VfB Stuttgart with two gambling sponsors despite criticism

VfB Stuttgart had been looking for a new main sponsor for a long time. They finally found one in French sports betting and poker operator Winamax. There was a lot of criticism because of the gambling issue. However, the Premier League club were unimpressed and shortly after announcing Winamax as their new partner, they announced a partnership with another company in the sector: Jokerstar.

For a few weeks before the start of the 2023/24 Bundesliga season, VfB Stuttgart's shirts featured an empty red chest ring. The reason was the lack of a main sponsor. As the calls for a new sponsor grew louder, chairman Alexander Wehrle announced that he would present a suitable sponsor before the start of the coming season. It was to be a well-known and lucrative sponsor, in line with the wishes of those in charge - and, presumably, many of the fans, who know how important it is to have enough money to see their club win more often.

As announced, the new partner is not everyone's cup of tea: Winamax, which claims to be one of the world's largest online poker and sports betting operators with more than seven million registered users and headquarters in Paris, will be the club's new partner in the current German championship campaign. And another partnership with a gambling company has been announced: Jokerstar GmbH from the Ravensberg district has also joined the traditional club.

This is how the cooperation with Winamax and Jokerstar will look at VfB Stuttgart

In fact, according to the club, VfB Stuttgart has managed to generate more sponsorship income this year than in previous years, despite the critical economic situation.

The club has signed a three-year shirt sponsorship deal with Winamax. According to press reports, the deal is expected to bring the club around €8.5 million a year. Over the course of the contract, this will add up to more than 25 million euros. Not quite as much as the Mercedes Bank that left the club (12 million euros a year), but still a handsome sum. In return, Winamax will be the club's main sponsor, with its logo appearing primarily on the players' shirts. When the partnership was announced, it was emphasised that all VfB shirts for young fans would bear the word "Stuttgart" instead of the Winamax logo for reasons of child and youth protection.

Jokerstar has been brought on board as a "club partner". This means that the company will have a less prominent presence than Winamax, but will still have its logo on a number of high-profile advertising positions. The club has officially announced that Jokerstar has been allocated its main advertising space on the LED board and on the static goal boards in the arena. According to press reports, the Swabians will receive a low to mid six-figure sum for the deal. The deal runs for two years.

Fans and press criticise gambling sponsorship at VfB

Emotions ran high on social networks, especially after the announcement of the Winamax sponsorship. Many fans were, and still are, unhappy with the choice of main sponsor. They would have preferred a partner with a stronger regional connection (as was the case in the past). In addition, a gambling company did not sit well with the morals of many of the club's supporters. The press was also critical, quoting addiction researchers and recent studies on the dangers of gambling addiction.

Questions were also raised as to whether Winamax would be able to meet VfB Stuttgart's clearly stated requirement that its partner should be in perfect harmony with the club's values and, ideally, come from the region.

Alexander Wehrle was asked by the Waiblinger Zeitung whether this statement and the current partnerships were contradictory: „Working with a German state-licensed provider that is committed to protecting minors and players does not violate the above statement. It is perfectly legitimate to be critical of sports betting in general, and we take this criticism very seriously. We were faced with the task of replacing a very large part of our shirt sponsorship volume, which had previously been completely covered by Mercedes. The VfB board, with the approval of the supervisory board, made the best possible decision in this situation.“

President Claus Vogt was also quoted in the German football magazine "Der Kicker": „Of course we respect the opinions of critical fans. Winamax has its roots in the digital world of football. In addition, in recent years, betting companies in general have increasingly become partners and sponsors of clubs or even entire leagues. We will continue to monitor the industry closely.“

Conclusion

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