Bet-at-home extends Schalke deal
Austrian operator will be a "premium partner" of the German football team until 2014.
Betclic Everest subsidiary bet-at-home has agreed an extension of its partnership with German football club FC Schalke 04, which will run until June 2014.
The operator will become a premium partner of the club, which is due to play in the UEFA Champions League next season. Other partners include car giant Volkswagen and soft drinks company Sinalco.
Last month saw bet-at-home become one of the latest operators to secure an egaming licence in the German Land of Schleswig-Holstein, however the licence – along with those of six other operators – is in danger of being cancelled as the region’s new coalition government mulls over a potential return to the country’s controversial state treaty.
The deal comes shortly after Betclic Everest ended its sponsorship deal with Italian club Juventus in April this year, with the operator’s Betclic brand being replaced on the team’s shirts by Jeep.
It also recently ended sponsorship deals with 28 Portuguese football clubs after announcing its plans to pull out of the EU country in the light of a court decision which found in favour of the country’s gambling monopoly Santa Casa di Misericórdia de Lisboa.
This followed a similar case which saw a Portuguese court rule that bwin.party was operating illegally in the market, and order the operator to cease all advertising and sponsorship activities in the market.
Schalke marketing director Alexander Jobst said: “We are pleased to engage in the online betting area with one of the leading suppliers and are happy that the already very productive partnership has been extended as early as possible.”
bet-at-home.com sponsorship manager Klaus Gruber explained: “With our brand we have worked for many years with the best sports clubs in Europe, and FC Schalke 04 as one of the biggest football clubs in Germany is a very attractive club for an international company like bet-at-home.com.”