Stake.com Finds Work-Around to Sponsor Premier League’s Everton Club

Posted on: August 2, 2023, 10:19h. 

Last updated on: August 2, 2023, 01:11h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

The English Premier League (EPL) wants to do away with sponsorships that include betting and gambling companies. That could make it more difficult for gaming platforms to stand out in the marketplace. Stake.com is hoping to skirt those rules by leaning on its streaming platform, Kick, which just signed a sponsorship deal with EPL club Everton.

Everton soccer player Neal Maupay on the field
Everton soccer player Neal Maupay on the field. Joining Stake.com as a sponsor is Stake.com-backed streaming platform Kick. (Image: Getty Images)

Kick’s millions of dollars and the arrival of its neon green logo is sneaking into the world of soccer with the help of Everton. In becoming part of the Liverpool club’s new jersey, the platform expects to gain ground through its relationship with the Premier League.

The league will introduce its front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship ban beginning in 2026. It’s highly likely that Kick’s marketing team will get creative in order to promote Stake.com and sidestep the ban.

Stake.com is currently an Everton sponsor, but that will have to change with the new rules. It also recently tried to sponsor Chelsea before fan backlash forced the deal to a halt.

Kick Comes to the EPL

Kick, which isn’t opposed to gambling content like Twitch, is set to become Everton’s official sleeve partner, according to a press release. It will also be the club’s official streaming partner, joining its global partner portfolio on all of its digital platforms.

The Twitch rival will also have a home in different stadiums tied to the club. Its brand will feature at Goodison Park, Walton Hall Park, and the Finch Farm training site.

https://twitter.com/Everton/status/1686285643180388352

The Kick name will begin appearing this weekend. It will reportedly be on the shirt sleeves of Everton’s men’s senior team when it plays a preseason match against Sporting CP.

In honor of the partnership, Kick and Everton have announced a series of events and ideas designed to bring supporters closer to the club. For the upcoming season, Everton’s women’s team and its under-21 squad will also carry the brand on their sleeves.

Kick is jumping into one of the most important soccer leagues by becoming an Everton sponsor. In doing so, it hopes to not only attract users, but streamers as well.

This is obvious from the messages it’s already sending out. It’s continuously highlighting the 95/5 revenue split it offers in favor of the content creators. Twitch only gives 50/50, and some don’t even make that.

In order to emphasize the advantages it offers with respect to other streaming platforms, Kick is entering the elite of world soccer with a profound message. It wants everyone to know that it’s the place to be for any streamer, and any other platform is only second-best.

On the other hand, Everton may get a boost as well. It can call upon, with approval, some of the most popular content creators available today.

New Streaming Wars Coming

Amazon-owned Twitch is still the dominant streaming platform, although Kick is trying to catch up. It’s been making progress, jumping from five million to 12 million accounts between May and July.

It still has a long way to go, though, as Twitch boasts 140 million registered users. Of course, that platform has been around much longer. Kick only started to add traction late last year.

There will soon be a new streaming service that will try to upset the balance even more. NASA is launching NASA+ for Android, iOS, and other devices. The platform will reportedly broadcast live events, original videos, and more. Although it doesn’t appear to be designed for content creation, it hopes to steal eyes away from some of the more popular platforms.