English Premier League soccer side Aston Villa and Kaizen Gaming have confirmed a long-term partnership that will see the Greek gametech company's betting company Betano become the club’s new principal and front-of-shirt partner.
The two-year agreement will see the Betano logo feature on the front of Aston Villa’s men's kits from the 2024-25 season.
The deal is reportedly worth around £20 million ($24.6 million) per year, making Betano the most lucrative front-of-shirt sponsor in the club's history.
Betano will replace the Midlands side’s current kit sponsor, Asian betting brand BK8. That deal is worth around $12 million per year.
A three-year deal with BK8 was only agreed in June 2023 but will be cut short after only one season.
Following the BK8 deal, Aston Villa fan groups protested the team partnering with a company from a taboo sector such as gambling.
The Premier League outfit will, through the deal, remain one of eight clubs in the league to sport betting sponsors on its shirt through to the end of the 2025-26 season, when rules banning gambling companies from taking front-of-shirt sponsorships will be put in place.
Villa are also set to switch kit suppliers next season as they have reportedly agreed a new deal with German sportswear giant Adidas, while still under contract with UK manufacturer Castore.
adidas will take over as the team’s kit manufacturer from the 2024-25 season, with Villa’s association with Castore ending after a controversial two seasons.
Other Aston Villa partners include the team’s sleeve sponsor, finance broker Trade Nation, as well as local company Homeserve Furniture Repairs.
Betano in its own right is a global operator with strong soccer links in several global territories, mainly in Europe and South America.
In November 2023, the brand was announced as the official betting partner of this year's UEFA 2024 European Championships.
Betano is the first-ever betting partner of the tournament, while its parent company Kaizen will serve as the official global sponsor of the competition.
More recently, the gambling company, which operates across South America in Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Ecuador, was announced as a partner of the next two editions of South American soccer’s Copa America competition.
