Bwin in gaming and social deal with Real Madrid

Bwin.party has announced a deal with Spanish football giants Real Madrid to launch co-branded gaming products and integrate the bwin brand into Real’s social media and mobile apps ahead of its social sports betting launch later this year.

The multi-year deal replaces the high-profile six-year shirt sponsorship that finished at the end of the 2012/13 season and reflects an “evolution” of bwin.party’s sponsorship strategy, according to the firm.

The operator said it wanted to focus on social media and social gaming, online and mobile integration, and the deal will include the creation of “co-branded gaming products”. As a result of the deal the bwin brand will be integrated into the Real website as well as the club’s social media sites and mobile apps.

Bwin is set to launch its long-awaited social sports product later this year, developed through its partnership with social sports firm Nordeus. It described its social sports offering as “pioneering approach to social sports betting” in its first-quarter results.

“Our decision not to renew the shirt sponsorship brings to an end one chapter in our relationship with Real Madrid,” Norbert Teufelberger, bwin.party CEO, said.

“We now look forward to beginning the next chapter by leveraging our brand strengths to drive revenue and create premium content for our customers and Real Madrid’s millions of followers,” he added.

The Spanish market accounted for 4% of net gaming revenues at bwin.party in its 2012 annual results.

Bwin extended its sponsorship deal with MotoGP earlier this month with the online gaming firm having a presence at five of the grands prix until 2015.