Villa secure record £40m shirt deal in time to beat gambling ban

Aston Villa have sealed a shirt-front sponsorship with a Greek online sports betting platform that is the biggest in their history.

Betano will pay £20 million annually for two years from next season, coinciding with the launch of Villa’s new Adidas kit deal.

The Betano contract runs until the ban on gambling companies on shirt fronts comes into effect from the start of the 2026-27 season.

Villa want to drive commercial revenue as they push for a Champions League place and it is believed that the Betano deal is worth more than twice as much as the deal with the current sponsor, Chinese online betting company BK8.

Betano has also signed a deal with Uefa to be one of the global sponsors of Euro 2024. Villa have partnered for the first time with Adidas, the German sportswear giant in whom Villa owner Nassef Sawiris owns a seven per cent stake.

They are fourth in the Premier League and well set for what is likely to be one of the five Champions League places for English clubs next season in the newly remodelled 36-team format.

Unai Emery propelled Villa to a seventh-place finish last season and has also secured a Uefa Europa Conference League quarter-final next month against Lille. With greater success on the pitch will come the opportunity for bigger commercial contracts.

The club this month announced overall losses of £119.6 million for the financial year ending May 31, 2023. Not all those losses will figure in the profitability and sustainability calculation and the club are confident they will be compliant.

The club’s annual revenue has increased from £178.4million from the previous financial year to £217.7million in the most recent results.