Werder Bremen Partners Up with 188Bet in Asia
Football clubs around the world are always seeking new ways to strengthen their revenue models, betting companies often provide the perfect solution. The latest club to align itself with a high-profile betting brand is Werder Bremen. The German Bundesliga club will partner up with 188Bet in a deal that will see the famous bookmaker’s logo emblazoned on the club jersey from February 2021 in all Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal matches.
Football fans in Asia may be about to get a much better package of betting opportunities then they were previously used to, this is thanks to a new partnership between Bundesliga club Werder Bremen and Chinese-based bookmaker 188Bet. ©Firmbee/Pixabay
Football clubs playing in Germany are not unfamiliar with this kind of arrangement, in fact many European football clubs have felt the benefits of working closely with betting brands. As Leicester City partnered with W88 it paved the way in English football for many other clubs to follow suit. The trend has not been limited to this region only however, many clubs from Spain, Italy, and Germany work closely with Asian betting partners in a range of different deals that provide mutual benefits for both parties.
As always, these deals carry a certain level of controversy in the fact that they are not always the popular decision of the fan base, supporter’s trust, and indeed the first-team players themselves. A lot of attention has been given to the issue of integrating betting and elite football too closely. Many critics argue that this unparalleled synergy between the two industries is contributing to an even greater problem of unhealthy and compulsive gambling habits in football fans.
On the flip side, this deal can be seen as an excellent way for football clubs to modernize themselves commercially, and tap into the vast amounts of revenue being generated as a direct consequence of the games they play. It seems illogical to turn down the prospect of working with a major Asian betting brand in today’s climate. Not only do these sponsorship deals provide the most lucrative solution to the problem of revenue generation for cash-strapped clubs, but they can help create new assets and content opportunities for the club.
188Bet and Werder Bremen Enter 2 Year Deal
The 2 years deal struck by Werder Bremen and 188Bet will see the sportsbook operator in partnership with the Chinese-based bookmaker until the end of February 2023. During this time it is expected that the club will have the logo full emblazoned on their kit in strategic positions such as the top of the back and on the sleeves. It is also expected that the brand positioning of 188Bet will be further enhanced by advertising boards place pitch-side and on the interview boards.
A whole host of additional benefits have already been identified and it feels like a truly exciting opportunity to get involved with this sportsbook if you haven’t already. You can expect to receive industry-leading odds on Bundesliga football betting now with 188Bet, gain access to some truly unique digital content opportunities that will leverage Werder Bremen’s key assets, including the Weserstadion. And if that wasn’t enough, supporters of the club will be inundated with opportunities to win huge prizes from the new sponsor.
The comprehensive coverage of branding and sponsorship placement that will be undertaken at Werder Bremen is something every elite football club is familiar with. The revenue model of football has become very much attached to big corporate betting investments from the far-east. If there were any murmurs of decoupling this relationship, then this deal is certainly working in the opposite direction to any of those said efforts.
Well-Established and Forward Thinking Bookmaker
Fortunately for the management team at Werder Bremen, they have managed to secure a partnership with a bookmaker that many in the industry consider being very well-established and forward-thinking in nature. The brand represents a very important addition to the partnership roster and will become the exclusive betting partner of the prestigious German football club. The club released a statement outlining their joy with the new partnership, making note of 188Bet’s ability to bring together the sports betting audience of Asia in a unique way.
By creating this link with a huge name in the German sporting world, 188Bet has successfully recognized the huge importance that the sport of football has within the entire betting ecosystem. This trend can be further looked at as a recognition that Bundesliga carries enough support in Asia to make this deal worthwhile for both parties involved. As we said before, it is partnerships such as these that are driving forward the evolution of the elite football revenue model.
As the club has clearly indicated with such a partnership, they are commercially aware of their own value within the betting communities of the emerging markets. Not only do they want Asian bettors to feel a closer affiliation with the club, but converting fans from these regions into paying customers at their new sportsbook partner creates a win-win situation for both the club and the bookmaker.
Over the course of the next two years, it is highly plausible that Werder Bremen will continue to grow its base following in Asia. In correlation, the 188Bet userbase from Europe and Germany will likely increase. As long as geo-location restrictions are not levied on either service, this new partnership between a big European football club and an Asian betting platform could pave the way for a myriad of copycat deals.
