Bwin launches marketing stunt after Italy’s World Cup heartache
GVC-owned sportsbook gives punters who backed Italy for the 2018 tournament another chance in latest promotion
Bwin customers who bet on Italy to win the 2018 World Cup have been given another chance to pick a winner after the Azzurri failed to qualify for the tournament.
The sportsbook’s latest marketing stunt, dubbed the ‘delusion pay-out’, will provide some consolation for Italian punters, with Italy set to miss out on a World Cup for the first time since 1958.
Following the national team’s 0-0 play-off draw with Sweden which sealed their fate, those who backed Italy were invited to re-bet their initial stake on a different one of the 32 countries to have successfully qualified for Russia 2018.
Jay Dossetter, head of media relations at GVC, said: “Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup on Monday was something of a national disaster and we want to cheer our Italian customers up.”
The failure could also provide some heartbreak for Italy-facing operators, with Snai CEO Fabio Schiavolin saying yesterday he expected revenues to fall by as much as 25% without Italy in the tournament.