Sport is made for betting

Here's a no-brainer if ever I saw one - England cricket sponsors want to see the Ashes back on terrestrial TV. npower do, Betfair surely will and no doubt all the others do as well, even if they have to pay more for it. When less than 1/3 of the 2005 audience watched the last Test at The Oval, that's a pretty strong argument. Betfair's volume on the whole series was no bigger than 2005, predominantly due to the broadcast factor. Sponsors want Ashes on terrestrial TV Not sure I'll be here for the next one, living here for two losses in a row has been hard enough!!

Technically they are licensed in the Isle of Man, but one look at the site tells you that 188bet are an Asian bookie. Bolton and Wigan both sponsored by the same firm, and club shirts, not that these two clubs sell a great deal, will only contain the logo on the adult versions. 188Bet agrees soccer sponsorship deal first It's not that rare for two clubs to be sponsored by the same firm - it has happened in Scotland for years. So the big UK firms of Ladbrokes, Hills, Corals etc aren't prepared to sponsor English football, allowing the likes of SBOBet (West Ham), 188Bet (Bolton and Wigan), Mansion (Tottenham), BoyleSports (Sunderland), Wolves (Sportingbet), Bet24 (Blackburn and Leeds), 32Red (Aston Villa), 888 (Middlesbrough), Fulham (Betfair) and Blue Square (Conference leagues) into 'their' local space in recent years. Plus there's all the action on the continent with bwin, Interwetten, bet-at-home and Unibet getting involved in team sponsorships as well. Heard a ru...

Another key race sponsorship in Victoria goes to a bookmaker - this time the Geelong Cup, last year won by British raider, Bauer. Geelong up lands new sponsor And how is sponsorship going in other states? Poorly, as state governments and racing bodies still have their heads in the sand...

ASCOT today announces Betfair, the world-leading betting company, as the new sponsor of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, which will be run for £1 million for the first time in 2009 (£850,000 in 2008). The sponsorship will run initially for five years as the centerpiece of a wide-reaching commercial partnership between the two parties. ‘The King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (sponsored by Betfair)’ is the headline agreement in a substantial seven-figure deal over five years that Ascot and Betfair believe will develop into a wider commercial relationship. Ascot’s late July meeting will now be presented as ‘Betfair Weekend featuring The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes’..... Full article here Interesting times ahead. Looks like I'll be at Ascot a bit more regularly then!