As European teams prepare for the 2024/25 season, the usual wave of new partnerships and sponsorships is underway. These deals bring multiple benefits to clubs, including financial support, access to new markets and enhanced brand visibility.
Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart recently revealed a partnership with crypto casino Lucky Block, naming it as the club’s Asian betting partner. This partnership marks the third gambling-related agreement for Stuttgart, alongside deals with main sponsor Winamax and club partner Jokerstar.
So, what sets this partnership apart? Unlike the agreements with Winamax and Jokerstar, the Lucky Block deal is unique in that it will not be promoted in Stuttgart’s home market of Germany – its visibility will be restricted to the Asian market.
Dean Akinjobi, CEO of Football Media, oversaw the deal and has spoken to Insider Sport about the challenges and opportunities this agreement will provide for both parties involved.
Speaking on the benefits of the deal, Akinjobi said: “I would personally say that the benefits are multifaceted. Especially when taking into consideration VfB Stuttgart’s history of signing international players from Japan and Korea, which has helped to significantly increase the club’s reach and fanbase across Asia, and enabled VfB Stuttgart to become a key gateway for players from Asia into topflight European football.
“This impact has resulted in VfB Stuttgart fast becoming one of the most engaged clubs on a variety of Asian social media and content platforms such as Weibo, WeChat and SportsNavi, which in turn creates major opportunities for Lucky Block to connect with tens of millions of users across Asia.”
Asia is one of if not the most lucrative overseas markets for European football clubs to establish themselves in. Stuttgart evidently shares this perspective, as demonstrated by this partnership and its ongoing pre-season tour in Japan.
Pre-season tours now extend beyond fitness and team-building, with financial factors becoming more prominent. Reflecting this shift, clubs increasingly choose international destinations based on commercial strategies.
Manchester City, for example, partnered with WWE in June ahead of its tour in the US. The two parties planned activations to enhance the agreement and interact with supporters. This is also the case for Stuttgart and Lucky Block’s deal, creating a “huge opportunity” in Akinjobi’s opinion.
“We have collectively planned multiple activation strategies for the Japan tour, that will include, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, tickets to tour matches as well as exclusive meet and greet sessions with Stuttgart legends and players on the tour,” he continued.
“Maximising native localised content and creating money can’t buy local experiences, are key drivers of sponsorship activation success, that will be leveraged and focused on throughout the Japan tour to deliver brand engagement and growth.”
Stuttgart had an exceptional season, finishing second in the Bundesliga after ending the previous year in 16th place. Despite Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten season taking the spotlight, Stuttgart’s impressive performance earned them a Champions League spot.
This achievement is one that Lucky Block will be making sure to take advantage of during the partnership. The casino itself has recently made strides in its respective sector, expanding its offering to include sports betting.
Akinjobi hinted towards the online casino using Stuttagart-focused promotions to market this new offering, which will include both the Bundesliga and Champions League to audiences across Asia.
As touched on, partnerships are a two-way street and Lucky Block at a time of growth will be looking to make the most of this opportunity.
“Football Media will be working with Lucky Block on the development and implementation of multiple marketing activation strategies, to maximise the collaboration. Leveraging crypto and its growth across Asia,” Akinjonbi added.
“Offering unique collaborative activations and money can’t buy experiences, all targeted with a regional Asian audience and demographics at the core of the strategy, will enable us to help Lucky Block to fully maximise the collaboration with VfB Stuttgart.”
Nevertheless, there will be challenges. The fact that the deal will not be promoted in the club’s home market presents its own set of hurdles.
On the surface, this could pose a problem for matchday advertising at home games. However, where there is a will there’s a way.
Akinjobi explained: “Where there are challenges, there are opportunities. The Lucky Block partnership is an Asian-focused partnership, which presents multiple opportunities to effectively promote the brand, using targeted regional-focused in-stadium virtual advertising, social media, and digital advertising.
Additionally, there are also opportunities to connect with VfB Stuttgart’s rapidly growing Asian fanbase, which makes this partnership, one that is full of many promotional opportunities, that will be fully maximised as part of the overall strategy.”
Gambling sponsorships are a hot topic in sports, particularly football. The Premier League has announced a ban on front-of-shirt gambling deals, set to take effect from the start of the 2026/27 season.
Despite this ban, many supporters have witnessed an increase in gambling sponsorships after the announcement of the ban, leading them to criticise their clubs online.
This deal might be a sign of more to come. Many Premier League clubs have recently signed deals with Asian casinos and may look to international counterparts like Stuttgart to learn how to manage such arrangements without marketing in England, especially as regulations in the UK tighten.
Akinjobi seems to agree that these types of agreements are going nowhere, anytime soon. He predicts that there will be a lot more of the same in the future, especially in connection with the German market.
He concludes: “I expect to see more similar types of partnerships in Germany from multiple categories in the future, as it’s a very strong market. Also, the country has just successfully hosted the Euros, which has put an even brighter spotlight on brand sponsorship and partnership opportunities within German football.”
