The result of the match no longer determines the winner on the field only. Behind every goal, penalty kick, or substitution, there is a global market that bets on the details, turning the fans’ enthusiasm into billions of dollars in profits.
The latest evidence came from the Italian company “Lotomatica” agreeing to buy its Spanish competitor “Cirsa” in a stock deal worth 2.8 billion euros, establishing the second largest listed betting and gaming company in the world after the “Falter” group, which owns the “FanDuel” company. The new group will be headquartered in Rome, with a secondary office in Barcelona, while the American investment fund “Blackstone” will become the largest single shareholder with a stake of 24%. The two companies expect to achieve adjusted operating profits of approximately two billion euros, and return up to four billion euros to shareholders within three years.
These numbers reveal that betting is no longer an activity that moves on the sidelines of sports, but rather a huge industry that uses matches to reach customers. The company does not need to own a club or buy a player. Rather, it is sufficient for the fan to remain in front of the screen and place a new bet before or during the start of the match.
Football provided these companies with the broadest entry. In 2024, bet365 became the first betting company to sponsor the Champions League, with a contract extending until 2027, giving it appearance on electronic boards inside stadiums, interview backgrounds, and the tournament’s digital platforms. Thus, the betting company appears alongside the logo of the competition itself, giving it confidence that traditional advertising does not provide.
The irony is that this season the English Premier League began implementing the decision to remove the logos of betting companies from the front of club shirts, with the aim of reducing the volume of advertisements. But the decision does not end the financial relationship, but rather removes the logo from one site, while sleeves, billboards, digital platforms, and partnership agreements remain available spaces.
The danger is not related to advertising alone. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.2% of adults suffer from a gambling disorder, and that about 60% of gamblers’ losses, i.e. corporate revenues, come from people gambling at harmful levels. It also warns that marketing through sports contributes to making betting a normal behavior among children and young people.
As for the British Gambling Authority’s data for the year 2025, it shows that 49% of the young men surveyed saw betting advertisements on social media weekly, while the percentage among boys who saw them at sporting events rose to 57%.
Sports have not completely become gambling, but it has become the most important interface for marketing it. The problem is that clubs and leagues receive sponsorship money immediately, while families and communities bear the cost of addiction and debt later.
