Kieran Maguire: West Ham dealing with ‘the biggest player in town’ as £60m deal at risk
West Ham are dealing with “the biggest player in town” in the form of the gambling industry and will almost certainly vote against a ban on betting sponsorship.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the Hammers’ deal with BetWay.
As relayed by BBC Sport on Tuesday (5 July), the Premier League has asked clubs to vote on whether to bring in a self-imposed ban on gambling sponsorship on shirts.
The vote has since been delayed as a result of the current turmoil in Downing Street but is expected to be back on the agenda soon.
The Irons’ current deal with online bookmaker BetWay is worth £60million over its six-year lifespan, according to football.london.
Maguire claims that the East London club are unlikely to abandon the deal when they will fail to get the same sort of cash elsewhere.
“I think it is eventually going to go to a vote,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“The Government doesn’t want to be seen as picking on individual industries, so they would much prefer that it was a voluntary ban.
“The problem we have is, who are the clubs going to approach in terms of having commercial sponsors if it’s not the gambling industry?
“Admittedly, they aren’t the only industry in town, but they are the biggest player in town for the non-‘Big Six’ clubs.
“I’ve seen examples of sponsors only offering a third of what the gambling industry would pay. So, I think clubs such as West Ham will be reluctant.
“After the Everton deal, West Ham’s is probably the most lucrative gambling sponsor in the league.”
In other news, Flynn Downes agrees five-year West Ham deal as medical completed.