The ATP Tour has lifted the two-year ban on men’s tennis tournaments signing deals with sports betting operators.
The ATP Tour reached the decision to prohibit tournaments from closing deals with gambling companies after consultation with the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) following a string of match-fixing incidents in 2018.
How will Bookies Re-Enter the ATP Sponsorships?
ATP Tour Director Eddie Gonzalez said: “We’re very appreciative of the support from the board. This has happened under Andrea [Gaudenzi] coming in as our new chairman in a very difficult year, so we appreciate that. This is a great move for ATP Tour events to be able to secure revenue in a new category.”
Under the new rules, sports betting sponsorships are now open to tournaments at the 250 and 500 levels.
However, the ATP has not completely changed its opinion from the decision taken in 2018 regarding top-tier Masters 1000 events, which will only be permitted to allow fantasy sports sponsorships for the time being.
Title sponsorships or presenting partnerships with sports betting or fantasy companies will remain prohibited. Moreover, on-court branding signposts must be there only at an adequate distance from the umpire and the players’ benches.