Aston Villa in a deal with gtcasino.com

The Premier League club has agreed a sponsorship deal with the online gaming company. As part of its associate sponsor package, gtcasino.com have also become Villa’s official casino and poker room partner, offering fans the chance to play and win.

It appointed the sponsorship consultancy Lighthouse Communications Ltd to initially undertake a strategic review of football, before negotiating and managing its associate sponsor package with Villa. As a sponsor, gtcasino.com can use many of the club's communication channels including perimeter boards, programmes and online offerings.

Allsports collapse – a blow to English Charlton Athletic Sportswear retailer Allsports has called in the administrators, is expected to be forced to close the 50 per cent of its stores that are understood to be loss-making. The collapse will be a blow for the club, understood to be owed a substantial six-figure sum in sponsorship fees.