You may have caught the launch of F1 75 on Monday evening; the glitzy extravaganza at London’s O2 Arena that features live performances and the big reveal of each car for Formula One’s 75th season.
It was a glitzy event with celebrity appearances and other such shenanigans, while fans of the sport got to see the 2025 edition of each car for the very first time.
And as they were wheeled out on the catwalk, one thing quickly became clear from the shiny livery: F1 has allowed its teams to double down on their gambling sponsorships.
It’s interesting, because this is played out against the backdrop of the wave of criticism that greets English football each summer when clubs unveil their new playing kits… often, complete with a ubiquitous sports betting brand’s logo on the front.
To counteract such negativity, the Premier League has announced that a voluntary ban on gambling sponsorships will kick in for the 2025/26 season.
But there’s no such action in F1, where teams are allowed to display the logos of gambling operators on the livery of their cars.
So why the double standard?
Gambling Sponsors in F1 in 2025
Super Group, whose brands include Betway, Jackpot City and Spin Casino, are now an official partner of the Williams F1 team
Maybe it’s a question of money and commercial appeal.
Red Bull, the perennial constructors’ champion, are therefore one of the most appealing teams to buddy up with, commercially speaking. And they attract big bucks each season from the likes of Visa, AT&T, Oracle and, of course, Red Bull themselves.
German giants Mercedes have been part-financed by the investment of British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who has pumped an estimated £50 million into the team that bears his Ineos branding.
Ironically, a former sponsor of Ratcliffe’s new plaything, Manchester United, also sponsors Mercedes – that’s TeamViewer, who feature on the car’s livery alongside IWC and SAP.
Ferrari, meanwhile, boast the likes of Amazon, Hewlett Packard, IBM and Shell as partners… they perhaps wouldn’t entertain a gambling sector outfit because, well, they simply don’t need to.
However others, evidently, do. Admittedly if you blink then you’ll miss it, but look closely at the nosecone of the new Williams F1 car for 2025: you’ll see not one but two gambling sponsors: Betway and Jackpot City.
And that’s because Williams have penned a lucrative commercial agreement with the Super Group, the holding company behind the two betting brands, in time for the 2025 campaign.
While Alpine’s jazzy blue-and-pink design features the logo of controversial crypto exchange Binance in lieu of a gambling sponsor, Haas have, meanwhile, teamed up with online casino software supplier Play ‘n Go.
When the McLaren car was unveiled, the eagle-eyed might just have spotted the branding of another gambling firm on the back of the vehicle’s wing mirrors: Allwyn, the lottery specialist that took over the running of the UK draws last year following a controversial bidding war. They penned a sponsorship deal with the British constructor just days ago.
The Double Standard
Stake have the naming rights to the Sauber F1 team despite gambling being illegal in a number of countries that host races
One of the most complicated relationships is that between Aussie gambling firm Stake and F1 outfit Sauber.
Stake acquired the naming rights for Sauber back in 2024, but in countries where gambling is illegal – or where Stake is not licensed to operate – they were forced to change the car’s livery and name to Kick Sauber… such as at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Causing further problems in 2025 will be Stake’s forced exit from the UK market. Premier League side Everton, of whom Stake were main sponsor until earlier in February, have been reminded by the Gambling Commission of the legislative dangers of advertising unlicensed betting operators on domestic soil – as such, Sauber may have to change their cars’ livery for the British Grand Prix, too.
So, that’s four out of ten F1 teams that have been directly sponsored by a gambling operator, while two more constructors have opted to promote cryptocurrency exchanges and brokers – despite that sector being completely unregulated.
That’s 40% of Formula One teams with the branding of a betting firm on the livery of their cars. In the English Premier League, meanwhile, ten of the 20 top-flight clubs have a gambling operator emblazoned on the front of their shirts.
In pure numerical terms, F1 and the EPL are not all that different when it comes to their reliance on gambling – football gets dragged over metaphorical hot coals for it, whereas Formula One seemingly gets away scot-free from criticism.
But why the double standards? Particularly when F1 fans can bet just as easily on their sport as football supporters can… and when millions of young fans are watching on, too.