West Bromwich Albion has announced their sponsorship deal with Bodog will cease on May 31, 2012. The two sides have enjoyed a fruitful relationship throughout the season with Baggies Chief Executive Mark Jenkins commenting: “We have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with Bodog.
“They are a vibrant brand and have been a pleasure to work with over the course of what has been an important season in the club’s history.”
Albion Sales & Marketing Director Adrian Wright added: “The mutual decision to part company with Bodog was not an easy one for the Club based on the fact we were very happy with our relationship.
“However, the Club have been presented with an attractive new opportunity and Bodog were more than happy to accommodate our request to step aside and enable us to pursue a different avenue.”
Albion fans have been able to take advantage of Bodog’s “Baggie of the Month” competition throughout the year and Ed Pownall, PR Director for the Bodog Brand, said: “We have very much enjoyed working alongside West Bromwich Albion during another successful season for the club as well as teaming up once again with Roy Hodgson.
“We would like to thank the fans, the club and the playing staff, and wish them and the new club sponsor all the best for the future.”
South Africa’s sports betting could worth nearly R1 billion in the next few years. ITWeb reports that the market is expected to grow from R660 million to around R800 million in the next two years. From there it could grow even further but one company in particular that is licensed by Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board, Ladbrokes, is worried that without an association the market will suffer.
“Sports betting is relatively new to the South African market, and although it is a highly regulated industry, an industry association will establish collaboration between licensed operators, regulators and our customers,” said Anli Kotze, GM for Ladbrokes.co.za.
Ladbrokes’s South African representative is of the belief another way to prevent illicit sites is to block residents from accessing the sites and taking legal action against those that don’t respect the laws.
“In the same way, the US is currently implementing this. Also, the government can fine and/or take legal action against South Africans who play on non-licensed betting sites. The UK and Europe are good examples of areas where online sports betting is lucrative. If you look at companies like Bet365, Ladbrokes.com, Bwin, PaddyPower; their massive successes in fixed odds sports betting in both the UK and Europe are very evident.”
