Newcastle United to Replace Fun88 Shirt Sponsorship

Asia-based gambling operator Fun88 will be replaced as the main shirt sponsor at the end of the current season Newcastle United have confirmed. The club have managed to reach an agreement with a company originating from the Middle East to take over as the primary shirt sponsor in a deal reportedly worth ￡25m per season.

Newcastle United will end their shirt sponsorship arrangement with Asian-backed Fun88 at the end of the current season in favour of a new company from the Middle East.?jorono/Pixabay

Fun88 and Newcastle United’s relationship go way back into the times before the North East outfit was acquired by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. Fun88 is a very popular sportsbook in Asia and has been acting as a bridge between Asian sports betting customers and the Premier League for several years. With this versatility in its offering, it’s certainly no surprise that the firm continues to don the Chinese language of its brand name on the Newcastle jersey for the 22/23 season.

Fun88 remains one of the largest sportsbooks in Asia, and having the exposure of shirt sponsorship on a team as successful as Newcastle United was certainly money well spent. In terms of next steps for Fun88, they will feel a sense of a missed opportunity, especially as Newcastle United push on to the top four and secure a spot in the UEFA Champions League for next season.

Newcastle United have since been acquired by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, and given the stance of the new owners will begin a sponsorship deal with a company from the Middle East. There are few details on who the new sponsor actually is, but we do know that the fee for taking the main shirt sponsorship spot for a season is approximately ￡25m per season.

English Clubs Banned from Front-of-Shirt Betting Sponsorships

The news of the new deal made by Newcastle United follows a watershed moment in gambling advertising within elite level sport after the UK Gambling Commission decided that it’s no longer legal for clubs to don betting sponsors on their jerseys. The move marks a significant step change in the approach often taken towards regulating the UK gambling market.

The new rule banning betting sponsorships on English Premier League jerseys does not come into effect until the 26/27 season, but despite this timeframe the Newcastle United management have decided to use the landscape shift as a means to end their agreement 2 years early with Fun88.

It’s expected that professional football clubs will not be the only ones affected by the changes. There are many sports across the UK that prominently feature betting sponsorship, and whilst football appears to be the only sport for now taking an executive decision to push back against betting sponsorship, there will likely be a few more associations to follow suit.

Newcastle United’s Deepening Ties to the Middle East

Saudi Arabian investment flowing to Newcastle United has been a particularly divisive issue within the football community. Many concerns were raised in the buildup to the deal being officially announced, and efforts were made to block the acquisition on the grounds of Saudi Arabia human rights violations. Despite those concerns, the deal has been sanctioned and many fans of the club are excited by the new financial endowment the club can utilize to strengthen their squad.

Since the acquisition, the club’s shirt sponsor of Asian-backed Fun88 looked like a prime candidate for something that would be rotated out. In the spirit of keeping deals within the Premier League’s advised “fair market value” system designed to counter commercial dealings that are not in the best interest of the league in a domestic context.

Given the latest ruling in the UK to block Premier League clubs making new deals with sports betting operators, it’s expected that many more clubs will follow suit. With eight clubs in the Premier League featuring betting companies on their jersey as the main sponsor, this shift represents a big change in the way gambling companies gain exposure in the world’s most popular sport.