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Real Madrid and Barcelona neck-and-neck as world’s most valuable football brands in the face of COVID-19

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  • Real Madrid remain world’s most valuable football brand, but Barcelona narrow the gap to just €6 million
  • COVID-19 causes total brand value of top 50 clubs to decrease for the first time in 6 years – €751 million or 3.7% is knocked off
  • English clubs dominate the ranking with six brands in top 10 and 19 in top 50
  • Liverpool inches two spots up into 4th place, following historic Premier League win
  • Bundesliga’s 1. FC Köln is this year’s fastest-growing brand, followed by Leicester City and RB Leipzig – all recording over 40% growth
  • Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium takes top spot in Buro Happold’s Venue Performance Rating

Real Madrid remain the most valuable football club brand in the world for 2020, according to the latest edition of the Brand Finance Football Annual. Boosted by winning the LaLiga title for the first time since 2017, the club retained its position at the top of the table in the football industry, but against a backdrop of economic and social disruption, caused primarily by the COVID-19 pandemic, Real Madrid’s brand value has declined by 14% to €1,419 million.

Real Madrid’s disappointing on-pitch performance prior to 2019-20, which saw an earlier-than-normal exit from the UEFA Champions League in 2018-19 and a second successive season adrift of LaLiga champions Barcelona, eroded the club’s dominance of the Brand Finance ranking. The situation was exacerbated by COVID-19, along with a lack of stability around the management of the team. Barcelona, Real’s fierce rivals, are just €6 million behind Real with a brand value of €1,413 million, supported by strong and diverse revenue generation and continued domestic performance in Spain.

COVID-19 knocks off €751 million of brand value

Real Madrid is not the only club to see a drop in brand value this year. COVID-19 has caused the total value of the top 50 football brands to decrease for the first time in 6 years. Through its effect on the three main revenue streams – Matchday, Broadcasting, and Commercial – €751 million or 3.7% has been knocked off the cumulative brand value of the world’s top 50 most valuable football clubs.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged professional football worldwide and across all levels. Matchday income for the 501 games remaining in the big 5 leagues dropped to zero, but it is often the smaller clubs and leagues which are more reliant on this revenue stream – in Scotland it makes up 43% of total revenue, compared to only 13% in England.

There have been some positive signs, as Southampton vs Manchester City on BBC broke the Premier League TV audience record with 5.7 million viewers, but the longer-term damage to the game’s economic structure has yet to be revealed.

Richard Haigh, Managing Director of Brand Finance, commented:

“Top-level football has been confronted with the largest existential threat since the Second World War. Loss of income, coupled with health concerns about mass gatherings, have raised question marks about the future of the industry and the financial resilience of clubs across all levels. The full damage of the COVID-19 crisis has yet to unfold and it is not inconceivable there will be casualties in the form of club bankruptcies and changes in ownership.”

Despite the huge implications of COVID-19 for football clubs and their financial results, the majority of the brand value is secured by the clubs’ long-term future – provided they can survive the initial shock. For example, only 21% of Real Madrid’s brand value is delivered by the next five years’ financial results.

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Premier power

Real Madrid and Barcelona are followed by a cluster of English Premier League clubs in the Brand Finance Football Annual 2020 ranking, with Manchester United in 3rd position after their brand value fell by 11% to €1,314 million. Liverpool, who won their first league title since 1990 in runaway style, are in 4th spot jumping above Manchester City in terms of brand value, rising from €1,191 million in 2019 to €1,262 million, a 6% increase. Chelsea dropped one place in the table to 8th after their value fell for the fourth consecutive year to €949 million. This was arguably due to the club being absent from the UEFA Champions League and also suffering a transfer ban after being charged with breaking Financial Fair Play Regulations.

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Love is… RocketPlay Edition: 500+ moments of joy in gaming!

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This Valentine’s Day, RocketPlay Casino brought love and gaming together with a unique and engaging campaign: Love is… RocketPlay Edition. Realizing how online gaming can strengthen romantic connections, RocketPlay encouraged players to creatively showcase their vision of love in gaming.

Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to reflect that online casinos can positively influence romantic relationships. Recent research conducted by EE has confirmed that online gaming can actually help strengthen romantic connections, as more couples are exploring new ways to share positive experiences together. RocketPlay Casino has decided to take it a step further and ask players to show their vision of love in gaming.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day 2025, RocketPlay launched a special campaign, Love is…RocketPlay Edition. The activity encouraged players to show their creative vision of love in gaming by recreating one of the famous “Love is” scenarios with their own personal casino twist, capturing the moment in a photo or short video.

