Home » OCW News » October 2009 » Cardiff City FC Signs Sponsorship with SBOBET

Cardiff City FC Signs Sponsorship with SBOBET

Date published: 7 October 2009

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Cardiff City Football Club recently signed a 2-year sponsorship deal with leading online sports betting site, SBOBET.com, which probably wouldn't have made news headlines if it wasn't for the fact that the club's initial online gambling sponsorship fell foul of the UK Gambling Commission.

A few weeks ago Cardiff City FC had just announced that it had signed a lucrative sponsorship deal with leading Philippine online sports betting website, 777.com, when the UK Gambling Commission interjected because the sports betting firm was not included in its 'White List' of online gambling sites.

Although online gambling is licensed and regulated in the United Kingdom, as is the advertising thereof, unless an online gambling company is included in the White List - a list comprising a number of UK approved online gambling operators - they are not allowed to operate or advertise in the country.

The UK Gambling Commission ordered the Welsh football club to end its association with 777.com, which it did. 777.com only benefited from the sponsorship for one match before its logo disappeared from Cardiff's shirts. But club chairman and CEO, Peter Ridsdale, needed a new sponsor and fast.

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Enter SBOBET.com, a UK White List-friendly online sports betting firm, which is also currently the official sponsor of English Premier League football team, West Ham United. Ridsdale entered into a 2-year deal with SBOBET, this time with the complete approval of the UK Gambling Commission.

Said Ridsdale, 'In these challenging times, it is very pleasing that Cardiff City FC has secured a sponsorship contract with a partner as significant as SBOBET. We look forward to working with SBOBET, who are making a big contribution to enabling Cardiff City to realize our considerable potential.'

Also pleased with the new deal was SBOBET CEO, Bill Mummery, 'This is a logical move for us as our core strength lies in football where we offer value, depth of content and exceptional service to a global audience. As such, I am confident we will forge a strong relationship with Cardiff City FC.'