Gambling plays a big part in the EPL – it provides sponsorship money that is spent by clubs on new players, giving fans something to get excited by.
The NFL has recently opened its doors to gambling, but will it have as big an impact on it as we’ve seen in sport’s richest league? The answer is both yes and no, as I explain below.
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How big an impact has it had on the EPL?
It’s not hard to spot the impact gambling has had on the EPL – gambling adverts are shown before, during, and after televised games. However, the adverts go beyond TV commercials and billboards, with many English soccer clubs sponsored by gambling companies (and some even owned by gamblers).
Over half of the EPL’s teams are sponsored by gambling companies, with West Ham United’s sponsorship deal worth £40 million to the London club. Brighton and Hove Albion are one of the few clubs who aren’t sponsored by a betting organization, but gambling still has an impact on their finances – the club is owned by Tony Bloom, a professional poker player.
Gambling’s impact on the EPL has lead to a renewed interest in sports betting – accumulators bets are now an established part of England’s football culture, sports-geared casinos are hugely popular, and Football Index matches player performance to stock marketfluctuations.
While it’s safe to say that some football fans find the influence of gambling tedious, there’s no doubt that gambling has made the EPL much richer – it’s now the most widely publicized sports league in the world
What’s happening in the NFL now?
The NFL has long-held ambitions of matching the EPL’s global appeal – its London series, which sees a number of games played in both Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium, being just one example of the NFL chasing down the EPL’s viewers. But unlike it’s English cousin, American football league has lagged behind other U.S. sports in accepting gambling – until recently.
In 2019, the NFL signed a $90 million deal with Caesars Entertainment, one of the most famous gambling institutions on the planet. While this pales in comparison to the money contributed to the EPL from betting organizations, it’s a big step for the NFL – but it’s not the only one. Legal sports betting was launched in 12 U.S. statesin September 2019, with a number of other states set to follow suit
So far, gambling’s impact on the NFL has been limited. But as I’ve explained, the relationship between the two is developing and you can expect it to become much more developed soon. Why? Because as it becomes normalised for clubs and fans, more areas of the NFL will be opened up to sponsorship.
Unlike the EPL, where fans are saturated with gambling adverts, the newness of gambling’s impact on the NFL means that it should have a while yet before it becomes tedious.
Will gambling will be as important to the NFL as the EPL?
It’s taken a long-time for gambling to make its way into the NFL, but there’s a persuasive argument to say that it’s here to stay – at least in the short term. Why? Because in sports, players walk and money talks.
However, just because gambling is now a part of the NFL, it doesn’t automatically mean that it will or won’t be as important to the NFL as the EPL – a case can be made for both sides of the argument.
Why gambling will be as important to the NFL as the EPL
- NFL has ambitions of being the biggest sports league in the world
- More people are betting legally, meaning it’s becoming more acceptable
Why gambling won’t be as important to the NFL as the EPL
- NFL draft means money received from gambling as relatable to fans as in the EPL
- U.S. is still culturally behind the U.K. with regards to the acceptance of gambling
Conclusion: gambling won’t have as big an impact on the NFL
The NFL has the richest sports franchise on the planet (the Dallas Cowboys). However, while it’s not short of cash, it’s still some way behind the EPL in its global reach. Part of this is down to the nature of the sport and part is down to the way the two leagues operate.
The nature of football is that you need more equipment than in soccer to improve – soccer just requires a ball, football also needs posts.
Gambling has also helped the EPL to become more popular by giving clubs the money to spend on players – transfers are one of the most exciting parts of soccer. This is something that won’t happen in the NFL.
Instead, the use of gambling advertising in the NFL will make betting more accessible to fans, without making the NFL more relatable to fans. This means that while gambling will make the NFL richer and this will undoubtedly make it more popular, it won’t have as big an impact as it has on the EPL.
