Premier League club Crystal Palace has made the decision to remove online gambling brand W88 as its front-of-shirt sponsor with immediate effect.
There are now eight Premier League clubs with front-of-shirt gambling sponsors
The decision to cut sponsorship ties with W88 comes as the UK gambling industry prepares for the upcoming publication of a white paper which is expected to suggest an outright ban on gambling sponsorship in sports. However, there was no indication in the club’s announcement that the potential ban had any bearing on the decision to seek a new sponsor.
At present, nine of the English Premier League’s 20 clubs have a gambling company as their front-of-shirt sponsor. That number will now drop to eight following Crystal Palace’s announcement and could drop further yet before the Premier League season kicks off in August.
The club also announced that it has agreed a new deal with online car retailer Cinch to replace W88. Cinch will be the front-of-shirt sponsor for both the men’s and women’s teams and will be the official sponsor of the club’s training kit.
Speaking of the new deal, Barry Webber, Commercial Director at Crystal Palace said:
“Cinch is a well-established, family-friendly and instantly recognisable brand across the UK and beyond, and this landmark partnership is yet another statement of progress at the club, both on and off the field.
This is an incredibly exciting time for our partnership to begin, as we enter our 10th successive season in the Premier League with a squad packed full of international talent.”
Avril Palmer-Baunack, Chair of Constellation Automotive Group, Cinch’s owner, added:
“We look forward to working with the teams, fans and local community and have high hopes for the club next season on absolutely cinching it.”
Olivia has worked as an editor and writer for major brands across multiple niches. She now focuses on the iGaming and sports betting industries.