January 11 – The Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) has agreed a naming rights deal with online gambling company Betsson for the Hellenic Cup.
To be called the Betsson Greek Cup, the sponsorship is for three seasons. No value was given for the deal.
Greek football has for 15 years been plagued by accusation of match-fixing, much of it betting related. However the federation, its top tier league and its clubs rely heavily on bookmaker commercial income and while the rest of Europe has grown uneasy with the dangers of betting in football, the Greeks have only encouraged it further.
“The sponsoring partnership between Betsson and EPO is the new sports chapter that comes to be added to the glorious history of the event. The two sides are committed to the Betsson Greek Cup to upgrade the fans’ favorite habit, offering an unprecedented sporting experience, full of surprises, twists and thrills. The Betsson Greek Cup is also going to have a social character with a series of initiatives, in the context of Betsson’s multidimensional Corporate Responsibility program, which will be further developed and expanded within the three years of the sponsorship”, said an EPO statement.
Betsson has been in the betting business for 60 years and operates in over 25 markets worldwide, but it only launched in the Greek market 2.5 years ago, driving its online platform through sports sponsorships including the EKO Rally Akropolis, the PPC Cycling Tour of Greece, sponsorship of the AEK Betsson basketball team.
Betsson CEO Thanos Marinos, said: “Betsson has been active in the Greek market since 2021. It was the first company to receive permission from the EEEP (Gaming Supervision and Control Committee) to operate in the Greek market. Beyond the business model, a key parameter is giving back to society through sponsorships or through corporate social responsibility actions. When the prospect of sponsoring the naming of the Hellenic Cup came up, the mood was quite positive. From young children we knew that the Cup unites the sports fan world.”
President of the EPO’s Hellenic Cup organizing committee, Angelos Daniil, welcomed the Betsson sponsorship as a “joint cooperation for the development of football in Greece”.
“As we all know, the Greek Cup is the institution of surprises, an event in which all teams have the right to dream and can claim their presence until the final and teams from a lower category compete with teams from higher categories. The goal of all of us is the quality upgrade of the Greek Cup. I want to thank Betsson for the cooperation and I hope that the effort of all of us will bring the desired results for a better Greek football.”
Winners all round? Except for punters who lose their money with Betsson.
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimirov, at moc.l1732782536labto1732782536ofdlr1732782536owedi1732782536sni@o1732782536fni1732782536