Virgin Bet has extended its brand presence in football with TNT Sports, partnering with the broadcaster for UEFA Europa League and Conference League fixtures.
Operated by Livescore Group, the branding of Virgin Bet will be visible throughout live match coverage and editorial programming for the upcoming UEFA competitions, as well as on digital and out-of-home placements.
TNT Sports holds the rights to broadcast all 342 Europa and Conference League fixtures across its channels and the Discovery+ streaming platform.
Dominic Vye, Marketing Director of Virgin Bet, stated that the new partnership forms part of the brand’s wider sports sponsorship strategy to “connect with fans in meaningful ways”.
“It’s an exciting step forward for the brand and a big part of our plans to keep growing in the UK and delivering the best experience we can for our customers,” Vye added.
“Partnering with TNT Sports gives us an incredible platform to put Virgin Bet in front of football fans during some of the biggest nights in European football, while reinforcing our commitment to delivering a standout customer experience and an extensive product offering.”
Launched in 2019, Virgin Bet has predominantly focused on increasing brand visibility through horse racing, acting as the title partner of meets such as the December Gold Cup at Cheltenham and the Ayr Gold Cup Festival.
However, it already has some presence within football coverage, having sponsored Absolute Radio’s Rock and Roll Football show for the last four years, which provides on-air coverage of the English football pyramid on Saturday afternoons.
Mike Rich, Group SVP of AD-Sales and Brand Partnerships for the UK, Ireland and International at Warner Bros. Discovery, added: “Partnerships such as this enable us to enhance that storytelling experience even further, and we look forward to working closely with Virgin Bet throughout what promises to be another exciting European campaign.”
Last month, TNT Sports named Boyle Sports as the official sponsor of its Premier League coverage for the 2025/26 season.
UEFA backs betting
As the debate surrounding the role of betting and gaming companies within football continues to rumble on, the European football governing body has recently fully embraced the industry.
In October 2024, bet365 announced that it had agreed to become the first-ever official sports betting partner of the UEFA Champions League as part of a three-year partnership.
This was quickly followed by Betano announcing a similar deal for UEFA’s Europa League and Conference League, becoming each competition’s title sponsor. The operator also previously acted as the first-ever betting sponsor of the UEFA European Championships in 2024.
Elsewhere, the Premier League is preparing to reduce the sector’s visibility, bringing into force a ban on gambling front-of-shirt sponsorships following the completion of the current season.
However, this has not stopped Premier League teams from forging new partnerships with gambling.
Before the start of the new season in August, both Leeds United and Manchester United announced Parimatch as their new sleeve sponsor. Meanwhile, West Ham United and Nottingham Forest unveiled Bally’s International and Boyle Sports, respectively, as their shirt sponsors for 2025/26.