Spain’s Sportium buoyed by PMU partnership

Sportium has told iGamingBusiness.com that growing interest in horseracing in the Spanish market was the reason it pursued a deal to become French operator PMU’s first partner in the country.

The two parties have signed a collaboration agreement which will see Sportium offer Spanish punters a wide range of common pool bets on French racing and live coverage of major events via streaming.

PMU, Europe’s largest parimutuel betting operator, is now partnered with more than 80 operators in more than 50 countries, while Sportium has added the races to its portfolio in response to the growth of the sport. It already covers racing in Spain, the UK, USA and South Africa.

“Horse racing represents a very important part of our business both in retail and in the digital channel, in addition to a positive trend and an increasing weight,” a Sportium spokesperson told iGamingBusiness.com.

Racing is considered among Spain’s top five betting sports, although it is some way behind leaders football, tennis and basketball. While bet types are fairly similar to the UK and other mature markets, Sportium told iGamingBusiness.com that trios and twins are becoming more popular.

In a statement, Alberto Eljarrat (pictured), CEO of Sportium, said: “This agreement means a significant increase in our offer, something in which we are leaders in the Spanish market.”

PMU, which has partnerships in Germany, Belgium, Brazil and dozens of other markets, said it was keen to enter the Spain with Sportium, which is a joint venture between Ladbrokes and the CIRSA Group, which it considers to be “the benchmark for that market”. Verlet Aymeric, director of international development of PMU, added: “[Sportium is] the best guarantee for an optimal distribution of our best product.”