As the most popular sport globally, football has a unique place in each fan’s heart. The sport is actively played by millions of people and watched by over a billion. That automatically makes it one of the most competitive sports globally.

The amount of competition turned particular teams and leagues into titans. All this made the sport even more popular. While Arsenal scores goals on the field, fans around the world explore different ways to enjoy the thrill of the game — including online casino platforms. Websites like https://onlinepokiesmates.com/real-money-pokies/ help Australian users find secure, fun, and feature-rich pokies sites.

Over the years, the team has had numerous sponsors, but today, we’re going to explore their gambling-related sponsors.

Arsenal's First Gambling Deal

Arsenal’s first gambling deal was a partnership with Betsson. This popular online sportsbook partnered with the iconic team in 2011. The partnership offered a great perk to the football club’s fans, as they would get access to the GunnersGaming platform that was powered by Betsson, both online and at the club’s stadium.

There, the players could win unique rewards by betting, playing casino games, and playing poker. This was the first partnership for Arsenal that officially opened its doors to collaboration with online gambling companies.

Major Sponsorship Milestones

The last two decades were special for Arsenal, as the team got to partner with multiple gambling businesses. Here are all the deals that mark important milestones for the team.

Betsson - From 2011 to 2014. Partnership with the team meant that Betsson would run an online and in-stadium platform, GunnersGaming.

BetConstruct - From 2016 to 2019. BetConstruct is a veteran in the gambling industry as a notable software provider. The company prides itself on creating robust solutions for companies looking to start their online sportsbooks.

VBet - From 2019 to 2022. VBET is an online sportsbook that is powered by BetConstruct. As such, it was an easy continuation of collaboration after the partnership with BetConstruct. This made a lot of sense from the VBET side, as the massive Arsenal fanbase counts over 200,000 active members.

Betfair - from 2016 to 2019 - A renowned domestic betting exchange found the perfect partner with Arsenal. This deal allowed the brand to use the first team’s players in their promotional content, building stronger connections with Arsenal’s fans. It also gave Betfair’s brand a broader presence in the team’s home stadium.

Sportsbet - From 2020 to 2023 - Sportsbet is an international sportsbook that wants to expand globally. That’s where they saw an opportunity with Arsenal as one of the most popular football teams in the industry. It quickly helped the operators gain trust from users around the globe. Their innovation lies in the technology they deploy. The brand is among the pioneers that have adopted the use of crypto payments on their gambling site.

Betway - from 2023 to 2026. Betway's partnership deal features the branding of the operator on the team’s stadium boards, further increasing their visibility on the global scene. This partnership is an important deal for Betfair, which is expanding outside of the UK.Shirt Sponsorship Highlights

While Arsenal has official betting partners, none of them are shirt sponsors. Throughout history, the team had several shirt sponsors, all of which were outside of the gambling industry. They are as follows:

JVC

Sega

Dreamcast

O2

Emirates

Additionally, the shirt sponsorships also include kit sponsorships. The following companies were responsible for creating players' shirts over the years:

Umbro

Adidas

Nike

Puma

While Arsenal never featured any gambling partner on their shirts, multiple clubs in the Premier League do.

Financial Impact Overview

Sponsors are vital for the survival of a team and its growth. This is where Arsenal shines brightly, as it managed to pull in €218.5 million in 2024 in total. There are brands with higher commercial revenue from partnerships, but these numbers are massive for the size of this club.

The rates that the club can charge also depend on their success in the season, so there’s more room for growth in the coming years.

Recent Shifts in Strategy

There’s a way in which Arsenal is ahead of the competition. The fact that the brand doesn’t promote a gambling company on its shirts puts them at an advantage. That’s because of the new upcoming regulations, which will partially ban shirt sponsorships from gambling companies.

So the other teams in the Premier League will have to find additional sources of revenue, while Arsenal will keep its income from sponsors stable.

What Arsenal could do to increase its revenue is climb the leaderboard and get back in the top 3 places. Applying that strategy would permit the team to charge higher fees for partnerships of all types, including global betting partnerships.

Another strategy that the company is following is growing its social media presence. A broader overall exposure means a higher potential to charge more money from sponsors. All this also applies to the women's Arsenal team, which also has sponsors from various industries.