How Gambling Brands Are Using Data and AI to Target Fans Post-Shirt Ban

The Rise and Fall of Shirt Sponsorship in Gambling

For years, gambling companies were among the most prominent sponsors in European football. In the Premier League, betting brands took up about a third of the sponsorships on the front of shirts. 

However, recently, there has been public pressure surrounding it, and changes have been made to sponsorships on football shirts. 

In 2023, the Premier League announced it would be phasing out gambling sponsorships from the front of shirts and match-day shirts by the 2025-26 season. Other places, like Italy and Spain, have stricter limits on gambling promotions. Then, in the Netherlands, bans are coming in and throughout 2025. 

With these bans, gambling companies must pivot and re-examine how they reach sports fans. 

I’ll examine that below. 

 The Data-Driven Pivot: How Brands Are Adapting

With the gambling advertising ban tightening things across sports like football, these brands are going for a more targeted digital approach than something like that. Now, instead of shirt sponsorships, operators have begun investing money in customer relationship management software and services (CRMs), loyalty programs, and other data collection strategies. 

With modern CRMs, brands can see things about players like their frequency of play, spending habits/history, and favorite games. With this data, brands can engage with players in more personal ways through email, app notifications, and other in-game offerings. A great example of this is offering a lapsed player a reactivation bonus.

Really, today, the new approach is more of an active advertising campaign than something more passive, like logos on jerseys.

 How Online Casinos Use AI to Reach Players

AI in online casino marketing has become the standard. It’s improving daily, and brands like Bonus.Net.Nz will only use it more to help predict behaviors, prevent churn, and automate engagements with email triggers. 

For example, some machine learning models can help identify when a player will stop playing, thus triggering targeted retention offers. AI models will make the experience more catered to you, whether it’s certain games or promotions.

These email campaigns could also use AI, identifying players based on game types and sending them offers and promotions catered to their interests. The goal would be to enhance player happiness and retention. 

Now, engagement is becoming smarter and more strategic than trying to be loud and out there.

 From Jerseys to Journeys: Targeting Fans with AI

With football shirt gambling sponsorships going away, gambling companies will target fans with AI more than ever. Instead of relying on fans to see and check the logo, they’ll follow players across apps, sites, and other social platforms. 

Geo-targeting will become a go-to way. For example, if you step into a stadium, you may be hit with a push notification for placing a wager on that game or providing an odds boost. These could also be timed during halftime of some sports to ensure you’ll see the notification. 

As mentioned, this engagement is all highly behaviour and data-driven.

Ethical Advertising in a Post-Ban World

Gambling brands are already under scrutiny due to the advertising ban on shirts, but this is going to change things quite a bit, especially with data-driven gambling ads. They must comply with the new regulations, such as advertising standards, GDPR, and responsible gambling language. 

On the ethics of the matter, operators won’t target self-excluded or other vulnerable players with this type of marketing strategy. These campaigns or ads must also feature ways to opt out of them. Of course, nothing can be catered toward a youth demographic. 

So, these AI tools must optimise their marketing and manage compliance. 

Ensuring that this process is done well will not only demonstrate ethics and compliance but also help gain the trust of players. 

 What’s Next for Gambling Brand Marketing?

With physical advertising coming to an end, gambling brands and companies will need to get more creative, and this goes beyond targeting fans with AI. There will be some streaming platforms like Kick or YouTube. Gambling ads are no longer allowed on Twitch, but there are some platforms where they’re still available, and this leads to influencer marketing. Twitch used to allow ads, but no longer. 

These gambling companies can also partner with esports teams, organisations, and players to help with influencer-like marketing even more. 

That said, expect more AI-powered gamification, such as mini-game challenges, tiered reward programs, and missions. Immersive CRMs will help craft these as they gather data. 

So, amid the gambling advertising brands, these companies have more outlets they can use, such as AI-driven or influencer marketing. It may not be as easy as before, but with the right amount of creativity, they can still manage.