Sky Bet extends English Football League sponsorship deal

Sky Bet has extended its multimillion pound sponsorship deal with the English Football League until the summer of 2024.

The gambling operation is the headline sponsor for the Championship, League One and League Two football divisions. It gets its logo on shirts and rights for Bet and Watch for some matches.

Sky Bet says it will try to discourage problem gambling through messaging on shirts and that clubs will benefit through more money. The deal, which is worth tens of millions of pounds, has been in place since 2013. Sky Bet said it would be paying 20% more than it has done so far to extend the agreement from 2019 to 2024. This will make the 11-year deal one of the longest in professional sport, the firm said.

The Leeds-based operation, which includes sites such as Sky Vegas and Sky Bingo, is owned by private equity group CVC Capital Partners. Broadcaster Sky holds a 20% stake in the firm. The betting industry has been under increasing scrutiny from the government and from the regulator, the Gambling Commission.

Earlier this year the Football Association, English football's governing body, announced it would end sponsorship deals with gambling firms. However, competition organisers, and the clubs themselves, are free to take sponsorship from gambling firms.

The money from the Sky Bet deal will be divided among the 72 clubs in the English Football League, which covers the three divisions below the Premier League.

The chief executive of Sky Bet, Richard Flint said that the English Football League used the revenue generated to help them run their day-to-day operations.

He said: "Without sponsorship from the betting industry there aren't a great number of sponsors willing to get involved in football."