Betfair Divorces FC Barcelona Ahead of New Spanish Gambling Laws

A change in marketing strategy saw Betfair Sportsbook end its two-year sponsorship of FC Barcelona, the current title holding champions of the European Union Football Association. Betfair is one of many foreign gaming operators, counting down to the date, when the new Spanish gambling laws take effect.

After the regulation changes come into force Betfair will be able to operate on the very promising Spanish gaming market. In order to ensure its success on the market it no longer sees the need to sponsor such a famous team as Barcelona FC.

The change in marketing strategy comes after Alasdair Wright joined Betfair as Global Head of Customer Marketing and Loyalty. He was previously employed by BSkyB in variety of positions including Head of Marketing and Strategy, before that as Head of Customer Marketing at AOL. Wright now oversees Betfair’s marketing activity and he opted for relying on brand ambassadors instead of extensive sponsorship.

Spain gambling news learned that Wright has selected four brand ambassadors to represent Betfair. These include former English football player Lee Dixon, England cricketer Michael Vaughan, former England and Lions Rugby player Will Greenwood and British horse trainer Paul Nicholls.

The four ambassadors will promote Betfair, which hopes to become one of the leading online sportsbooks in Spain, by a variety of means. Punters can expect professional tips and opinions, monthly podcasts and various video content from the quartet.

Betfair Sportsbook will remain the sponsor and official sports betting partner of Manchester United. A company spokesperson commented: “Betfair is evolving the way we leverage our sponsorship assets to prioritize social platforms, and help build engagement with existing and (potential) customers.”