Betfair named official partner of LatAm football body
Betfair has become an official partner of South America’s highest-profile club football competitions through a deal with the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL).
The Flutter Entertainment-owned betting exchange business joins blue chip brands such as Bridgestone, Mastercard and Qatar Airways as partners of CONMEBOL club competitions including the CONMEBOL Libertadores and CONMEBOL Sudamericana.
The deal, which runs until the end of 2022, will raise Betfair’s exposure across South America through stadia branding, broadcast and digital assets.
“We are delighted to be the official betting partner of the CONMEBOL Libertadores and CONMEBOL Sudamericana,” said Stephen Mault, Betfair brand director.
“These two prestigious tournaments have provided so many memorable moments in world football throughout the ages and we are very proud to be supporting the action for the next three years. We look forward to seeing how the rest of this year’s tournaments unfold.”
Flutter Entertainment – formerly Paddy Power Betfair – said in its annual report last year that Betfair has an estimated two-per-cent share of the Brazilian market. It described Brazil as its most significant “grey” market globally.
“We are pleased to present Betfair as a partner of the CONMEBOL Libertadores and CONMEBOL Sudamericana. With this important partnership, we add another global brand to the international status of South American football,” said Juan Emilio Roa, commercial director of CONMEBOL.
Betfair’s formal link up with South American football’s governing body comes in the same month that the Brazilian government launched a month-long public consultation on sports betting regulation as it works to develop a legal framework for the vertical.
The consultation, which runs to 31 August, seeks input from the public and industry stakeholders on the most appropriate model for sports betting in Brazil. It is being conducted by the Secretariat of Evaluation, Planning, Energy and Lottery (SECAP), a division within the Ministry’s Special Secretariat of Finance.
It is designed to complement work already underway to develop sports betting regulations, after outgoing President Michel Temer signed into law Provisional Measure 846/18, a bill that gave lawmakers until 2020 to come up with regulations. There is the option to extend the deadline by a further two years if progress is not made by then.
Image: Jimmy Baikovicius