June 7 – Bookmaker William Hill will become the title sponsor of all four SPFL (Scottish Professional Football League) divisions from the start of next season in a record-breaking, five-year deal.
From the start of the 2024 season the four SPFL divisions will become the William Hill Premiership, William Hill Championship, William Hill League 1, and William Hill League 2.
The SPFL began their search for a new title sponsor after online used car marketplace Cinch exercised an option to end its five-year sponsorship deal, reckoned to be worth about £1.6 million per year, two years early.
The new deal with William Hill is reckoned to be worth £2 million per season, though no official statement on the value of the sponsorship has been released.
SPFL group chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “William Hill is a name long associated with Scottish football and we are enormously excited to have reached a long-term, record-breaking agreement with our new title sponsors.
“This is tremendous news for our clubs and their fans, for the profile of the league, and for Scottish football in general.”
William Hill becomes the SPFL’s official betting partner.
At a time when their counterparts in England are taking self-regulatory steps to reduce their gambling sponsorship addictions (coerced by the threat of government regulation), the Scots are embracing the betting business.
EPIC Global Solutions – a global consultancy focused on gambling harm prevention – has been engaged to launch a multi-year programme on gambling harm awareness across Scottish football for SPFL players, staff, and supporters.
EPIC will deliver interactive workshops across all 42 SPFL clubs on the impact of gambling-related harm and where to access support. EPIC will also deliver sessions to supporters/community groups within clubs that have Community Trusts.
William Hill’s Marketing Director Michael Sheehan said: “For decades, we at William Hill have loved Scottish football and its fiercely loyal and passionate fans. Now, building on our long-standing association with Scottish football, we are delighted to be playing our part in five exciting seasons of the SPFL.
“In addition to our sponsorship, we will work proactively and extensively to raise awareness of the potential risks associated with betting across the Scottish footballing community. As a business, we place customer safety and responsible gambling at the heart of everything we do, and we are looking forward to delivering an extensive programme across SPFL clubs to educate and promote healthy and safe relationships with betting.”
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