Even before the Premier League banned gambling companies from front-of-shirt sponsorship, betting brands were already deeply involved in football finance around the world.
Now, Softfootball understands that betting company involvement is evolving rather than disappearing.
Reports suggest that Betway has secured the naming rights to South Africa's top division, the Premier Soccer League, in a deal reportedly worth around R300 million per year, while it has also been linked with a potential training kit sponsorship involving Manchester United FC, worth around £18 million annually.
This situation highlights the financial gap between football markets.
In England, gambling companies are now turning to training kit, sleeve sponsorship and stadium advertising, as regulations have forced them away from front-of-shirt deals. Several Premier League clubs are reportedly entering the new season without confirmed shirt sponsors, raising questions about whether clubs will accept significantly lower commercial offers from outside the betting industry.
Meanwhile, in Africa, betting companies are still investing aggressively in football visibility and league branding.
Softfootball believes that African football is not necessarily lagging behind Europe commercially, but rather earlier in the sponsorship cycle than Europe is already trying to regulate more strictly.
The bigger long-term question is whether African leagues and clubs are building sustainable business structures that can survive beyond betting sponsorship once tighter regulations eventually come in.