Unibet strikes exclusive Celtic FC Wi-Fi deal

Unibet has become the official Wi-Fi betting partner for Celtic Football Club after striking a deal with stadia Wi-Fi service provider Sports Revolution.

The two-year deal will see Unibet tailor Celtic-specific pre-live and in-running betting opportunities for fans who are inside the Glasgow ground and have downloaded the Sports Revolution-developed CelticLIVE app.

Unibet will become the only operator available to fans using Celtic’s Wi-Fi, although the club’s official betting partner Ladbrokes, who is understood to have given its blessing to the deal, will retain its in-stadium over-the-counter betting kiosks.

The app was given a soft trail during Celtic’s last home league game against Inverness Caledonian Thistle on 1 November and will be given its full launch during this weekend’s clash with Dundee.

“Live betting is the future of online sports betting and stadium Wi-Fi is a perfect way to fuel that demand and for us to make a mark,” Ed Nicholson, head of Unibet’s UK marketing operations, said.

“It’s new, it’s different and it adds real value for the fans. We expect it to take off with other clubs and wanted to get in early with this first application at the UK’s first fully connected stadium, Celtic Park,” he added.

Speaking with eGaming Review, Unibet’s UK country manager Phillip Manzi said he expected to announce a further six Wi-Fi football stadia deals during the course of the season and he also raised the potential to roll a similar service out to other sports such as cricket.

Earlier this month eGR reported that Sky Betting and Gaming had been trialing iBeacons at a number of English football grounds in order to alert fans to betting opportunities via push messages.