CMC Markets, the financial services group, has struck a near-£30M deal to have their name as front-of-shirt sponsor for Everton Football Club, heralding a move away from casino and sports betting to gambling on the stock market.
Sky News has confirmed that Everton and CMC Markets have signed a deal in recent days. The company is run by Baron Peter Cruddas, the former Conservative Party treasurer, who was forced to resign over a “cash for access” scandal in 2012.
It comes weeks after we reported that CMC was in discussions about front-of-shirt deals with Everton to replace Stake.com, which was reported last year to be leaving the UK online gambling market following a regulatory probe into its marketing activities.
Sports industry sources said the deals were aimed at aiding CMC Markets’ brand-building efforts as it strives to create a financial services ‘super-app’.
In its interim results announcement last November, CMC highlighted plans to launch a multi-asset platform enabling customers to trade shares, derivatives, ISAs, SIPPs and other products on a single platform.
Significantly, the deal comes as more than a third of top-flight clubs seek new shirt sponsors ahead of the voluntary ban on gambling sponsors coming into effect from the 2026-27 season.