Sport Without Bookmakers – Can Any Major Sport Survive Without Betting?

Betting at The Heart of The Sports Economy

In today’s sports landscape, the relationship with the betting industry is no longer a side note. It is often a financial cornerstone. Sponsorships, data rights, marketing activations – all are part of a broader system in which betting operators are among the biggest investors.

In many cases, working with bookmakers is the most profitable option for sports clubs, especially mid-table teams or those from smaller leagues that cannot compete globally with the biggest brands. As a result, betting companies have significant influence not only over the look of matches but also over the very structure of sports financing.

The Scale of The Phenomenon

The depth of the connection between sports and betting is clearly illustrated in European football. According to data from The Guardian and Investigate Europe published in March 2025, out of 442 clubs in 31 top European leagues, 296 had at least one active partnership with a betting company during the 2024/25 season. That’s more than two-thirds of all teams.

145 clubs had a bookmaker’s logo on the front of their jerseys – the most prestigious and visible sponsor placement. Fourteen domestic leagues carried the names of gambling firms in their official titles. In the Premier League, eight clubs earned a combined £60 million annually from such deals alone.

Some partnerships go even deeper, involving not just brand exposure but joint campaigns, app development, and even product consultations. For betting companies, sports sponsorship is not only advertising but also a way to acquire data and build trust with fans.

How has The Model Evolved?

The current relationships between sports and betting operators have evolved from simple sponsorships into complex partnerships. A prime example is the NBA’s long-term agreement with Sportradar, a sports data processing company.

Under this deal, Sportradar gained exclusive rights to distribute official data from NBA and WNBA games, including tracking data, streaming, and the creation of betting products. In return, the NBA took a stake in Sportradar, highlighting that the league is not just a beneficiary of the deal.

The NFL signed a similar deal with Genius Sports. This partnership grants exclusive rights to distribute game data and betting odds, along with integrity monitoring systems. This allows the league to oversee how its games are used in betting and actively fight match manipulation.

Which Sports are Most Dependent?

Beyond football, which generates the highest global betting volume, sports like tennis, basketball, and hockey are heavily tied to betting. Their structure, game frequency, dynamic action, and ease of stat generation make them ideal for both pre-match and live betting.

Tennis, for instance, during major tournaments, can generate more betting activity than football. Basketball, especially the NBA, offers countless betting options, and advanced analytics keep the market highly engaged.

It may be surprising how popular betting is on sports like darts, biathlon, or even cricket. Biathlon combines skiing and shooting, enabling complex betting markets. Darts draws huge crowds during world championships, where a few dominant players increase predictability.

There are also professional bettors who focus on less popular sports, believing bookmakers analyze them less rigorously, which can lead to more frequent pricing errors.

Are There Sports Still Free From Bookmakers?

Such examples exist, but they are increasingly rare and usually driven by ethical standards or legal regulations.

In the U.S., college sports governed by the NCAA remain officially free of betting sponsorships. Despite the legalization of sports betting in many states, the NCAA prohibits universities from profiting from gambling, arguing that amateur athletes are particularly vulnerable to manipulation.

The International Olympic Committee also keeps a firm distance from betting. Athletes, coaches, and officials are banned from betting on the Games, and the organization works with integrity-monitoring firms solely for investigative, not commercial, purposes.

An interesting case is the Premier League itself – as an organization, it does not have a betting sponsor, although it allows clubs to sign individual deals. This “two-tier” model maintains a level of organizational independence.

Can Sport Turn Away from Bookmakers?

In theory, yes. In practice, it would pose serious financial, technological, and communications challenges. For many clubs, gambling is the biggest source of sponsorship income. Rejecting it would mean finding entirely new funding sources.

Maintaining control over match integrity would also be difficult without cooperation from betting operators. Monitoring systems that track player behavior and odds movements require data sharing through official channels.

The fan experience must also be considered. For many supporters, betting is part of their sports engagement. Removing it could deter some viewers, especially younger fans who use mobile apps and live stats.

Norwich City – a Case of Courage and Self-Regulation

The most prominent example of voluntary rejection of gambling sponsorship is Norwich City. After being relegated from the Premier League, the club announced it would never again sign a front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with a betting company.

The club’s commercial director, Sam Jeffrey, stated that the decision was a response to growing social problems related to gambling addiction. Norwich turned down more lucrative offers to uphold its commitment to social responsibility. This was a first in professional English football.

Regulation Over Revolution

The Premier League has already announced that starting from the 2026/27 season, clubs will no longer be allowed to feature betting sponsors on the front of their jerseys. This was a voluntary decision by the clubs, not a government-mandated ban. Betting ads will still be allowed on sleeves, stadium banners, and digital media, meaning gambling revenue will not disappear but will be visually reduced.

In Spain, gambling advertising was banned by law in 2021. The new regulations prohibit betting logos on shirts, though ads are still displayed in stadiums. Clubs had to quickly terminate or not renew existing contracts. In the 2021/22 season, several La Liga teams – including Valencia, Granada, and Real Sociedad – started the season without a main shirt sponsor, unable to secure a replacement in time.

A similar scenario unfolded in Italy, where a 2018 law banned gambling advertisements on television and in sports. Overnight, Serie A clubs lost a key revenue source, sparking protests from the football community. Officials argued that the lack of betting income disproportionately hurt smaller clubs unable to attract sponsors from other industries.

In practice, some Italian teams sought workarounds, such as signing deals with media portals focused on sports and betting content that do not directly offer betting but belong to the same groups as bookmakers. Others partnered with “sub-brands” created by betting firms for sponsorship purposes, which formally did not offer gambling in Italy. These tactics skirt legal boundaries and demonstrate that fully cutting sports off from betting money requires not just bans but effective oversight systems.

The International Olympic Committee has issued guidelines for sports federations on how to partner with betting companies without compromising integrity. This indicates the issue is being taken seriously not just at the club level but also globally.

Can Sports Redefine Its Relationship with Betting?

The relationship between sports and the betting industry is deep, complex, and highly profitable – but increasingly scrutinized. Norwich City shows that an alternative path is possible. It’s not an easy choice, but it is realistic.

Full separation seems unlikely, at least in the next few years. However, control, responsibility, and transparency are directions more organizations are exploring. Sport doesn’t have to completely reject betting – but it can redefine the relationship on its own terms.