Bet365 extends its sponsorship of Stoke City FC

The major UK online gambling group bet365 has inked a seven figure shirt sponsorship deal with Stoke City FC, extending its support of the club, reports Staffordshire.co.uk.

Previous shirt sponsor Britannia Building Society surrendered their GBP 4 million sponsorship after 15 years with the football club, but retains stadium rights through to 2016.

The Coates family, who are the majority shareholders of both bet365 and Stoke City, have agreed a deal which will see the club’s shirts carry the company’s name and logo for the next three years, becoming the ninth company in Stoke City’s history since the 1980s to sponsor its shirts.

“It is a perfect fit for us as a Stoke-on-Trent-based company with a global reach and international markets. It also further demonstrates our long-term commitment to the club,” said Denise Coates, daughter of Stoke City chairman Peter Coates and joint chief executive of bet365.

Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes, said: “The club is already hugely indebted to the support from bet365 and its owners, the Coates family.

“While Britannia and the Co-operative Group focus more on local and national markets, bet365, who are the largest private sector employers in the area, operate on a global basis.

“This agreement with bet365 means we have been able to maximise the international element of the club’s exposure.

“We received a number of offers from potential sponsors, but bet365 were the highest bidders.”

A club spokesman said that bet365 would be able to benefit from the Premier League’s global TV exposure which now reaches more than 650 million homes across the world.

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