Betfair and FC Barcelona Join Forces for Three Seasons
Online gambling giant Betfair has entered a partnership with top La Liga team FC Barcelona where it will serve as one of the club’s official global partners for the next three seasons.
The deal came into force on July 1, and continues through to the end of the 2018-19 season during which time Betfair gains access to a range of image rights, access to player for promotion and advertising campaigns, and huge exposure inside Barcelona’s 99,354 capacity Camp Nou stadium.
Speaking of the partnership, Paul Gambrill, Betfair’s director general, said: “We are delighted to have signed a long-term partnership with Futbol Club Barcelona. Barcelona are consistently competitive at the top level and will help us achieve our ambition of growing the Betfair brand internationally.
“We very much look forward to working with the club to offer the incredible fans unique promotions, content and experience.”
Barcelona’s vice-president of marketing and communication, Manel Arroyo, said the club was delighted to sign the long-term agreement and that “we hope our members and all football lovers will enjoy this new global partnership, as well as exclusive promotions and unique sporting experiences.”
Barcelona are one of the most famous and successful football teams in world football so it is easy to see why Betfair were eager to jump on-board with them. La Liga matches are shown around Europe and in the UK, while the UEFA Champions League, which Barcelona will compete in, are hugely popular on a global level.
Almost exactly a year ago, Betfair penned a deal with Premier League outfit Sunderland where became the club’s official betting partner despite Sunderland’s shirt sponsors being another gambling company, dafabet.
With several hundred football matches being televised each season, gambling companies have scrambled to sign deals with prominent clubs in an attempt to increase their exposure to potential customers.
Before the start of the 2015-16 Premier League season, Mansion Group became the principal shirt sponsors of Crystal Palace and newly promoted AFC Bournemouth, while Betway signed a similar deal with West Ham United.
Interested in placing some bets on the Premier League this season? Check out this Premier League betting preview on BookieSmash.com
Lead image courtesy of the Betfair Blog
Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+!
