September 25 – Premier League Everton who replaced online bookmaker SportPesa with online car sales site Cazoo as their shirt sponsor earlier this year, have now signed a new gaming sponsorship with Parimatch who become the club’s Official Betting Partner.
Everton ended their deal with Kenyan online gaming giant SportPesa in the second season of a five-season term. Heralded at the signing as a record deal for Everton, it was reckoned to have been worth £7 million a year.
Everton had decided to part company with SportPesa “following a comprehensive review by the Club of its commercial strategy in line with its vision and future growth plans,” said a club press release. Polite speak that the club was no longer appeared comfortable with betting company money, a position made clear at the club’s AGM when chief executive, Denise Barrett-Baxendale said that “in an ideal world” they would prefer a “different type of sponsor”.
But money is money and that preference has now changed with the two-year Parimatch deal that covers Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and comes as the bookmaker prepares a UK launch.
Parimatch branding will appear on LED perimeter and ribbon boards at Goodison Park on matchdays, as well as across the club’s online platforms.
Alan McTavish, commercial director at Everton said: “This regionally-focused deal is an important addition to our partnerships roster. Parimatch’s exclusive rights in CIS and Europe – as well as their rights to promote their brand in the UK – fits perfectly with our commercial strategy as we diversify opportunities in many of our sector categories.
“We have been impressed with Parimatch’s commitment to both innovation and ingenuity and we look forward to working together to deliver maximum exposure in their key markets, while offering an official betting service to our fanbase within those territories.”
Parimatch has been rapidly expanding its football sponsorship profile in recent weeks becoming Premier League Leicester City’s First Team Training Wear Partner and Betting Partner as well as Juventus’ betting partner in a deal that is understood to precede an Italian launch.
Sergey Portnov, Parimatch CEO, said: “Parimatch has a strong culture of entrepreneurship and exploring new trends and markets, so partnering with Everton as the brand enters the UK marketplace is massive for us.
“As a global betting brand, we already have exciting deals with UFC and in esports. Everton is a ‘club of firsts’ who have a similar approach to innovation as we do. We are committed to an exciting relationship that will bring increased awareness of our brand and allow us to offer a unique approach to our sportsbook and gaming offer to Evertonians all over the world.”
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