By David Gold
August 20 – European sports bookmaker bwin has announced a partnership with Premier League giants Manchester United.
Bwin become the club’s official online gaming and betting partner under the deal, which was announced at Old Trafford.
The three-year deal will aim to increase bwin’s presence in the United Kingdom and will be a significant boost as United are by some measures the world’s most popular club with almost 700 million fans.
The betting company will be integrated into the United website, co-branded social gaming products and matchday perimeter boards, as well as having access to players for marketing campaigns.
The bookmaker is also offering two season tickets to fans who place a £5 ($8/€6) bet on Manchester United using their services.
Norbert Teufelberger, joint chief executive of bwin.party (pictured below, third from right), said: “Manchester United is one of the biggest names in world sport with a global fan base running into hundreds of millions.
“We share a passion for football that has always been at the heart of our long-term brand development strategy.
“Football is fundamental to our long-term success, making up approximately half of our total sports betting revenue in 2011.
“As well as supporting our real money gaming business, the agreement complements our recent move into social gaming.
“United has 569 million followers outside of Europe, providing us with a great opportunity to offer jointly designed and innovative products in countries that do not yet allow real money online sports betting.”
United’s commercial director Richard Arnold (pictured above, far left) said: “bwin has an established and reputable reputation in online gaming in Europe and Manchester United is pleased to be bringing that model to not only the 76,000 football fans who visit Old Trafford for every game, but also our huge global audience.
“Like Manchester United, bwin is a leader in its market.
“This, along with the company’s knowledge of football, is why we chose to align ourselves with bwin and we are looking forward to a successful partnership.”
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