Watford FC has doubled its number of betting partners, announcing a back-of-shirt sponsorship deal with Stakemate.
The EFL Championship club is already engaged in a partnership with Spreadex, which is its official club partner.
This is a landmark moment for Stakemate as it enters the realm of gambling marketing in English football.
The company has been licensed in the UK since 2022 – the same year in which it was founded – and looks to bring a social element to online betting.
It uses Racing and Sports (RAS) as a feed provider and allows users to place bets, share accumulators and chat with friends in groups.
Stakemate reiterated in a social media post that the announcement of the partnership is “just the start” and advised followers to “get ready”.
“We’re very excited to support a club with such a proud history, a devoted fanbase and a renowned community focus,” said Stakemate Chief Executive Officer, Arya Tayebi.
“We’re looking forward to working in partnership with the club to give back to supporters.”
Watford’s Stakemate deal adds to long list of partnerships
The deal adds to an already-sizable list of deals between Championship clubs and gambling companies.
Recently-promoted Cardiff City has a similar back-of-shirt deal with Wales-focused bookmaker DragonBet.
It seems to have become commonplace for UK-focused bookmakers to target deals with Championship clubs.
There is fair logic to this too, given that over 12 million fans attended league games last season and the EFL currently has a deal with Sky to broadcast 328 games in the 2026/27 season.
Watford FC Commercial Director, Ben Newlyn, added: “We have undertaken a thorough process in selecting this partner and believe its positioning within our inventory to represent an alignment with our goals.
“Stakemate are a responsible gambling partner, operating to the highest standards of safer practice, and offer a strong commercial prospect for the club.”