Given that gambling is one of the very few forms of entertainment that can compete with football when it comes to popularity and revenue these days, the increasing links between the two should not come as any surprise.

In fact there has long been links between them, as fans have traditionally enjoyed betting on results with sports bookmakers, while players have frequently adopted horse racing as a pastime to help them relax; but in the modern era it is the digital gambling explosion – represented by top online casino sites like JackpotCity (JPC) that is defining the future of gambling, and football is now beginning to recognise this.

Already a number of clubs in the Premiership and Championship are sponsored by online casino and sports bet sites, and now JPC is rumoured to be getting in on the action by signing a sponsorship deal with an as-yet unidentified Premier League club. Of course, at this stage, it is just a rumour, but it certainly seems to make sense both for JPC and whichever football team is involved, so we can’t rule it out.

Should it be one of the established big name clubs in the league, a lucrative deal with one of the major names in a growth industry like online casino gambling will be a welcome money-spinner as they look to increase the amounts of money they are bringing in, ahead of the UEFA Financial Fair Play legislation that has attracted so much attention.

On the other hand if it is one of those clubs aiming to break into the top four, signing a deal with an international brand like JPC will do their profile in other countries a lot of good – while the money will enhance their chances on the field. Thus, even if it turns out to be just a rumour this time, it seems likely that sponsorship of Premier League teams by online gambling firms will become more common in the near future.