Polymarket Partners with Lazio Soccer Club, Extending Global Reach
Polymarket has partnered with Lazio, a Serie A club in Italy’s top league, further extending its reach into the European soccer market.
Earlier this month, the prediction market giant partnered with La Liga, the top Spanish league.
Polymarket partners with Lazio: Overview of the deal
The front-of-uniform deal between Polymarket and Lazio is a multi-year, $22 million agreement. While Lazio is one of the bigger clubs in Italy, they did not have a primary uniform sponsorship for nearly three years. The club based in Rome is currently in eighth place in Serie A and beat Atalanta in a shootout in their last match to reach the Coppa Italia final.
Polymarket's logo will be featured on the Lazio uniform immediately. The partnership will run until after the 2027-28 season, with an option for the 2028-29 season. The deal is the first for a prediction market platform in the Italian Serie A, following Polymarket's partnership with La Liga, its first with a European soccer league.
Besides being the primary jersey sponsor, Polymarket will also be the “Official Fan Intelligence & Digital Insight Partner” of Lazio.
The advantages for Lazio
The president of the Italian club, Claudio Lotito, said the partnership was part of the club's broader modernization efforts. He pointed out that the data and analysis Polymarket offers align with Lazio’s international ambitions. Matthew Modabber, the CEO of Polymarket, shared the same sentiments, stating that the partnership helps usher data-driven experiences into major sports.
The money involved was obviously a key factor, especially since many Italian clubs are struggling financially. Overall, Italian soccer has had its issues of late, as Serie A has not been seen as the power it once was. On top of that, Italy is a four-time World Cup winner and recently lost in a playoff shootout to Bosnia and Herzegovina, meaning they will miss their third straight World Cup.
The deal is for $22 million, but could be higher with activations and performance bonuses. The increase over the original figure may be tied to Lazio's performance on the field.
Why this partnership works for Polymarket
While the partnership extends Polymarket’s global reach, there may be another advantage as well. Currently, prediction market platforms do not operate in Europe, but if that were to change, Polymarket would have its foot in the door because of the Lazio and La Liga deals.
As it currently stands, prediction markets in Italy would be in the same boat as sports betting companies. This is different from the United States, where prediction markets are federally regulated, while sports betting companies are regulated by individual states where sports betting is legal.
If Polymarket were to offer its services in Italy, it would need to be licensed and regulated by the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM), which oversees all gambling activity in the country.
