The FAI have added another official partner, this time in the betting stakes, via a two year deal with Ladbrokes that kicked off in the Aviva Stadium on Wednesday night.
Ladbrokes is headquartered in the UK but has a strong separate Irish division. The deal with the FAI mirrors one in place in England with the Football Association.
Football betting now accounts for around 80 per cent of the money bet globally, with massive gambling markets in Asia dwarfing what used to be the horse racing led business in the UK and Ireland.
Legislation around gambling has been relaxed in many European countries in recent years, including in Italy and Spain where the sector is now a significant revenue generator for governments through betting duties.
Nine of the 20 Premier League clubs in England have a shirt sponsorship deal with a betting company, with the total annual value of those deals in excess of €30 million.
The FAI has previously had partnerships with Boylesports and Paddy Power, the latter of which remains a partner of the IRFU while the former is concentrated on deals including the Boylesports Irish Grand National and the Irish Greyhound Derby.
“Football is a favourite for our staff and customers alike so we are thrilled for our brand to be joined with such a high quality partner as the FAI,” said Ladbrokes Ireland Director Jackie Murphy.
“We expect this deal to further strengthen our presence and growth in the market.”
“I am delighted to welcome Ladbrokes as a key commercial partner of the Football Association of Ireland added FAI CEO John Delaney.
“The strength of the game in Ireland is reflected in the range of high quality brands which have invested in football and see football as their preferred sport.”
This comment could be seen as reference to Three in particular who chose to remain with the FAI last year while walking away from the deal that came to them with Irish rugby following the takeover of O2 and which was subsequently taken up by Vodafone.
