UK bookmaker Betway has signed a six-figure sponsorship deal with eSports team Ninjas in Pyjamas. 
As part of the deal, Ninjas in Pyjamas team members Patrik Lindberg, Christopher Alesund, Richard Landstrom, Adam Friberg and Jacob Mourujarvi will now pose for press photographs in Betway-branded gear. The bookmaker will also get content usage rights, onsite branding at the team’s gaming house and full player access. The Sweden-based eSports organization has certainly come a long way since it was set up in 2000. Late last year, the eSports team had to fire its then chief executive Per Lilliefelth following reports that it had failed to pay an estimated 340,000 in prize money and in-game sticker sales to its players. Lilliefelth was replaced by Hicham Chahine, who previously acted as the chairman of the board for the eSports organization. After undergoing the “necessary” organizational changes, Ninjas in Pyjamas went on to win several premiere events, including the recently held StarSeries Season 2 finals in September. Now, the eSports team made another history as the first organization to land a headline sponsorship deal with a UK bookmaker. Betway, which launched an eSports microsite in 2015, was one of several traditional bookmakers that have embraced eSports in recent years. Betway says it has increased its eSports-specific trading and content teams. “As sponsors of West Ham United of the Premier League in England, we constantly engage with supporters to give them insight into the club they wouldn’t get anywhere else,” said Betway’s Anthony Werkman in a statement. “It’s with these ideals, values and mission in mind that we partnered with NiP. They have a huge fan base all over the world and we are tremendously excited to provide exclusive, behind the scenes content on a regular basis as we follow the team’s quest to be the best.”
Betway punts on eSports team Ninjas in Pyjamas
