With US gambling legislation always changing it is important for companies to be up to date with the
latest goings-on, in order to forge the best commercial partnerships. Sports is big business
throughout all of the US so it stands to reason that companies are going to want a part of this in any
way they can. A lot of the time this is via sponsorship and advertising deals, but is soccer being
overlooked when it comes to creating these partnerships?

Why Are Companies Interested in Sponsorship Deals?

Advertising has been around pretty much forever – from billboards to the street to modern-day
social media campaigns, promoting your product has always been important. Having a good product
is definitely a key to being successful, but how is it going to be a success if people don’t know it
exists? Word of mouth can work well but ultimately most companies have to allow some form of
marketing budget in order to promote their business/services.

Over the years the way that businesses have promoted themselves has altered massively; and
although TV advertising is still a great way to reach new customers it’s not the only way and across
many industries, it isn’t the most popular.

With gambling legislation laws changing across the US, commercial partnerships are starting to be
considered by many companies. This allows them to reach new audiences without straight-up
advertising but instead working on sponsorship which is a much more subtle approach. We are
starting to get used to seeing more product placement across mainstream TV and events and as
such, sponsorship deals like these are likely to increase in popularity.

How Popular is Soccer in the US?

When you think of sports in the US, you tend to think of baseball, basketball and American football;
however over recent years the Major League Soccer league has increased in popularity and as such,
so has soccer in general. However, when it comes to sports betting lots of the major bookmakers
and casinos that allow sports betting still tend to focus on other sports. A big part of this will be
down to recent changes in legislation which has allowed sports betting to take place across parts of
the US where it was previously illegal.

Although betting on soccer matches is now allowed, commercial partnerships have been slower to
be arranged which gives the general feeling that soccer is being left behind. This is very different
across Europe where betting on football matches is big business.

The Euros have been taking place over recent weeks and it is something that whole countries have
gotten behind when their team has done well. With England in the finals, the whole country went
crazy, with shops closing early to allow people to watch the event and street parties being arranged
for people to celebrate. Although this type of celebration hasn’t really happened across the US,
soccer is definitely big business there and companies are missing out by not getting involved.

Football is something that English fans heavily invest in – this means that they’re likely to bet on
their favourite players as well as their favourite team. It is something that many fans feel a real
connection to and it is this that drives them to want to place a bet – as they feel it shows loyalty and
support to the team they want to do well. This then leads to a passionate audience when the match
takes place because people have plenty riding on whether their team will do well or not.

Is It Overlooked?

Sports betting is big business in the US but it perhaps hasn’t proven quite so popular as it has in
places like Europe, especially England. This means that commercial agreements have been a bit
shortcoming, but there is a changing coming. People are much more likely to consider commercial
partnerships especially within leagues such as Major League Soccer, as they start to recognise the
importance it has to the game. After all, not only does betting get fans involved and feeling
passionate about the game but it can help bring in revenue to the industry – which after the events
of the last 16 months is very much needed.

What Does The Future Look Like for Soccer Betting?

The truth is that online betting has grown throughout 2020 and is likely to continue. Soccer betting
sites have been opening up quickly to keep up with demand and this is something that is likely to
continue, as consumers become more familiar with sports betting, how it works and even the
concept that it is something they are allowed to do!

Commercial partnerships are an important part of this as it allows businesses to generate revenue
through a different scheme – for example, offering affiliate links on their website to places that allow
people to place a bet online or working with casino companies to host sponsored content on their
website. All of this is helping the soccer betting industry to grow in popularity and this is something
that is likely to continue.

The truth is that in part it has been overlooked however it is something that is quickly being caught
up on. Social media has a big part to play in this – for example, you can hardly move on social media
platforms for content about The Euros while this is taking place. This will mean that an international
audience becomes more interested in what is going on and how they can get involved. You don’t
have to be in Europe to bet on The Euros and so people can get involved that way. As people see the
buzz that football has throughout Europe while the tournament has taken place they’ll begin to
wonder why their own country doesn’t get just as involved. People are likely to want to mirror the
fun and excitement that happens during European football tournaments and as a result, the want
for them to bet on matches is likely to increase too!