French Voters Content With Online Casino Sponsorship of Sport Teams

In a recent poll, conducted by KantarSport, Ineum Consulting and Audencia Nantes School, the majority of French voters support sponsorship of sports teams by foreign online casinos and internet sports books registered with the ARJEL in accordance with French gambling laws. A random sample of one thousand voters throughout France was asked to ‘Characterize the effect that foreign online casino and sportsbook sponsorship has on the future of French sport?’ The results of the poll showed that 55% responded as ‘Positive’, 35% as ‘Negative’ and ‘10%’ responded as ‘No effect’.

The majority of the sample agreed that allowing sponsorship of French teams by foreign Online sportsbooks in France, casinos and poker rooms had a positive contribution to the development, financing and overall improvement of French sports. French voters also agreed that this form of sponsorship would increase the number of new people who become addicted to gambling but felt that the overall benefit of the sponsorship to French teams outweighs the negatives.

Many foreign online casino in France and sportsbooks are ever present in the media since the opening of the French market to competition, yet their marketing strategies are far from identical. Some rely primarily on communication media, whether on television, internet, on radio or in print, while others have opted for team sponsorship.

Bruno Lalande, director of Kantar Media explains that "sport sponsorship gives a major competitive advantage to foreign online operators who opt to complement their investment in traditional advertising. The big operators are making a good tactical choice by placing their logos on uniforms of French teams." A major sponsorship agreement with a top French team as League 1 Club Olympique Lyonnais may cost between €6 million to €4 million per year.