Betano Extend Aston Villa Partnership Despite Imminent Sponsorship Ban

Betano has strengthened its ties with Premier League football club Aston Villa by inking a three-year extension of its partnership.

Despite the imminent ban placed by the Premier League on clubs signing front-of-shirt sponsorship deals with betting companies, Betano remains undeterred. Therefore, Villa and Betano have acted swiftly to adhere to the new regulations.

What’s different then?

Having originally signed a deal with Villa in 2024, Betano once held a prominent space on the front of the club’s first-team shirt. However, as per the new Premier League rules enforced, Betano has now been demoted to the sleeve of the jersey.

Added to that, the contours of the partnership have shifted. The Kaizen Gaming-owned brand will now be the Midlands outfit’s official partner instead of principal partner moving forward, and the new deal will run until the end of the 2028/29 season.

Nevertheless, Villa’s alignment with Betano has paid dividends. Having qualified for the Champions League in 2024 for the first time since the 1980s, Villa have gone from strength to strength with Betano by their side. Last season, Villa lifted the Europa League, and they finished fourth in the Premier League, meaning they will take their seat at Europe’s top table again for the forthcoming campaign.

Clubs going down a different route

There has been a fundamental shift in the attitudes displayed by clubs towards front-of-shirt sponsorships. As the Premier League is eminently more restrictive than the lower divisions where front-of-shirt sponsorship bans with betting firms are still permitted, top-flight clubs have been forced to reach out to companies either outside of the betting realm or be a bit more canny with their existing partnerships.

In May, Manchester United signed off on a lucrative £20 million-a-year training kit deal with Betway, which it thought to be the most valuable in club football. Moreover, it served to underline the pulling power that the Premier League still has with attracting business in the betting space.

As far as Betano is concerned, they have been busy behind the scenes. Earlier this month, Betano announced a new three-year partnership with Tottenham, which will see them feature on media backdrops and the training kit for the 2026/27 season. After that, Betano will transition to become the club’s official betting partner in Europe and Latin America through to 2029.

Betano’s ambitions underlined

Although Betano has pledged to support community initiatives and drive fan engagement during its partnership with Villa, there is no denying that Betano has set its sights on greater visibility.

After launching in the UK in 2024, Betano has risen steadily. It ranked 55th out of 355 betting brands on the Blask Index, a dynamic metric responsible for measuring iGaming volume and market share. Indeed, Betano’s upward trajectory, Blask claims, can be showcased by the 23% year-on-year (YoY) and month-over-month growth rate achieved.

A “natural fit”

Despite the financial constraints placed on operators where Remote Gaming Duty (RGD) soared from 21% to 40% in April, Betano has been steadfast in its ambitions. Given the marketable force that is the Premier League, Betano is convinced the deal with Villa remains a natural fit.

Julio Iglesias, Chief Commercial Officer at Kaizen Gaming, said:

“Our first two years with Aston Villa have been nothing short of extraordinary.

“We entered this partnership with total respect for this club’s immense heritage, and it has been a privilege to stand next to the team and its global fanbase during a historic period of success.

"All in all, this partnership has been a natural fit, built around shared ambition, values, and trust.”