Betting sponsorships in the Americas surpass USD 1.45bn
Spending grew faster than the number of deals, and that disparity is the report's most revealing insight. According to GlobalData's Sponsorship Sector Report Gambling & Betting Americas 2026, the annual value of sponsorships in the sector across the Americas surged by 145 percent between 2020 and 2025 to surpass USD 1.45 billion, while the number of commercial deals increased by 106.6 percent over the same period. Dividing one figure by the other, the average deal became roughly 19 percent more expensive: there are more contracts, but above all, there are bigger contracts.
The consultancy attributes this expansion to the maturity of online sports betting and places soccer at the center of the narrative, driven by a year-round schedule, international competitions, and digital audiences that, according to the report, make it a premier commercial vehicle for sportsbooks.
However, the consultancy's own figures require qualifying this central role. An earlier study by the same firm, covering 2025, valued soccer betting and gambling sponsorships across the continent at USD 341.58 million per year across 114 tracked deals, representing around 24 percent of the total in the Americas. Basketball ranked second with 101 deals—just thirteen fewer. In other words, soccer leads in deal volume by a narrow margin and accounts for less than a quarter of the spend, as the bulk of the expenditure resides in the major U.S. leagues. It is worth noting that the two figures come from different reports and may not share the same methodology.
The geographic breakdown explains this imbalance. The bulk of the business is concentrated in the United States and Canada, with DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM among the leading operators securing high-profile agreements with sports organizations, while the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL provide massive audience showcases and high-value contracts. In addition to teams, brands compete for presence across stadiums, broadcasts, and digital platforms to maintain visibility throughout the season.
Latin America emerges as a more selective market, where investment is concentrated in fewer deals targeting high-profile clubs and high-viewership matches. Betano and Superbet lead the sector's commercial footprint in the region, while Caliente maintains a significant presence in Mexico. Olivia Snooks, sports analyst at GlobalData, summarized the rationale: soccer has become the go-to asset for operators looking to acquire customers across multiple countries simultaneously, thanks to its relentless schedule and extensive social media reach.
Comparing this with other regions puts the true scale of the Americas market into perspective. Another report by the same firm estimated that soccer in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa generated USD 764 million in betting sponsorships in 2025—more than double what soccer commands across the entire American continent. European soccer remains, by far, the most expensive advertising asset in the industry. Furthermore, cross-format moves are emerging: Codere Online became the NFL's official sponsor in Mexico, a deal that brings a U.S. league into a regulated Spanish-speaking market.
GlobalData is a London-based market intelligence consultancy that produces sector reports on sports sponsorship, among other verticals, by tracking public commercial agreements. The growth of sports betting sponsorships is currently under regulatory review in several jurisdictions across the region: Brazil closed its regulated market in September and with it sports sponsorship contracts, while Chile and Argentina are debating bills that restrict or prohibit platform advertising.
Tags: Sponsorships, GlobalData, Football, Sports betting