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The campaign ran from February 6th to 12th, 2025, and, despite the short timeframe, RocketPlay received an impressive 500+ creative entries. This overwhelming response highlighted the excitement and enthusiasm of RocketPlay’s community. Participants have shared heartfelt and fun moments of gaming with their loved ones, making this Valentine’s Day truly special. On February 14th, the winners will be announced on RocketPlay’s social media.

43% of participants shared photos with their soulmates, showcasing the joy of hitting the jackpot together. This theme turned out to be the most popular.

“RocketPlay’s Love is… campaign was such a fun idea! We adore spinning together, and our emotions are completely different: during jackpot moments, he stays extra calm, while I get super emotional! It was such a great way to share our unique gaming moments”, mentioned Anna K., participant.

This Valentine’s Day was filled with positivity and excitement, and the team looks forward to continuing to create more engaging, fun-filled moments with the RocketPlay community. After all, love and gaming go hand in hand!

RocketPlay is a trusted online casino offering over 3 000 slots from top providers like BGaming, Endorphina, and Yggdrasil. With high ratings on platforms such as CasinoGuru (9.8/10), AskGamblers (9.06/10), and Trustpilot (4.4/5), it has earned recognition for its quality and reliability. The casino holds trust certificates from Chipy.com, Casino.guru, and AskGamblers, reflecting its commitment to secure and enjoyable gaming. RocketPlay also offers a variety of bonuses, tournaments, and promotions to keep players engaged.

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For upcoming events, visit RocketPlay website or follow us on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook.

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Roll in style with new game Marble Racing at Sportsbet.io

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Sportsbet.io, the world’s favourite crypto sports betting site, has added a new, first-of-its-kind game, Marble Racing, and is offering lucky players a free bet to get the ball rolling.

Marble Racing builds imaginative marble race tracks and streams races live from its studio. The races are similar to those seen on YouTube, but with an important twist: players can now bet on the winning marble in real time.

It’s a brand new form of high speed entertainment, with races typically lasting between 20 and 60 seconds. Players can pick the winner from eight different marbles, and watch the action unfold from multiple angles.

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To celebrate the launch, Sportsbet.io will drop rewards to lucky users, with the chance to receive up to 10 USDT to bet on Marble Racing.

Alex Haig, Director at Sportsbet.io, said: “Marble Racing brings an entirely new dimension to fun, fast and fair betting, and that’s why we’re so thrilled that Sportsbet.io is among the first to offer this innovative new game. We’re dropping a free bet to lucky accounts because we can’t wait to see players roll into the action.”

Marbles plans to add 20 new races during 2025, giving Sportsbet.io players even more thrilling betting opportunities.

Sportsbet.io has established itself as the place to play, with an unparalleled selection of betting markets and games to choose from.

In December 2023, one lucky sportsbet.io player won a world record slots jackpot, turning a $50 spin into a $42 million prize.

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Plaza Hotel & Casino launches Stay for a Cause to benefit St. Jude’s Ranch for Children

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Located in the heart of downtown Las Vegas, the Plaza Hotel & Casino has partnered with the Southern Nevada charity, St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, to launch Stay for a Cause.

Any guest who books a room at the Plaza Hotel & Casino for check-in prior to Dec. 31, 2025, via the Stay for a Cause hotel package will have 20 percent of the room rate automatically donated to St. Jude’s Ranch for Children. Established in 1966, the nonprofit organization helps provide healing and hope to abused and at-risk children in Southern Nevada.

“The Plaza has previously held toy drives to benefit St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, and we wanted to expand our partnership this year,” said Gary Vickery, vice president of operations at the Plaza Hotel & Casino. “With Stay for a Cause, guests can enjoy a great vacation at the Plaza and make a difference in our community at the same time.”

“We are grateful to the Plaza for their generous support through this innovative program,” said St. Jude’s Ranch for Children CEO Dr. Christina Vela. “By choosing to stay at the Plaza, guests are not just enjoying the wonderful accommodations, but also contributing to providing healing and hope to abused, neglected, exploited, and/or homeless children. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Plaza and all the guests who choose to make their stay count for a greater cause.”

The post Plaza Hotel & Casino launches Stay for a Cause to benefit St. Jude’s Ranch for Children appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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