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BETFRED LOSES MANCHESTER UNITED SPONSORSHIP

GS — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:22:59 +0000

Betfair execs were no doubt celebrating this week following the announcement that the UK online betting group has been selected as a sponsor by the world famous football club Manchester United. Perhaps in a less celebratory frame of mind will be Fred Done’s Betfred company, which has been replaced.

Betfair’s three year official partnership deal with Manchester United allows the betting company to use the Manchester United logo in marketing activities and run perimeter board signage at Old Trafford.

The gambling firm has also launched a new football website at Betfairfootball.com , which will include content from Manchester United players. Betfair has already introduced the “Betfair Goal Challenge”, which will see United strikers Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov compete to score the most goals over the coming season – each League strike will earn GBP 1 000 for the Manchester United Foundation.

The deal with Man U is the first Betfair has agreed with a football club since its one-year shirt deal with Fulham in 2003. The company sponsors a wide range of other sports, including horseracing and cricket.

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FOOTBALL INNOVATION ENABLES PUNTERS TO BET ON THE PLAYERS

GS — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:22:33 +0000

UK football fanatics will be able to use their in-depth player knowledge to good effect at the Coral betting group following its deal with FSB Technology this week. The agreement means that Coral has access to FSB’s interesting new product that enables gamblers to bet on individual player performance.

FSB’s Points Performance Measurement system and Top Player football betting markets debuted this week ahead of Sunday’s big Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur match. The product combines performance measurement with fixed-odds betting on matches, allowing customers to bet on which English Premiership players will deliver best performance, rated on a points system for criteria such as goals, assists and tackles.

“FSB’s Player Performance betting is a product which is certain to appeal to experienced football betting punters and fantasy sports enthusiasts alike,” said Coral football exec Nick Goff. “It will give us a unique and compelling point of difference over our bookmaking rivals as we embark on the new football season.”

The markets are supported by a white-label service providing live FSB Points updates, historic performance data and commentary from sports journalist Jeff Stelling.

Founded by chief executive Dave McDowell and CTO Sam Lawrence, FSB has some experienced and heavyweight gambling investors – among them Sportingbet founder Mark Blandford and Betfair founder Andrew Black.

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ANOTHER UK FOOTBALL TEAM FOR 188BET

GS — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:12:22 +0000

Asian-facing sportsbook is now the official betting partner of Chelsea FC

Only a week after signing a multi-year sponsorship deal with Aston Villa FC (see previous InfoPowa report), the Asian-facing online sportsbetting site 188Bet.com has inked a deal with the prestigious Chelsea FC, becoming the club’s official betting partner.

188Bet has entered the sponsorship stakes with a bang; besides the Chelsea and Aston Villa agreement, the firm is a main sponsor of the Bolton Wanderers and Wigan football clubs.

The Chelsea agreement is for an initial three year period, and will see Chelsea and 188Bet begin a series of co-marketing initiatives focused on the Asian market. They will also begin a special 188Bet promotion for Chelsea supporters.

188 chief executive Andy Scott, said: “Chelsea’s reach throughout the world will allow 188Bet to fully establish itself throughout the UK and across all key markets.”

Chelsea FC chief executive Peter Kenyon said: “Having just concluded a major extension with Samsung, we are delighted to have finalised another significant deal with a leading brand in 188Bet. Chelsea had a number of companies from this sector bidding to be our official betting partner but 188Bet were the right choice, both financially and in terms of their ambitions and aspirations globally.”

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188BET IS ASTON VILLA’S NEW PARTNER

GS — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 22:13:39 +0000

The official Aston Villa football club website announced this week that the UK club has entered into a two year partnership agreement with online sportsbetting firm 188Bet.

The deal will see 188Bet become the club’s official betting partner for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 Barclays Premier League seasons.

The partnership will also give Villa fans the opportunity to take advantage of a range of promotional activity, which will be announced at the start of the season.

Paul Faulkner, Villa’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “188Bet is a leading in-play betting specialist, who pride themselves on being able to offer over 3 500 in-play markets a month.

“A company that enjoys strong global markets and with a history of innovative in-play products, 188Bet are looking to develop Europe as a new territory in which to provide a quality in-play betting service.

“We are delighted they have chosen Villa as a key partner in helping drive this growth.”

Andy Scott, 188Bet’s CEO, said: “This partnership highlights our continued commitment to English football and the UK market as a whole.

“Establishing ourselves in the UK and across Europe remains a priority for us and we believe Aston Villa will prove be a further very strong partner in this goal.

“Aston Villa is a fantastic football club, steeped in tradition and we are really excited about the upcoming season.”

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