The online casino industry is constantly looking for new ways to attract prospective players. Most brands at the online gambling world are advertising online and target online players that already gamble online and favor the industry, but some groups are taking a more aggressive approach and market their online casino business outside the virtual space in an attempt to get new players join the game. One of the major online casino brands signed an agreement not too long ago with Tottenham, one of Britain's most acclaimed soccer groups, to sponsor the team during the next season. This means that Tottenham players will play soccer wearing shirts with the online gambling brand's logo, giving the gambling operator huge exposure to many different audiences.
However, as you already know, things tend to be a bit tricky for when the world of online gambling is the world you are playing in. The United Kingdom Minister of Sports said that the Tottenham deal will be looked into to see if featuring an online casino brand on players' shirts is legal or not. Authorities are sensitive to the issue of online casino advertisement, now that gambling regulation and legislation is being heavily discussed. Although Tottenham soccer club's chairman called the Minister's remark "ridiculous", it does not mean that it will not materialize. Britain's new gambling regulation should come into affect next year, and the Minister said that the UK Gambling Commission will also look at sponsorship deals, like the Tottenham-online casino agreement, and decide whether they are legal.
After all, regulating the online casino industry does not mean that anything goes. Regulation is a long process, where hard decisions are made. Making the online casino world legit in all ways mean that form codes must be applied, and promoting the gambling industry through sports sponsorships might be decided as a no go. On the other hand, thinking about all the alcohol sponsorships, and other rated products that do get promoted though sports, the online casino industry might find a place on teams' shirts. |
