Online betting operator Bet365 has signed on a major sponsor of Sky Sports’ coverage of the English Premier League.
Late last week, Sky Sports announced it had inked a three-year deal that will see Bet365 serve as exclusive sponsor of Sky’s Monday Night Fooball program. Bet365 will also have exclusivity over Sky’s coverage of Friday night games, the first year that EPL matches will be shown regularly on Friday nights.
In addition, Bet365 will sponsor all EPL matches broadcast over Sky’s dedicated retail sports channel, which is available in over 40k commercial outlets in the UK and Ireland, including hotels, clubs and other watering holes where football fans are likely to gather.
Bet365’s co-CEO John Coates called the Sky deal “a fitting collaboration” and a testament to the two companies’ “continued and expanding relationship.” Bet365’s new visibility will begin on August 15 with Chelsea’s home opener against West Ham.
888 BAG PRESTON NORTH END
Meanwhile, online gambling operator 888 Holdings has inked a deal with Championship side Preston North End. The deal will see the 888sport logo appear on the second-tier squad’s first-team shirts and replica jerseys (but not the kiddies version, lest young minds be led astray).
This is the third second-tier football sponsorship for 888 in the past two months, having previously inked shirt deals with Birmingham City and Nottingham Forest. 888 first added sports betting to its existing casino and poker operations in 2014 and the sports division reported revenue rising 74% in 2015, making 888 keen to sustain its upward momentum.
BETDAQ LAND ON CHARLTON SHIRTS
A little further down the English football organizational chart, Ladbrokes’ exchange betting brand Betdaq has inked a shirt sponsorship with League One side Charlton Athletic. In addition to Betdaq’s logo appearing on the third-tier club’s shirts, the three-year deal will see Betdaq branding splashed across the club’s home pitch The Valley and the club’s media backdrops.
