Sources: West Ham could now match Newcastle United as £20m deal on the line
West Ham are exploring the possibility of aborting their deal with Betway two years before it is due to expire, sources have told Football Insider.
The £10million-a-year contract, the most lucrative front-of-shirt arrangement outside the so-called ‘Big Six’, runs until the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
But a source has told Football Insider that the Hammers are now actively courting potential new partners amid government pressure on Premier League clubs to agree to a voluntary ban on gambling sponsorship.
It is understood that a self-imposed ban would allow already-agreed deals to continue provided they expire within three seasons of the moratorium’s introduction.
That timescale would allow West Ham‘s alliance with Betway to run its course, guaranteeing the East London side the £20m in revenue the deal would generate in that time.
But club chiefs are considering instead ripping off the plaster and calling time on the deal early in a move that would echo the agreement struck by Newcastle United in October last year to end their relationship with online bookmaker Fun88 two seasons ahead of time.
It is not known whether the Betway contract includes a break clause or whether West Ham could buy back the sponsorship rights from the company.
Football’s relationship with the gambling industry is under review and a white paper setting out proposed new regulations is expected to be published soon.
West Ham have previously stated that the most effective structure for a future shirt sponsorship deal would be to incorporate the naming rights for the London Stadium.
Sources in local government, who would be entitled to the first £4million generated annually by a branding deal, told Football Insider in October last year that they were not engaged in dialogue with the club over such an arrangement.
It is understood there has been no movement in this department and little in the way of improvement in the frosty relationship between West Ham and the stadium landlords.
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