William Hill Is on the Verge of SPFL Sponsorship Deal, Reports Say

British gambling operator William Hill is close to signing a landmark deal with the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL). Reports say that the 888-owned gambling company could become the league’s new title sponsor for the next few years.

The SPFL began the search for a new sponsor following the conclusion of its deal with Cinch, a company offering a “faff-free way” to buy a car online. The deal in question was canceled earlier as the car dealer opted to end the agreement after its third year. For context, the original deal was signed in 2021 and was expected to last five years.

On the matter, Cinch’s chief customer officer Robert Bridge said that his team opted to move on from the deal because it wanted to evolve its marketing focus.

People familiar with the matter reported that William Hill seeks to capitalize on this opportunity and become the league’s next sponsor. Reports claim that the operator seeks a similar five-year deal to the one originally signed between the SPFL and Cinch.

This wouldn’t be the first time William Hill has been involved in Scottish soccer. The British operator has previously served as the official in-stadium betting partner of Celtic and a sponsor of the Scottish Cup.

Unlike the Premier League, which opted to reduce gambling advertisements and sponsorships, the SPFL’s rules on gambling deals remain unchanged.

Several Companies Renewed Their SPFL Data Partnerships

Speaking of the SPFL, Genius Sports, a leading data, technology and broadcast partner, recently announced that it has entered an exclusive period of negotiation with Football DataCo, which holds the rights for a variety of soccer events, such as the EPL, EFL, and SPFL.

In August, Stats Perform also extended its EPL, EFL and SPFL deal with Football DataCo.

William Hill, on the other hand, continues to expand its presence in professional sports. At the beginning of the year, the company onboarded four new Irish horseracing ambassadors, namely Gavin Cromwell, Jane Mangan, J J Slevin and Sean Flanagan.

In the meantime, 888, William Hill’s parent company, continues the deleveraging process as it seeks to reduce the debts it accumulated when it acquired the British brand. To that end, the former company announced the pricing of £400 million senior secured notes and entered into an additional multicurrency revolving credit facility with an aggregate principal amount of £50 million.