Betting
Bookmakers line up fresh football deals
With football a key driver of betting turnover, it is little wonder that bookmaking brands are keen to be associated with the sport on many levels.
MARKETING I
t’s not just about clubs, managers and players making the moves, the start of the new football season now also sees betting operators jostling for position to be associ- ated with some of the higher profile teams in order to raise their own brand awareness. While some brands use the oppor- tunity to announce them- selves to the UK market, others are using their asso- ciation to gain trust in Asian markets.
Isle of man based
12Bet.com has signed a year shirt sponsorship deal with Wigan Athletic. The deal sees 12Bet replace gaming rival 188Bet as the club’s main sponsor and official betting and gaming partner, 12Bet will also receive prominent brand- ing at Wigan’s DW Stadium. Neil Ryan, head of mar- keting at Wigan Athletic, commented: “To have secured such a substantial fee from a high-profile brand like 12Bet demon- strates clearly where the club is going and we are looking forward to working with them to achieve our collective objectives over the next two years.”
Rory Anderson, chief executive of 12Bet, added: “We are delighted to join forces with Wigan Athletic - a sponsorship that will give us great exposure both in the UK and globally, pro- viding the perfect platform to promote our core propo- sition; in-play football betting.”
Another firm making a
fresh assault on the UK market is Bodog Europe, which has joined forces with West Bromwich Albion. Bodog CEO Patrik Selin commented: “In choosing a sponsorship partner we were looking for a club with a genuine team spirit and we are delighted to have found that in West Bromwich Albion. In the social media era, a sponsorship should be about backing the investment with a return commitment to the club and the fans and we are looking forward to working closely with all parties.
“Equally, the Premier League is so much more than just a passion in the UK but massive around the world too which can only benefit other regional Bodog licensees.”
Robert Gustafsson, managing director of Bodog Asia, agreed: “It is hard to explain how big the Premier League is in Asia and this sponsorship will be enormously beneficial for us in growing the brand’s profile in the region. I am therefore very grateful to Bodog Europe for signing this deal but from a brand point of view it also highlights the strength of a licensee model as regional market- ing can have benefits beyond its borders.” Unusually, Bodog has also agreed to sponsor Ayr United in the Scottish First Division, which plans on using the Asian links to the benefit of the club. Bodog founder Calvin Ayre is con-
vinced his ancestors come from Ayrshire and the team’s similarity to his own name has him aiming to make the football club known internationally. William Hill is also involved in Scotland, as it has signed a three-year extension to be the Scot- tish Premier League’s offi- cial betting partners, although there is another strong personal connec- tion given that the book- maker’s chief executive Ralph Topping is also the league’s chairman. William Hill’s head of media David Lynn com- mented. “Football is a huge part of our business in Scot- land and we see this part- nership as a great opportunity to interact with fans of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.” Meanwhile, betting exchange Betdaq has become the official online betting partner of Glasgow Celtic, although the pres- ence of billionaire Dermot Desmond in the board- rooms of both organisa- tions demonstrates another personal link. Betdaq chief executive Brian O’Sullivan com- mented: “Through this sponsorship we are part- nering with one of the biggest football clubs in the world, and engaging with a massive supporter base in our key markets. The passion of the Celtic supporters is what makes Celtic a truly unique club and we are very excited about becoming Celtic’s online betting partner for the coming season.”
ABB goes for Levy’s jugular
The anachronistic Levy may sound like an experimental the scheme needs to be put out to pasture.
FUNDING T
he Association of British Book- makers (ABB) has told the gov- ernment that the
BETDAQ BRAND AMBASSADOR ALAN MCINALLY PROMOTES THE DEAL WITH CELTIC
8 BettingBusinessInteractive • AUGUST 2011
Horserace Betting Levy is past its sell by date and should be scrapped within three years in favour of a commercially negotiated arrangement around horseracing’s ‘Fixture List’. The trade body said that it would have to be a non-statu- tory solution and that its market viability would depend on the government facilitating the process, for example by continuing betting’s exemption from VAT. Under the ABB’s propos- als, the horseracing and betting industries would have three years to set up and negotiate a long-term commercial deal on the core programme of races. The ABB believes that the com- mercial mechanism would become a real incentive for the racing and betting indus- tries to maximise income and would at the same time benefit horseracing by pre- serving the pattern and world class quality of its pro- gramme. It added that it
ABB PROPOSALS • Fixtures List would include racing on every day of the year with a few established exceptions
• Races would have a minimum number of 8 runners per race and penalty clauses would apply
• All defined major racing festivals would need to be included in the core product
DIRK VENNIX: ‘HIGH TIME TO JETTISON THE ANACHRONISTIC LEVY’
• UK bookmakers would set up a purchasing vehicle, which would negotiate and contract for the terms of the core product
• The core content should be supplied to all UK LBOs and only allowed elsewhere with financial contribution
would meet bookmakers’ needs as the deficiencies of the current fixtures list would be addressed. ABB chief executive Dirk
Vennix commented: “It is high time to jettison the anachronistic Levy which is way past its sell-by date. It
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