July 11 – Online bookmaker Betway, which has just added two top-tier LaLiga clubs to its sponsorship roster, has now signed its first Italian club, AS Roma.
The announcement of the deal comes at an interesting time with Italian authorities set to rule against allowing sports bookmakers and online casino games promoting their brands through football.
Betway announced its three-year deal to become a premium partner of AS Roma and will see its branding on the club’s training kit up to and including the 2020/21 season. It will also have access to a wider physical and digital portfolio of advertising at the club.
AS Roma’s Director of Global Business Development and Commercial Operations Kaitlyn Colligan said: “We’re delighted to announce Betway as a Main Global Partner and look forward to seeing their name on our training kits this season.
“Betway are a young and ambitious brand with global aspirations and we are excited about working together to offer our fans exclusive competitions, access and insight from behind the scenes at Trigoria.”
Betway are wagering against the potential sponsorship crisis facing Italian if the government proposal to ban all gambling advertising. The ban has to be approved by parliament within two months but would come into effect on 1 January 2019.
Clubs with betting and gaming company sponsorships already in place will be able to fulfil the term of their contracts, according to the proposal. The ban excludes the state lottery.
More than half of the clubs in Serie A currently have deals with betting and gaming companies and the league said it was monitoring the situation with “extreme concern”.
Betway operates across a number of regulated online markets and holds licences in the UK, Malta, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, Germany and Ireland. Its brands include Betway Sportsbook, Betway Casino, Betway Vegas, Betway Bingo and Betway Poker.
Betway’s Anthony Werkman said: “We’re very excited to be partnering with a great club like AS Roma, in what is our first partnership in Italian football. Roma have a huge fanbase and we hope this three-year deal will give us some great exposure over the course of the next few seasons.”
Betway has secured shirt sponsor deals in LaLiga with Deportivo Alavés and Levante U.D. both agreeing two-year deals. Betway sealed a similar deal with C.D. Leganés earlier this year.
Betway also sponsors English Premier League side West Ham United – a deal signed in 2015 – as well Bundesliga club Werder Bremen and Belgian champions RSC Anderlecht.
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