nearly 550 million mobile viewers forecast by 2025 and its revenue is projected to surpass $1.87 billion.
Addressing concerns
Concerns about normalizing gambling, especially among vulnerable groups, have prompted restrictions in several countries. In some countries, these led to regulations such as limiting betting ads during televised sports and banning logos on youth team kits. In some, like Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain, it led to a total ban.
Despite these concerns, gambling sponsorships provide crucial financial support for teams, making their immediate removal unlikely. Moving forward, a balance between revenue and ethical marketing is crucial, guided by collaborative policies and research to ensure responsible sponsorship practices.
A gambling sponsorship code of conduct for sports governing bodies is in development in many countries. Some popular legal strategies are aiming to ban logos on kits for athletes under 18, restrict visible gambling ads in family stadium areas, and include safer gambling messages in sponsorship.
A good case study would be the upcoming Paris 2024, which is openly supported by a gambling operator. As a comparison, NBC heavily featured the Tokyo Olympics across its platforms in 2021 but notably excluded Olympic betting from its sports betting resource, NBC Sports Edge.
For some, Olympic betting’s omission reflects the Games’ branding as pure competition, avoiding commercialization and commodification associated with sports betting. However, this absence contrasts with the industry’s embrace of sports betting post-2018 federal legalization.
The IOC published thorough guidelines on sports betting sponsorships in 2020. The guide emphasizes legal requirements, integrity associations, and mitigating risks like conflicts of interest and competition manipulation. This allows teams like the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation (CBV) to be co-sponsored by brands like Bet7K.
No clue how to place a bet in the Olympics this year? Find a good operator that is licensed for your region to show support to your favorite athletes.