bwin.party Official Partner of Manchester United

bwin.party has announced a three-year partnership with Manchester United to become the club’s official betting and online gaming partner.
The agreement will allow bwin.party to establish betting kiosks at the English Premier League’s home stadium, Old Trafford. Additionally, the gaming site is now permitted to leverage Manchester United’s international appeal to expand their social gaming presence through free-play web games.
Norbert Teufelberger, Co-CEO of bwin.party, said, “Manchester United is one of the biggest names in world sport with a global fan base running into hundreds of millions. We share a passion for football that has always been at the heart of our long-term brand development strategy. Football is fundamental to our long-term success, making up approximately half of our total sports betting revenue of €261 million (£205m) in 2011.”
Manchester United’s more than 500 million non-European followers, including those in countries where iGaming is not legal, will now be a customer target for bwin.party whose online social games offer additional features acquired through paid credits.
The deal will also increase bwin.party’s presence throughout Europe. The company is already the primary shirt-sponsor of Spanish football league team Real Madrid. Earlier this year, bwin.party paid the Spanish government €33 million in back-taxes in order to operate in that region.
Manchester United, who debuted on the New York Stock Exchange last week (MANU), is down 2.6% so far in today’s trading. bwin.party (BPTY.L) closed on the London Stock Exchange up slightly after the announcement.