Coingaming Group, the firm behind cryptocurrency sports betting site Sportsbet.io, has maintained its extensive sports marketing capabilities via a contract renewal with Southampton FC.
The three-year extension will see Sportsbet.io continue to serve as the front-of-shirt sponsor of the Premier League club, enabling advertising during fixtures across multiple football tournaments.
Furthermore, the agreement will continue to maintain a strong cryptocurrency element, including an option for the Saints to receive payments in Bitcoin – the hugely popular cryptocurrency which has rapidly increased in value in recent months – at the conclusion of each season.
“Our first season as Southampton FC’s Main Club Partner has already exceeded all expectations,” said Maarja Pärt, CEO of Coingaming Group.
“We’ve been inspired by the passion of the club and its fans, and it was an easy decision for us to extend our partnership with the Saints for another three years.
“From the beginning, Southampton have been a perfect match for the fun, fast and fair way we do things at Sportsbet.io. We can’t wait to continue this journey with the Saints, and we’ll be doing everything we can to support the team and its community into the future.”
In addition to Southampton, the cryptocurrency betting operator maintains partnerships with a number of professional football clubs and competitions, including Watford FC, Arsenal FC and the Copa do Brasil.
The deal has been described by Southampton as ‘the biggest sponsorship in the club’s history,’ although financial terms have not yet been confirmed.
“The team at Sportsbet.io have built a successful business by challenging convention and disrupting the market, but in a responsible way, and their approach to our partnership with them has been no different,” said David Thomas, Chief Commercial Officer at Southampton FC.
“In a short timeframe they’ve proven to be innovative, forward thinking and extremely supportive of the club, our fans and the wider community, and we’ve welcomed the opportunity to develop and promote safe gambling messages together. As such they have become valued partners and we look forward to the next chapter together.”
Southampton first enlisted Coingaming and Sportsbet.io as partners in August 2020, and has cooperated with the operator on a number of social responsibility programmes aimed at supporting the club’s fans and the local community.
Notable initiatives include the responsible betting-oriented ‘Listen to the Saint in You’ campaign during Safer Gambling Week, whilst the Positive Impact Pledge saw the partners support start-ups and entrepreneurs with grant applications during financial difficulties of the cornovarius pandemic.
Sportsbet.io also recently donated its shirt sponsorship to the Saints Foundation during a league clash against Burnley FC, in order to raise awareness and drive fundraising for the charity. The firm also contributed an additional £10,000 on top of the donations generated.
The contract renewal represents a further enhancement of the presence of cryptocurrency in sports, with exchange Crypto.com maintaining arrangements with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Aston Martin Cognizant F1 motor racing team.
