It has been revealed by the CEO of William Hill that several US sports teams have contacted the British bookmaking giant with an interest in striking a sponsorship deal.With the recent legalisation of sports betting across the country after the US Supreme Court ruled in New Jersey’s favour in a state sports betting case, interest in bookmakers amongst US sports teams has increased a huge amount.
William Hill Interest
Joseph Asher, Chief Executive of William Hill, stated that the operator had been “inundated” with requests from US sports teams and leagues, who are all “interested in doing commercial deals”.William Hill has positioned itself well to be the leader of the US sports betting market, cutting connections from the unfortunate position the sportsbook provider found itself in a few years back, and looking to make its name as the leader of what may become one of the biggest gambling markets in the world.
Exceptions
Due to a 2016 ruling, gambling companies and operators are banned from advertising on the shirts of National Basketball Association (NBA) teams, and Major League Baseball (MLB) Deputy Commissioner and Chief Legal Officer signed a memo which stated that advertising of gambling companies is also heavily restricted, saying:“We have been informed that club television and radio rights holders are being approached by sports books to place advertising/enhancements. Pursuant to MLB policy, clubs must inform their rights holders that they are presently not permitted to accept such advertising.”With so many huge sporting events taking place in the US every year, these limitations are unlikely to slow the industry down too much, or stop many gambling operators from taking full advantage of the advertising that is available, and sports teams are clearly aware of how lucrative such deals could be for them.