Lazio ‘to have ended’ Polymarket deal after Italian blacklist | OneFootball

Lazio are understood to have ended their brief shirt sponsorship with Polymarket after the platform was blacklisted in Italy.

Il Messaggero and La Lazio Siamo Noi report that the club has removed Polymarket’s logo from its website and from the shirts shown in the online store, which they interpret as the contract being rescinded.

The Biancocelesti had finally secured a deal worth around €22 million in April after almost three years without a main sponsor. But the arrangement quickly ran into trouble when Italian authorities blacklisted the New York-based company and took down its website for allegedly offering unauthorised betting services.

Polymarket has argued it operates a prediction market rather than betting, yet that distinction has not persuaded the Italian courts. As a result, displaying its name on Lazio shirts is no longer viable.

Lazio were expected to receive €19 million over the next two campaigns, so losing the deal would be another setback for Claudio Lotito’s administration. A continuing fan boycott could cost up to €20 million in revenues, and it remains to be seen whether the club can find a replacement sponsor.

Source: The Laziali