Kieran Maguire: Aston Villa ‘taking the cheque while it’s still legal’ as new deal agreed
Aston Villa are “taking the cheque while it is still legal” in terms of their relationship with the gambling industry.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about Villa’s new deal with British bookmaker William Hill.
As relayed by Sport Business last Friday (23 December), Villa have struck an agreement William Hill to provide in-stadium betting facilities and branding over the next two seasons at Villa Park.
Villa also have a commercial arrangement with Asian gambling firm Kaiyun.
The club trousered £26million from sponsorship and merchandising in 2020-21 and are expected to surpass that figure when they release their accounts for 2021-22.
The gambling industry may soon no longer be a viable income stream, however, with the government keen to implement a ban on front-of-shirt advertising and ultimately a complete moratorium in the Premier League.
But will continue to cash in while they can, insists Maguire.
“I think Aston Villa are saying ‘while it is still legal, we will take the cheque’,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“They will worry about the consequences in terms of the broader issues surrounding gambling at a later stage.
“By having an exclusive deal with William Hill in the stadium, it means the betting company will have had to pay a fee for that exclusivity.
“That is money in the bank for Villa. They need that to continue being competitive in the transfer market and pay wages that attract the best talent.
“The question of ethics surrounding this sort of deal is not often high on the list of priorities for most clubs.”
In other news, Aston Villa told £30million will seal Nicolas Jackson deal after contact made.