The Rise of Gambling Sponsorships In Tennis

The gambling industry has experienced dramatic growth in the past few years. The rise can be attributed to the advent of online casino platforms like Spin Casino that offer unmatched services. Because of the significant number of online casinos, competition is tight, and operators are looking for ways to market their products.

Sports sponsorship has emerged as one of the most prominent marketing channels. Gambling companies have entered into sports sponsorship agreements that have benefited tournaments, sports agencies, players, and teams. In return, gambling operators have found a bigger platform to advertise their products and services. However, these deals have elicited heated debates in the sporting world.

Gambling sponsorships in Tennis

Gambling companies have had their fair share of challenges when sponsoring tennis tournaments. In 2018, ATP Tour banned tournaments from entering into deals with sports betting and fantasy firms.

The decision was after the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) advised ATP Tour to ban such deals after a string of match-fixing incidents. However, in 2020, ATP Tour lifted the ban meaning there was sufficient evidence that the illegal activity had been dealt with.

Stanislas Wawrinka, Roger Federer’s teammate that won the Australian Open in 2014, stated in 2016 that gambling companies had a role to play in getting rid of corruption in sports. He argued that companies sponsoring sports would do everything to make sure that sports remain corruption-free. For example, he stated that betting companies that sponsor tennis tournaments must ensure that they stay clean because any match-fixing case would result in a loss of cash. According to Wawrinka, these sorts of sponsorships are beneficial to all parties.

Former world number one Andy Murray opined that betting sponsorship rules in tennis ought to be reviewed. He stated that it was not fair for ATP only to allow tennis tournaments to sign sponsorship deals with gambling companies and not with individual players.

Regulations put in place by the ATP Tour ban gambling operators from signing sponsorship contracts with tennis players. That means that companies cannot use players’ kits for endorsements, and the players cannot also appear on betting advertisements. Moreover, players cannot act as brand ambassadors for betting firms.

The strict rules were put in place to curb corruption in tennis. Novak Djokovic claimed that he had once received a 110000 GBP offer to throw a match back in 2007.

ATP Tour Director Eddie Gonzalez stated that it was an excellent move for ATP Tour events to get revenue from a new category. According to the Director, the new deals could be worth over six figures in every event.

He also announced that seven 250 and 500 level ATP tournaments based in the US had bundled their sponsorship rights together. This means that new sports gambling and daily fantasy partners will be looking at partnership deals worth seven figures.

Under the new rules, sports betting and fantasy categories are available to 250 and 500 level tournaments. However, the ATP has not entirely backtracked on the decision it took in 2018 as the top-tier Masters 1000 events can only allow sports fantasy categories.

Final Thoughts

Despite the challenges it has faced, gambling sponsorship in Tennis is on the rise. The availability of frameworks that work for both the ATP Tour and gambling firms creates a friendlier environment to work in. Moreover, the regulations are being improved every day, meaning there is still room for further growth.

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