Despite being blacklisted in the country and gambling sponsorships being prohibited in sports, Polymarket has announced deals with Serie A and Italian soccer club Lazio.
On Thursday, Polymarket announced that it has signed an agreement to become “the official and exclusive prediction market partner of Serie A in the United States.”
As part of the deal, Polymarket will receive brand integrations across the soccer league’s U.S. media and digital channels.
“The next phase of sports engagement won’t be defined by more content, but by more participation,” said Shayne Coplan, Founder & CEO of Polymarket. “Prediction markets give fans a way to actively interpret the game in real time, and partnering with Serie A brings that model to one of the world’s most followed leagues at a moment when American interest in the sport is at an all-time high.”
The deal in Italy follows Polymarket’s partnership with Spain’s soccer league, La Liga, last month. This was its first deal with a European soccer league, but it also has agreements with the MLS and several other sporting organizations, including the MLB, NHL, and UFC.
Polymarket Will Appear on Lazio Shirts Next Season
In addition to the deal with Serie A, one of the league’s prominent clubs, Lazio, announced that it will display Polymarket on the front of their shirts from next season.
The deal is worth a reported $22 million over two years and bypasses the country’s ban on gambling sponsors.
Italy passed the Decreto Dignità (Dignity Decree) in 2019, which prohibits all forms of gambling and betting advertisements, including sponsorships for sports teams and leagues.
In addition to being the club’s main sponsor, Polymarket is the Official Fan Intelligence & Digital Insight Partner of Lazio. The club emphasized Polymarket as an information tool rather than a platform for betting.
“Polymarket is a partner that interprets the future, capable of reading and analysing trends with innovative tools,” said Lazio President Claudio Lotito. “This agreement strengthens Lazio’s path of international development and confirms the club’s desire to position itself as an increasingly modern, open, and competitive entity in the new landscape of global sport.”
Italy Blocks Access to Polymarket
Italy is listed as a restricted jurisdiction on Polymarket’s site, along with 32 others. The Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM), Italy’s gambling regulator, blocked access to Polymarket last year over allegations it is an unlicensed gambling platform.
After an appeal, the agency allowed access to the site’s news, surveys, and information, but continues to prohibit Italians from participating in Polymarket’s prediction markets.
Michele Ciccarese, Marketing & Commercial Director of Serie A, emphasized that the deal was to promote the league in America, rather than promote Polymarket in Italy.
“The United States represents a key growth market for Serie A,” said Ciccarese. “Our exclusive alliance with Polymarket, as Regional Partner in the USA, lets us engage a new generation of fans through a platform that embodies emerging trends. It delivers an interactive, real-time product rooted in insights and participation perfectly aligned with their expectations.”
Companies Find Ways Around Gambling Sponsorship Bans
While the deal is officially billed as promoting Serie A in America, it also exposes Polymarket’s brand in Italy despite the gambling sponsorship ban and the company being blocked in the country.
Other betting operators have also found ways around Italy’s sponsorship ban. Betsson, the Swedish gambling company, appears on Inter Milan’s shirts, but as Betsson Sport.
Betsson Sport is officially a “sports infotainment” portal, distinct from the company’s gambling platform. Betsson is a licensed gambling company in Italy.
LeoVegas.News opened the door for many companies to exploit a loophole that allowed them to display gambling branding under a slightly different name. The news arm of online casino LeoVegas has deals with Atalanta and Inter Milan.
Roma also shows Eurobet.live on its shirts, another “sports infotainment” platform, which is distinct from Eurobet, a gambling brand that is part of Entain.
AC Milan, meanwhile, has a partnership with Snaifun rather than with the Flutter-owned Snai. Roma and Palermo both have agreements with StarCasinò Sport, a separate entity from StarCasinò. Napoli similarly has a deal with 365Scores, part of the bet365 group.
Sponsors looking to continue exposing their brand in the English Premier League may take note of the techniques used in Italy. The EPL will impose a voluntary ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsors from next season. So far, clubs have bypassed the ban by signing shirt sleeve and training kit sponsorrship deals.
