Marathonbet signs sponsorship deal with Lazio

Marathonbet, a UK-based bookmaker, has signed a shirt sponsorship deal with Italian Serie A football club Lazio. This is interesting because the Italian government has recently passed a law that bans all forms of gambling advertisements.

The agreement between the bookmaker and the Rome-based club is a short-term deal that is valid only till the end of 2018. The gambling ad ban law will come into effect on 1 January 2019.

Marathonbet branding will appear on Lazio players’ shirts, as well as on various LED advertising screens inside the team’s Stadio Olimpico home stadium.

In an announcement on its website confirming the deal, Lazio said the agreement is in “compliance with current regulations.”

New laws will ban gambling ads on sports jerseys from 30 June 2019, and while other regulations will come into effect from the start of the year, operators will have until the end of June to ensure they are complying with the new laws.

Natalia Zavodnik, chief executive of Marathonbet, said: “Working with a club with such an illustrious history as that of Lazio emphasises our intention to continue our growth in the Italian market and beyond, and we cannot wait to see the club’s path, both nationally and in Europe, this season.”

Italy’s decision to ban gambling adverts has attracted a negative response from various areas of the industry. The European Gaming and Betting Association branded the ban as “counterproductive”, while Paddy Power Betfair CEO Peter Jackson said the new system will be “very restrictive.”

Source: igamingbusiness.com