Betclic Group Reframes the History of Betting as a Human Universal
Betclic Group's 'Betting since forever' is a 2021 Polish film campaign, created by 180heartbeats + JUNG v MATT, that repositions sports betting as a natural, universal human activity by tracing two friends competing through wagers across different eras of history, framing gambling as entertainment and social ritual rather than a purely financial pursuit.
The campaign launched in Poland in August 2021, targeting a broad adult audience at a pivotal moment in Betclic's re-establishment on the Polish market. Betclic had returned to Poland in 2018 after an earlier period of absence, according to sbcnews.co.uk, and the 'Betting since forever' campaign represented the brand's most ambitious creative statement since that return. The brief given to 180heartbeats + JUNG v MATT, appointed after a competitive pitch, was to build genuine brand affinity rather than simply promote odds or offers.
The campaign's central creative device is deceptively simple. Two friends — recurring characters throughout different historical settings — bet against each other not for material gain but for the pleasure of competition and the bond that shared stakes create. The narrative spans human prehistory through to recognisably modern contexts, each scene reinforcing the idea that the impulse to bet is hardwired into human nature. As Creative Director Michał Sęk stated, the team wanted to remind audiences that betting is something natural and that humankind has rivalry in its blood. The film ran across television, internet, and outdoor placements in Poland, with media planning and buying handled by Star Media and postproduction by Xantus, according to Portfolio Sar Org Pl. The production house was F25 Production House. Clapboard scores 'Betting since forever' at 64 out of 100.
The Polish sports-betting market presented Betclic Group with a formidable competitive landscape in 2021. STS held approximately 27.8% of the Polish sports-betting market in early 2021, down from 30.9% in the prior measurement period, according to igbaffiliate.com, while Fortuna held approximately 28% of the Polish market, according to Businessinsider Com Pl. For a brand still rebuilding its presence following its 2018 return, Betclic needed a campaign that could compete on brand equity rather than market share alone.
The strategic insight underpinning 'Betting since forever' is that category communications in gambling overwhelmingly focus on excitement, odds, and winning. Betclic and 180heartbeats + JUNG v MATT identified a different territory: the emotional and social dimension of betting as a form of human connection. By anchoring the campaign in the idea that people were betting before money was even invented, the brand stepped outside the conventions of sports-betting advertising entirely. The friendship narrative normalises participation, reduces the transactional associations of gambling, and makes the brand feel culturally relevant rather than purely commercial.
This positioning was especially pertinent in Poland, where the broader global sports-betting market was experiencing significant expansion. The global sports-betting market was estimated at approximately 89.65 billion US dollars in 2021, rising to approximately 99.20 billion US dollars in 2022, representing year-on-year growth of 10.64%, according to researchandmarkets.com. Within that context of growth and intensifying competition, differentiating through brand narrative rather than promotional mechanics was a deliberate and calculated strategic choice for Betclic Group in the Polish market.
Michał Sęk served as Creative Director at 180heartbeats + JUNG v MATT on 'Betting since forever', and his strategic fingerprints are visible throughout the film's construction. The creative concept followed two friends as they engage in friendly wagers across multiple historical periods, a device that required both period-accurate production design and a performance tone warm enough to carry the emotional argument without tipping into sentimentality.
The production was handled by F25 Production House, according to portfolio.sar.org.pl, with postproduction completed by Xantus. The multi-era structure demanded costume, set, and art direction work capable of signalling historical context economically — each setting needed to read instantly to a television and digital audience without slowing the rhythm of a campaign film designed for mass reach. The result is a piece that moves briskly between periods while maintaining the consistent emotional throughline of the two central characters' friendship and competitive spirit.
Sęk articulated the creative philosophy clearly: the campaign told the story of betting from the perspective of two friends, and in every era those friends both compete through betting while having fun at the same time. That duality — competition and camaraderie as inseparable — gives the film its tonal consistency across what could otherwise feel like a disconnected anthology of historical vignettes. The campaign was covered by LBBonline on 18 August 2021 under the headline 'Polish Bookmaker Betclic Shows That Betting Has Been in Our Blood since the Dawn of Humankind', according to Little Black Book, and by GamblingTV.com on 26 August 2021, according to gamblingtv.com, both recognising the originality of the conceptual approach within the gambling advertising category in Poland.
'Betting since forever' earned two verified industry recognitions in Poland in 2021. The campaign won the Polish Gaming Aces Marketing Campaign of the Year award for 'Zakładamy się od zawsze', with the jury specifically emphasising the unconventional presentation of betting as something humans have always done, according to gamblingtv.com. The campaign also won Bronze in the TV Commercial category at KTR, the Klub Twórców Reklamy awards, in 2021, per the professional profile of Ricardo Malaquias on linkedin.com. No verified wins for the campaign at Cannes Lions, the Effies, One Show, D&AD, Webby, or WARC are publicly documented.
The film's YouTube presence provides a concrete engagement signal. The campaign's primary YouTube asset accumulated approximately 3.75 million views, a figure that, for a market-specific Polish-language brand film operating in a single national market, reflects meaningful organic and paid reach beyond the initial broadcast window. The campaign ran across television, internet, outdoor, and sales-oriented activations in Poland, according to portfolio.sar.org.pl, giving it both brand-building and performance dimensions. The Polish trade outlet Wirtualnemedia Pl covered the campaign on 19 August 2021, according to its own reporting, indicating that the work generated press attention within the domestic market promptly on launch. The dual recognition — from a gambling-industry-specific jury and from the broader Polish advertising creative community at KTR — confirms that 'Betting since forever' succeeded both as category communication and as craft, a combination that the Clapboard Score of 64 out of 100 reflects as solid, well-executed work within a competitive and creatively constrained category.
Betclic's 'Betting Since Forever' is a 2021 Polish film campaign that frames sports betting as a timeless human activity. Created by 180heartbeats + JUNG v MATT, it follows two friends wagering across different historical eras to argue that the impulse to bet is natural, social, and rooted in friendship rather than financial gain.
180heartbeats + JUNG v MATT created the campaign for Betclic Group in Poland. The agency won the account following a competitive pitch, according to sbcnews.co.uk. Production was handled by F25 Production House, with media by Star Media and postproduction by Xantus, per portfolio.sar.org.pl.
The campaign won two verified awards in 2021. It took the Polish Gaming Aces Marketing Campaign of the Year, according to gamblingtv.com, and Bronze in the TV Commercial category at KTR, per linkedin.com. No wins at Cannes Lions, Effies, One Show, D&AD, Webby, or WARC are publicly documented for this campaign.
Michał Sęk served as Creative Director at 180heartbeats + JUNG v MATT on 'Betting since forever'. Sęk stated the team wanted to remind audiences that betting is something natural and that humankind has rivalry in its blood, framing competition and friendship as inseparable themes throughout the campaign's historical narrative structure.
The campaign's primary YouTube asset accumulated approximately 3.75 million views in Poland. It earned two industry awards in 2021 and received press coverage from LBBonline, GamblingTV.com, and Wirtualnemedia.pl at launch. Clapboard scores the campaign 64 out of 100, reflecting solid, well-executed work within a competitive category.
In Poland, Betclic faced established rivals including STS, which held approximately 27.8% market share in early 2021, and Fortuna, at approximately 28%, according to igbaffiliate.com and businessinsider.com.pl respectively. Rather than competing on odds or promotions, Betclic used brand narrative to build emotional differentiation, positioning betting as a natural social ritual rooted in human history.
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