William Hill has been confirmed as the official betting partner of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) in a deal covering all four divisions.
The UK bookmaker, one of the largest and oldest in the country, will become Scottish football partner at the start of the 2024/25 season, with the deal lasting five years.
This will make the firm the title sponsor of Scottish Premiership, Championship, League One and League Two. This gives William Hill perhaps the most extensive visibility in the Scottish betting market.
Social responsibility caveats are also included in the deal, not just marketing. EPIC Global Solutions, a gambling harm consultancy, will launch a gambling harm awareness programme in partnership with the league and bookmaker, delivered to SPFL players, staff and fans.
SPFL Group Chief Executive, Neil Doncaster, said: “William Hill is a name long associated with Scottish football and we are enormously excited to have reached a long-term, record-breaking agreement with our new title sponsors.
“This is tremendous news for our clubs and their fans, for the profile of the league, and for Scottish football in general. In addition to the sponsorship with William Hill, our pioneering gambling harm awareness programme with EPIC will help to educate the communities across the 42 SPFL clubs on gambling harm prevention.
“Everyone at the SPFL is looking forward to working with William Hill to promote the passion, drama and excitement of the League and its 42 clubs over the next five seasons, as well as the roll-out of our programme with EPIC.
“I would also like to place on record our sincere thanks to cinch for its extremely positive contribution to Scottish football over the past three years and wish them and their management team the very best for the future.”
As noted by Doncaster, Cinch has been a long-running partner of the SPFL. Reports first emerged last month that William Hill would be replacing the car manufacturer, which ended its deal with Scottish football last year.
William Hill is one of the biggest betting operators in the UK, holding an extensive retail portfolio across the country’s high-streets as well as an online sportsbook and casino platform. The company is owned by Evoke, which purchased it whilst trading as 888 holdings in 2021.
The inclusion of social responsibility activities via EPIC’s involvement comes at a significant time in regulation of British betting. In the context of the Gambling Act review White Paper and withdrawal of Premier League front-of-shirt betting partners in England, responsibility has become a core focus of betting sponsorships.
William Hill’s Marketing Director, Michael Sheehan, added: “We’re delighted to become title sponsor and official betting partner of the SPFL, as well as launching a pioneering Gambling Harm Awareness programme, delivered by EPIC.
“For decades, we at William Hill have loved Scottish football and its fiercely loyal and passionate fans. Now, building on our long-standing association with Scottish football, we are delighted to be playing our part in five exciting seasons of the SPFL.
“In addition to our sponsorship, we will work proactively and extensively to raise awareness of the potential risks associated with betting across the Scottish footballing community. As a business, we place customer safety and responsible gambling at the heart of everything we do, and we are looking forward to delivering an extensive programme across SPFL clubs to educate and promote healthy and safe relationships with betting.”
