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Scottish Professional Football League Announces Landmark Title Sponsorship Deal with William Hill

Published

3 days ago

July 4, 2024

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) has announced a landmark title sponsorship deal with William Hill, one of the UK’s leading betting companies.

Under the record-breaking, five-year deal, which begins at the start of season 2024/25, William Hill will become the title sponsor of all four SPFL divisions as well as the Official Betting Partner of the SPFL. This will see the four SPFL divisions become the William Hill Premiership, William Hill Championship, William Hill League 1 and William Hill League 2.

Alongside its partnership and title sponsorship, William Hill and the SPFL have partnered with EPIC Global Solutions – a global consultancy focused on gambling harm prevention – to launch a multi-year, first-of-its-kind programme on gambling harm awareness across Scottish football for SPFL players, staff and supporters.

In the months ahead, EPIC will deliver impactful and interactive workshops across all 42 SPFL clubs to educate players and backroom staff on the dangers of gambling harm in the elite sports environment. This will ensure all participants have a greater understanding of the impact of gambling-related harm and where to access support.

EPIC will also deliver sessions to supporters/community groups within clubs that have Community Trusts. Results from similar programmes by EPIC in world sport consistently show that more than nine out of ten professional athletes gain confidence on how and where to seek support if they are worried about their gambling behaviour as a result of the sessions.

SPFL group chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “William Hill is a name long associated with Scottish football and we are enormously excited to have reached a long-term, record-breaking agreement with our new title sponsors.

“This is tremendous news for our clubs and their fans, for the profile of the league, and for Scottish football in general. In addition to the sponsorship with William Hill, our pioneering gambling harm awareness programme with EPIC will help to educate the communities across the 42 SPFL clubs on gambling harm prevention.

“Everyone at the SPFL is looking forward to working with William Hill to promote the passion, drama and excitement of the League and its 42 clubs over the next five seasons, as well as the roll-out of our programme with EPIC.

“I would also like to place on record our sincere thanks to cinch for its extremely positive contribution to Scottish football over the past three years and wish them and their management team the very best for the future.”

William Hill’s Marketing Director Michael Sheehan said: “We’re delighted to become title sponsor and Official Betting Partner of the SPFL, as well as launching a pioneering Gambling Harm Awareness programme, delivered by EPIC. For decades, we at William Hill have loved Scottish football and its fiercely loyal and passionate fans. Now, building on our long-standing association with Scottish football, we are delighted to be playing our part in five exciting seasons of the SPFL.

“In addition to our sponsorship, we will work proactively and extensively to raise awareness of the potential risks associated with betting across the Scottish footballing community. As a business, we place customer safety and responsible gambling at the heart of everything we do, and we are looking forward to delivering an extensive programme across SPFL clubs to educate and promote healthy and safe relationships with betting.”

The search for a new SPFL title sponsor was led by Brendan Napier of Scottish Football Marketing, a joint venture between the SPFL, The Scottish FA and the Scottish Women’s Premier League, established to act as a central resource for Scottish football marketing inventory.

Mr. Napier said: “Securing such a well-known, marquee brand as William Hill on a record-breaking deal is a tremendous coup for Scottish football and underscores the attractiveness of our national sport for forward-thinking sponsors.

“It’s early days for Scottish Football Marketing, but today’s announcement sets a very welcome standard for future deals and signals that Scotland’s national sport is well and truly open for business.”

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Signs broadened agreement with bet365 US

Published

1 day ago

July 5, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Today, Scout Gaming Group (“Compan” or “Scout”) has signed a broadened agreement concerning the delivery of Fantasy Sports products as well as cross sell tools for other verticals for bet365’s US operations.

The initial agreement came in to effect with the launch of various products at the end of Q3, 2023, with Canada and Mexico being added to the renewed agreement.

The contract is effective from Q2, 2024 onwards and will positively impact Scout’s revenue going forward.

