Everton have announced a shirt sponsorship deal with the casino and sports betting platform Stake.com worth more than £10m a year. The agreement is the highest front-of-shirt deal in the club’s history and replaces one with the car seller Cazoo, whose sponsorship was ended by Everton after two years in order for the club to secure a more lucrative partnership.
Everton previously had a sponsorship deal with the betting company SportPesa but that was terminated in 2020 amid criticism from supporters over links to the gambling industry. The club’s chief executive, Denise Barrett-Baxendale, admitted at the time that deals with betting companies were not ideal but Everton say the latest arrangement is driven by the commercial realities of competing in the Premier League.
Everton have suspended all commercial and sponsorship ties with companies owned by Alisher Usmanov, a business partner of the club owner, Farhad Moshiri, and an oligarch who was hit with sanctions after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Usmanov’s USM Holdings company had a £12m-a-year sponsorship arrangement on Everton’s training ground and paid £30m for a first naming rights option on the club’s new stadium. Usmanov has brought a legal challenge against the European Union sanctions and an interim decision on whether to suspend them could be issued soon.
The club have also been working with the Premier League to meet its profit and sustainability rules after recording losses of £372.6m over the last three financial years.
Stake.com is fully licensed by the Gambling Commission and is the UFC’s official betting partner in Latin America, Asia and Brazil. Its branding will feature on the front of the men’s and women’s shirts from 1 July and the deal will run until at least the end of the 2024-25 season.
