Home » OCW News » February 2010 » Burnley FC in Online Gambling Sponsorship with Fun88

Burnley FC in Online Gambling Sponsorship with Fun88

Date published: 22 February 2010

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As soon as the UK government legalized and regulated online gambling in the country just a few short years ago, droves of intrepid UK-licensed online gambling firms sought creative ways to advertise and market their services, with one of the most popular being via lucrative football sponsorships.

It's virtually impossible to watch a weekend of English football without seeing top-tier teams wearing shirts displaying the names of leading online casinos, online betting sites or online poker rooms. And now Burnley FC is set to join them after signing a sponsorship deal with large Chinese gambling website, Fun88.

Said Burnley FC chairman, Barry Kilby, 'We are absolutely delighted and proud to have secured Fun88 as our club shirt sponsors for the 2010/11 and 2011/12 football seasons. This multi-million-pound deal is clear evidence of the global appeal of Burnley Football Club as a result of our Premier League status.

'We had discussions with many top international [online gambling] companies, who expressed an interest in becoming involved with the club,' continued Kilby. 'But we feel that the special relationship we have established and enjoy with Fun88 will be one that is hugely beneficial to both parties in the coming years.'

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Although an English version of Fun88 - which is owned and operated by Welton Holdings Limited and offers state-of-the-art online sportsbook, casino and keno facilities - is available, it is predominantly aimed at online gambling fans based in China and Thailand, both countries that enjoy watching English football.

Said Fun88 spokesperson, Nick Lee, 'We look forward immensely to working with them on several exciting ventures over the next two years. Sponsoring Burnley is in line with Fun88's ambitions to move our brand to the next level in Asia, as well as giving Fun88 a key platform to reach out to the European market.

'As part of Fun88's sponsorship of Burnley, we will be launching a number of marketing initiatives in the next few months,' he continued. 'This will further reinforce our association with Burnley football club as well as help us to penetrate further into the European market next season and the season thereafter.