The UFC has brokered a sponsorship deal with Swedish online gaming company Unibet. The 2 year agreement will start tomorrow at UFC Fight Night London and will make it the official betting partner of the UFC.
The deal will cover events held in the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Australia according to the Sports Business Daily (subscription required).
Via GamingIntelligence.com:
The UFC said that the quality of Unibet’s iGaming offering set it apart from other operators, and the strength of the desktop and mobile products provided an ideal synergy with the business.
“This is a great opportunity for our fans to step into the world of the UFC in a new and engaging way,” Garry Cook, executive vice president and managing director of UFC EMEA commented.
“We are delighted to partner with one if the world’s fastest growing online betting companies,” Cook continued. “The UFC is hosting more events than ever internationally in 2014 allowing us to reach more potential fans across the globe.
Unibet chief marketing officer Nils Anden indicated that Unibet was working on providing exclusive bet offers for UFC events.
Established in 1997, the company “provides a platform for sports betting, casino, games and online poker,” according to its web site. It touts that it has 8.6 million customers in over 100 countries and over 900 employees. It is a publicly listed company on the NASDAQ QMX Nordic Exchange in Stockholm.
Payout Perspective:
Occurring on the eve of UFC Fight Night 37, this is good news for the UFC and Unibet. Certainly, the Fertittas and their UltimatePoker.com web site is heavily promoted on UFC shows in the U.S. and it made sense for the company to partner with a European online gaming site with its ongoing expansion into Europe. While I do not personally visit these sites, I understand that the opportunity for more oddsmakers and odds available is a good thing. It also caters to the UFC’s target demo. Look for the Unibet logo in the Octagon tomorrow.
This is bad for any sport, it completely corrupts the entire integrity of all parties involved, even more so for one on one sports. Shame on the UFC
Nothing shady about this. Will only increase the “fight fixing” talk.
Matt Lindland is crying somewhere.
can,t wait for the ultimate fighter brazil season 2 come orgin house property gangster