Bookmakers That Spend Big Money on Cricket Sponsorships and Advertising

Betting companies are among the biggest spenders in cricket sponsorship. Across international cricket, T20 leagues and broadcast advertising, bookmakers pour hundreds of millions of dollars into the sport, putting their brands on jerseys, boundary ropes, broadcast graphics and team partnerships.

This guide looks at how bookmakers spend big money on cricket sponsorships and advertising, which brands are most active, where the money goes, and how regulations shape what fans actually see.

Why Bookmakers Sponsor Cricket

Cricket offers betting companies exactly what they want: huge television audiences, long matches with natural advertising breaks, and fans who follow statistics closely. A T20 league delivers weeks of prime-time inventory, while bilateral series keep brands visible year-round.

For bookmakers, cricket sponsorship is customer acquisition. A logo on a team’s jersey or a slot during a strategic timeout puts the brand in front of millions of potential customers at the exact moment they are most engaged with the sport.

Where Bookmaker Sponsorship Money Goes

The Biggest Bookmaker Sponsors in Cricket

Several international betting brands have become familiar names to cricket fans through sustained sponsorship. Betway has sponsored teams and leagues across cricket, including prominent T20 franchise associations. Dafabet has a long history of cricket partnerships in Asia. 1xBet has invested heavily in cricket advertising across multiple markets.

These brands typically operate through regional entities and “news” or “sports content” style branding in markets where direct betting advertising is restricted, a practice that has drawn regulatory scrutiny.

Jersey Sponsorships

The most visible bookmaker spending is on team jerseys. T20 franchises in various leagues have carried betting brand logos as title or principal sponsors, with deals reportedly worth millions of dollars per season.

Jersey sponsorship works because the logo appears in every photograph, highlight clip and broadcast frame. For leagues played in front of packed stadiums and huge TV audiences, that visibility commands premium prices.

Broadcast and Streaming Advertising

Live cricket broadcasts are prime advertising real estate, and betting companies are among the biggest buyers. Ad slots during IPL matches, for example, are some of the most expensive in Indian television, and betting-adjacent brands compete aggressively for them.

On streaming platforms, the integration goes deeper: odds displays, sponsored match centres and branded statistical graphics. Digital advertising lets bookmakers target viewers by region and measure response directly.

Regulations: What Fans See Depends on Where They Live

Betting advertising rules vary enormously by country, and cricket sponsorship reflects that patchwork. In the UK, betting sponsors are common and regulated by advertising standards. In India, direct betting advertising is restricted, so brands often appear through surrogate advertising or as “news” platforms.

Australia has strict rules about gambling advertising during live sport, including bans on ads during certain hours. These regulations mean the same match can show different sponsors to viewers in different countries.

Surrogate Advertising in Cricket

Where direct betting ads are banned, companies use surrogate advertising: promoting a news website, blog or fantasy platform owned by the same group, with branding that closely resembles the betting product.

This grey area is controversial. Regulators in several countries have questioned whether surrogate brands are genuinely separate businesses, and some have moved to tighten the rules. For fans, it means the brand on the jersey may not be the business actually being promoted.

The Money Behind the Logos

While exact figures are rarely disclosed, industry estimates put the biggest cricket betting sponsorships in the tens of millions of dollars annually. A title sponsorship of a major T20 franchise, combined with broadcast advertising through a season, represents one of the largest marketing investments in the sport.

Smaller leagues and associate-nation cricket also attract betting sponsors, often as some of their most significant commercial partners. For emerging cricket markets, this money can be the difference between a viable league and a struggling one.

Criticism and Controversy

The scale of betting sponsorship in cricket draws regular criticism. Concerns focus on the exposure of young fans to gambling brands, the normalisation of betting through sport, and the integrity risks when betting companies are financially intertwined with the competitions they take bets on.

Cricket authorities have responded with integrity units, betting monitoring partnerships and advertising guidelines. But the commercial reality is that betting money is deeply embedded in the sport’s finances, and unwinding it would leave a large hole.

How Fans Can Spot Betting Sponsorship

Once you know what to look for, betting sponsorship is everywhere in cricket. Check the jerseys: the logo on the chest or sleeve of a T20 franchise is often a betting brand or its surrogate. Watch the boundary rope and the LED boards, which rotate sponsor messages throughout the match. Listen for the “betting partner” mentions in broadcast graphics and sponsored segments like the “sixes predictor” or “win predictor.”

None of this is hidden. Sponsorship only works if fans notice the brand, so bookmakers want their names as visible as possible within whatever the local regulations allow.

The Future of Betting Sponsorship in Cricket

Regulation is tightening in several major markets, which may push betting brands toward digital-only activations or out of certain sponsorship categories entirely. At the same time, new markets with looser rules continue to open up.

The likely future is a split: heavily regulated markets with restricted betting advertising, and other regions where bookmaker logos remain prominent. Cricket’s global nature means sponsors can shift spending to wherever the rules allow.

Which bookmakers sponsor cricket teams?

International brands such as Betway, Dafabet and 1xBet have sponsored cricket teams and leagues through direct deals or regional entities. The specific sponsors vary by league, season and local advertising regulations.

Why do betting companies spend so much on cricket?

Cricket delivers massive engaged audiences over long matches with natural ad breaks. For bookmakers it is efficient customer acquisition, reaching millions of sports fans at moments of peak attention.

Is betting advertising legal during cricket matches?

It depends on the country. Some markets allow regulated betting ads during sport, others restrict them to certain hours, and some ban direct betting advertising entirely, leading to surrogate branding.

What is surrogate advertising in cricket?

Surrogate advertising promotes a related brand, such as a news or content site owned by a betting group, in markets where direct betting ads are banned. Regulators increasingly scrutinise whether these are genuine separate businesses.

How much do bookmakers spend on cricket sponsorship?

Exact figures are rarely disclosed, but the largest deals are estimated in the tens of millions of dollars annually when team sponsorships and broadcast advertising are combined.

Are betting sponsors bad for cricket?

Critics argue they expose young fans to gambling and create integrity concerns. Supporters of the deals point to the revenue that funds leagues, players and grassroots cricket. Regulators continue to tighten rules in many markets.