Hills extend Ayr deal; Amaya launches Kenya lottery; Two Way secure new investment

William Hill Ayr Gold Cup

William Hill Ayr Gold CupWilliam Hill is to extend its sponsorship of the race dubbed “the richest sprint handicap in Europe.” The ancient bookmaker saw enough in the latest running of the Ayr Gold Cup to agree to extend its sponsorship of Scotland’s marquee horserace until September 2013. The deal covers naming rights to the three-day long festival that encompasses the Gold, Silver and Bronze Cups amongst other races that the festival puts on.

William Hill Head of Racing, Kate Miller, commented, “After three years sponsorship, the William Hill Ayr Gold Cup sponsorship has become a favourite amongst many of us, and after such a fantastic weekend’s action at Ayr, it became apparent that an extension of our contract was necessary.”

Our Jonathan stretched the run of no favorite winning the race to 15 years won this year’s race. If you’ve never been to Ayr then watch a video of the big man himself enjoying all the sights and sounds of the town earlier on this summer at this link.

Amaya has made further inroads into Africa with the launch of a new lottery product in Kenya. The Kwachu 6/48 Lottery is a weekly jackpot draw that will take place every Saturday beginning on September 24th. It will aim to build on their established brand presence that was built upon by the 15-week long SMS lottery product. David Baazov, President and Chief Executive Officer of Amaya Gaming Group, commented, “Our initial experience with an SMS lottery demonstrated that the people of Kenya are very receptive to this kind of offering.”

The operator of a TV wagering service, Two Way Limited, has received significant investment from a Malaysian businessman. Gerald Tan and his associates have agreed to invest up to AU$2.04m in order to “exploit opportunities presented by Two Way’s world-class TV wagering service.” TAB Active takes bets in all five mainland Aussie states and is linked to the nation’s three largest TAB operators (Tabcorp, TattsBet and Racing and Wagering WA). I think it’s time to crack open the beers and chuck a few more shrimp on the Barbie lads!