Tennis is one of the most loved and viewed sports in the world and this explains both why there is so much gambling activity around big tennis tournaments and why gambling companies are so much interested in sponsoring tennis events and having their brands linked to their skyrocketing popularity.
There is no online bookmaker or betting platform in this world -from US bookies to Uganda betting sites– that wouldn’t want to be displayed proudly and demonstratively on the background of a big game between the top tennis players. That would not happily give their money to sponsor a tennis tournament. Or in their biggest dreams, to sponsor a Grand Slam. Getting hands on such huge events that are watched by the global population, gives betting sites like Megapari Uganda access to global customers and this is a priceless benefit, that can justify any sponsorship or advertising amount.
Pairing gambling with tennis is a relatively new thing. Ever since online gambling has been legalized in various parts of the world, tennis tours started getting a share of the big pie. The revenues from tennis betting are enormous. And so why shouldn’t tennis get a grab of the ever-increasing turnover?
Having gambling-related brands sponsoring anything that has to do with tennis is now relatively common. The Australian Open signed a big deal sponsorship agreement with the famous bookmaker William Hill back in 2015, the Miami Open tournament partnered with betting company Betway, the ITF signed with Infront Bettor to distribute global data and betting streaming rights, ESPN, where much of tennis games are aired has signed agreements with Ceasars and Draftkings. Pretty much different stakeholders in the entire supply chain of tennis are teaming with gambling enterprises and getting a share of the multi-billion dollar gambling industry.
Some months ago, Novak Djokovic, the world’s top tennis player, publicly stated that everyone in tennis is getting a slice from betting profits, except for the players. Ironically, the ATP bans gambling operators and gambling-related brands from entering into any sponsorship agreements with tennis players. So, players are not allowed to have any gambling brand on their shirts, while just behind them there can be a banner with a flashy highlight of a gambling operator.
After Djokovic, more and more players have voiced their thoughts in that manner. Most of them acknowledge that pairing gambling with tennis might have some implications on match-fixing perceptions on the part of the audiences, but if the whole of tennis is to profit from the betting industry then why shouldn’t the players get even a small part of that too? Djokovic argued that the players need to get their hands on that money, especially because they need to be able to support financially their out-of-tennis lives.
Overall, it is kind of ironic to have an entire ecosystem being largely fuelled by inter-relationships amongst the different agents, and simultaneously have one part of the supply, which, in fact, is the most crucial one, being excluded from the chain. You can get to see tennis tournaments being sponsored by a gambling brand, streamline it in a platform that has partnered with a gambling operator or watch it air on a channel that has signed a mega deal with a gambling site, but you can’t get to see a single tennis player having a gambling brand on their shirt. It’s kind of ironic. Those who make up the spectacle, those who make up the entire sport, and those who actually trigger any sports wagering activity, are also those that are left out.
Also read:
