Rugby League in Australia is now in a new era of sponsorship. Gambling branding is set to become significantly more underground in the world of professional sport, with changes to uniforms, venue advertising, and the marketing of gambling in professional sport broadcasts. That will be some of the most familiar commercial partnerships that will have to change for the NRL. It’s not to say that gambling will never be part of the rugby league scene again, but it does mean it has come to an end for now.
Many of the same consumers who watch major sporting events are still seeking attention in the broader online gambling market, including at the Joe Fortune online casino. What’s changing, however, is how that audience can be reached. The next steps in rugby league and gambling’s relationship are likely to be more about digital marketing, content generation, hospitality, and the wider entertainment sector, rather than having a logo in the middle of a jersey.
The Jersey Was Only the Most Visible Part of the Relationship
Because it’s impossible to ignore, shirt sponsorship will attract attention.
A brand is featured on a jersey at every tackle, try celebration, interview and highlight package. Through that exposure, sports uniforms have become a very valuable advertising tool. Yet, gambling firms have never been solely dependent on jerseys.
There have also been a number of other attempts to target the sports audience, including broadcast advertising, digital partnerships, stadium signage, affiliate marketing, social media, and direct promotions.
Taking away one of those channels alters the marketing mix. It doesn’t take away the business opportunity to contact rugby league supporters. This will be more crucial as restrictions come into effect.
NRL Clubs Now Have Premium Inventory to Replace
The change is on the other side as well. Clubs which have been able to sell high-profile sponsorships to gambling brands will have to find new partners.
It could usher in a new era for technology firms, financial services companies, airlines, telecommunications and consumer brands that have been at the back of the pack for the best-advertised placements.
Those deals will be a key test. Clubs may be able to make a fairly smooth changeover if other industries are prepared to offer comparable payments. Otherwise, the loss of gambling sponsorship may be a real commercial problem.
The NRL consequently needs to make two adjustments simultaneously: one to reduce the visibility of gambling and another to ensure that the sponsorship funds which support professional sport are not lost.
Digital Marketing Is Harder to Remove From the Game
It could be the more difficult part for the regulators – what goes on outside the stadium.
Advertising on television and jersey branding are easily recognized. Digital marketing is more fragmented.
Gambling content can be found on search engines, social media, applications, websites and tailored advertising. Those contacts may be prior to, during, or hours after the final whistle of a game. The second screen becomes more crucial, then.
A rugby league TV fan could be using a phone at the same time to view statistics, to read news about a team or to follow a discussion online. This means commercial activity can continue around the match, even though traditional broadcast advertising is more limited.
The visibility could be lowered, but the audience connection would not be.
Rugby League Fans Are Valuable Beyond Sports Betting
Beyond match betting, the rugby league gambling industry is interested in the sport’s audience. The NRL supporters are a part of a larger entertainment marketplace.
They go out to big games, bars, and hospitality venues, use mobile entertainment products, and spend money at big sporting events.
Rugby League has the capacity to generate much economic activity beyond the stadium itself, as Magic Round demonstrates. Traveling supporters create demand for hotels, restaurants, nightlife, and other forms of entertainment.
That means rugby league fans are commercially relevant to casino and gaming brands, even if the marketing tie-in is not directly to a specific game or team. The fan will still be great even if the logo gets removed.
Restrictions Could Make Marketing More Targeted
A possible side effect of cutting back on mass-market gambling advertising would be increased targeted advertising. Almost all the viewers of the match get a jersey.
Digital marketing can be very targeted. Brands can target adults and specific interests or previous online behaviors instead of paying for a big block of “general reach.”
For example, this could make gambling less prominent for the general populace while also providing operators with greater access to a consumer segment that interacts with the category.
That’s a different challenge from a regulatory perspective. The industry could get less noticeable in the public domain, but more sophisticated in private digital environments.
Rugby League Is Entering a Different Commercial Era
All in all, the link between the NRL and gambling isn’t going away. It’s just undergoing a change.
The strongest association was with jerseys and stadium branding; that’s where millions of people could see the same thing at the same time. Their downfall will change the face of rugby league, especially for the younger generation who are becoming accustomed to a world where there aren’t so many gambling logos around the game.
However, outside of commercial ties, it will continue to develop. Digital media, online entertainment, hospitality, and targeted advertising are other methods that gambling businesses use to engage with adult rugby league audiences.
That is why it is not a matter of removing logos but removing the industry. The NRL is entering a new era where gambling is less of a visibility problem on the field and more part of the much broader digital and commercial gaming economy.