Niklas Jönsson, CEO of Scout Gaming Group comments, “The agreement shows the recognition of the relevance of Fantasy Sports and cross sell products in the gaming market”.

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Paraíba Approves Cactus Gaming Technology

Published

1 day ago

July 5, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Brazilian company is one of the first to receive LOTEP approval

The State of Paraíba, through one of its agencies, LOTEP (Lotteries of the State of Paraíba), recently approved the technology of the Brazilian company Cactus Gaming, after a successful proof of concept (POC).

After an extensive battery of tests and verifications, Cactus Gaming received authorization from LOTEP to provide its services to those interested in operating in fixed-odd sports betting. According to the process registered under number LTP-PRC-2024/00006, the company was officially certified as of February 2024.

This milestone places Cactus Gaming in a select group of companies accredited to provide technology and operate in Paraíba, further raising the level of reliability of its platform. Recognized for its innovation, Cactus Gaming already has certifications under the rigorous GLI-33 and GLI-19 standards, consolidating its reputation as a pioneer in security and integrity in the sector.

With this approval, LOTEP reinforces its commitment to cybersecurity and transparency in the betting market, ensuring a regulated and reliable environment for operators and bettors interested in the fixed-odds sports lottery in Paraíba.

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Portuguese start-up FootAR is enhancing the Euro 2024 experience with AR tracking and smart data

Published

1 day ago

July 5, 2024

Wladimir P.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

With the summer of football heating up, FootAR is showing how live sports can be enhanced with augmented reality. It has created a real-time companion that gamifies the sports experience and emulates player movements with 3D foosball-like figures, adding smart stats and prizes for fans.

FootAR has already made its mark in Portugal, where two notable media organisations have integrated it into their coverage. GMG (Jornal de Notícias) and SportsMultimedia (VSports) use FootAR to bring a 3D experience to Euro 2024 fans.

FootAR is one of 22 companies in the Portuguese games development and creative industries cluster eGamesLab. This ambitious R&D project led out of Madeira aims to attract and develop new talent and technology focused on the growing national video game industry.

FootAR’s platform went live earlier this year. The initial rollout covered Portuguese league games, partnering with some of the biggest Portuguese clubs like SC Braga and CD Nacional before expanding to cover all the matches at Euro 2024. It offers real-time statistics, in-depth analysis, and seamless integration for news outlets covering live games on their websites.

Fans can relive every goal, track every pass, and stay connected to the game with real-time updates and AR-enhanced visuals. The technology allows fans to rewatch the most significant moments in a live game and view them from multiple angles, together with an accompanying audio commentary.

“We understand the insatiable appetite for football data and the desire to go beyond the final score,” says David Olim, Co-Founder of FootAR. “FootAR empowers fans to delve deeper into the action, following their favourite players, teams, and leagues, and is the perfect way for enthusiasts to analyse the beautiful game – but that’s just the start. As a father of two young children, my goal is to shape how younger generations immerse themselves in these communal experiences. Looking to the future, our interests go way beyond sports. We are starting with football, but within five years, we will have personalised experiences for clubs, artists, and brands to build their own interactive events.

Key Features:

Augmented Reality – relive the match’s key moments from multiple angles through 3D AR visuals, and get closer to the action with real-time data overlays to follow the game how you want to.

Custom Data Suite – access in-depth statistics for players and teams such as expected goals, pass accuracy and tackles lost. In-game notifications can be customised, ensuring key moments in the game are never missed..

Audio Commentary – FoorAR can sync with local radio broadcasts, creating a combination of live commentary and live data which really brings events to life.

With FootAR, new avenues for monetizing audience engagement and sponsors are available to media companies and clubs looking for a solution to drive greater fan engagement, as well as opening up new revenue streams through in-game activations.

Fans can transform their football experience today by downloading FootAR for free on Android and iOS and using the Web/Desktop app. Apple VisionPro and Meta Quest versions of the experience are also being developed and will be released in Q3 2024.