Ladbrokes looks to play its part in Liverpool FC’s CSR strategy

Ladbrokes is embarking on a charitable initiative with its partner Liverpool FC, coming at a time of heightened scrutiny on gambling’s sports marketing partnerships which has made CSR arrangements even more important.

As the official betting partner of Liverpool FC, the Entain-owned betting brand is looking to play a part in the LFC Foundation’s ambitious target of supporting 500,000 people a season by 2030. It will now place a £100 accumulator charity bet for every remaining Premier League round of fixtures in 2024-25.

The initiative is beginning with the Merseyside derby at Anfield on 2 April, with a view to continue next season.

Gemma Bell, Head of Sponsorship at Ladbrokes, commented: “We’re really happy to support LFC Foundation’s drive to double their donations. 

“By placing these charity bets on our own behalf, we’re combining our passion for football with a meaningful commitment to give back and contribute to the foundation’s efforts to increase its impact and support more people.”

How the money is being used

In detail, the money raised helps fund important programmes across several areas of impact, including health learning and employability. If the accumulator bets are unsuccessful, LFC Foundation will still receive the value of the £100 stake as a donation.

Last season, the Reds’ official charity reported that it supported over 127,000 people and generated £92m of social value in the Liverpool City region, taking the total over the last four years to £284.48m, including just under £30m put directly into the local economy. 

Last season for every £1 invested, LFC Foundation was able to generate a return of £13.70 back into the community.

All winnings from Ladbrokes’ charity bets will be donated to LFC Foundation at the end of the season.

“We are grateful to Ladbrokes for their support. These proceeds will go towards supporting vital programmes that help hundreds of thousands across the Liverpool City Region,” added Matt Parish, CEO at LFC Foundation.

“The foundation recently launched an ambitious new strategy with the aim of supporting 500,000 people by 2030. The support of our partners is integral to the work we do and in achieving these ambitious targets, and every contribution will help us make a meaningful difference.

“With Ladbrokes’ support, we can continue to tackle social inequalities facing our communities and deliver measurable, life-changing programmes in our local communities and beyond.”

Responsibility taken up a notch

Programmes of this kind become increasingly important during a time of increased pressure on betting-sports relationships.

The deal adheres to the Premier League’s new code of conduct for gambling-related agreements in football, which has been introduced this season to ensure more responsible gambling sponsorships.

This is not the first charitable initiative from Entain. In 2023, the firm declared that it had achieved two high-impact milestones funded by its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, The Entain Foundation.

In a Social Impact Report, Entain announced that it had supported over 200 aspiring athletes aiming for the Olympics, Paralympics, Commonwealth and World Championships through SportsAid.

The FTSE100 firm’s collaboration with SportsAid began in 2020, developing direct funding initiatives to back young British athletes’ training and development to compete in elite global competitions.