Earlier this year, ahead of the release of the White Paper of the Gambling Act in the UK, soccer clubs in the country showed support for a voluntary ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsorships. While the White Paper was released recently, major clubs in the country had already agreed to go through a transition period over the next few years before completely banning front-of-shirt gambling sponsorships.

That transition period, gave some room for clubs with existing deals or new short-term deals to complete them, through the end of the 2025/26 season, allowing the ban on gambling front-of-shirt sponsorships to be implemented with the 2027 season. Yet, while clubs vowed to gradually phase out such deals, new deals are still being signed.

Earlier this week, English Premier League (EPL) soccer club, Aston Villa FC, announced it entered into a new sponsorship agreement with the online gambling company BK8. Under the terms of the new three-year deal, the company was designated as Aston Villa’s main front-of-shirt sponsor, a move that immediately captured the attention of sports and responsible gambling organizations, stakeholders and even soccer fans.

BK8’s partnership with Aston Villa was noticed by the Aston Villa Supporters’ Trust, which issued a statement condemning the collaboration. On Thursday, the Trust said that it is unhappy with the club’s decision to join forces with a gambling company for the upcoming three seasons.

“The Aston Villa Supporters’ Trust is highly disappointed with the Club’s announcement of a Principal Partnership with BK8 as its front-of-shirt sponsor for the next three seasons,“

reads a statement released by the Aston Villa Supporters’ Trust

Scooping Financial Gains before Front-Of-Shirt Ban

According to the Trust, the club was contacted earlier this year by fan groups that joined forces for a statement, outlining the concerns of potential sponsorship with BK8. At the time, the joint statement warned that there are more than 400 gambling-related suicides every year in the UK.

Additionally, it said that millions of people are impacted by gambling harm and pointed to “BK8’s misogynistic marketing practices,” urging the team not to join forces with a gambling company for a front-of-shirt sponsorship. The aforementioned misogynistic practices the Trust referred to are old advertisements by BK8 that reportedly included simulated sexual acts by women.

The Trust said that Aston Villa “failed to listen to the legitimate concerns of fans about the role of gambling sponsorship in sports” and harshly criticized the new sponsorship with BK8. “The BK8 agreement is a cynical last-minute attempt to scoop the financial gains ahead of the voluntary ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsors taking effect from the 2026-27 season,” wrote the Aston Villa Supporters’ Trust.

The new sponsorship deal captured the attention of the charity Gambling with Lives, which called the deal “not only tone-deaf but also dangerous.” The charity warned that one person dies every day in the UK due to problem gambling. It added that sports fans include children which is why it is paramount gambling ads to be excluded from such events.

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English Premier League (EPL) side Aston Villa FC announced today it has agreed to a three-year partnership with online gambling firm BK8 to make it the club’s new principal and front-of-shirt partner.

Collaborations to Grow Both Brands

Under the terms of the agreement, the logo of the betting and gaming firm will feature on the front of Aston Villa’s three shirts until the end of the 2025/26 season, fitting right into the transitory period EPL clubs gave themselves as part of their voluntary agreement to axe front-of-shirt gambling sponsorships.

“Through this partnership with BK8 we look forward to exciting collaborations together that will help to grow both brands, particularly within Southeast Asia,” said an Aston Villa spokesperson about the deal.

As part of the sponsorship, BK8 committed to making a contribution to a local charity in Birmingham for every adult shirt sold from the club’s third kit, building on the brand’s work with charities and programs aimed at raising mental health awareness over the past two years. The donation is set to become the first in a series of charity initiatives in collaboration with the club.

BK8’s managing director, EMEA, Michael Gatt, explained the rationale behind the initiative, delighted to be in a position to provide support for local charities throughout the partnership with the club.

“Being able to give something back to the supporters for their dedication is a hugely significant part of the reason we want to be involved with a prestigious institution, which is what Aston Villa Football Club are,” he said, highlighting the company’s commitment to supporting local communities of its football partners over the past few years.

Advertising Assets for Charity Messages

Gatt further noted that BK8 would invest in several brand activations over the course of the partnership as a display of their commitment to local charitable initiatives in the city of Birmingham and its surrounding areas and to engage with Villa supporters, as well as give various advertising assets at Villa Park to charity organizations.

Aston Villa has been negotiating with BK8 since the beginning of the year as the club’s current deal with the online car retailer, Cazoo, was set to expire at the end of the season. The club faced strong criticism from its fans after the Aston Villa Fans Consultation Group sent a letter to express its disagreement but decided to ignore the critics and pursue the controversial deal.

BK8 has a history of partnerships with EPL club Crystal Palace, English Football League (EFL) clubs Burnley FC, which has been promoted to the EPL this season, and Huddersfield Town, and a number of Spanish LaLiga clubs, including Villareal CF, Athletic Club Bilbao, Valencia CF, Elche CF, and RCD Mallorca.

The betting brand was involved in a controversy with Norwich City in the summer of 2021 after fans and locals forced the club to scrap the deal with the firm over its use of sexualized adverts online.

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