TOTO offers ‘sleeve support’ for distressed Eredivisie clubs 

TOTO, the Netherlands monopoly licensed sportsbook and football pools operator has undertaken a spree of football partnerships, as the Dutch Eredivisie prepares for its October restart following the cancellation of season 2019/2020. 

Under lockdown, TOTO the sportsbook property of Dutch national lottery operator Nederlandse Loterij has secured nine Eredivisie partnerships – as the monopoly bookmaker becomes the official sleeve sponsor of Feyenoord, Sparta Rotterdam, Willem II, FC Utrecht, FC Groningen, ADO Den Haag, FC Twente and RKC Waalwijk. 

Nederlandse Loterij is reported to be in discussions with all Eredivisie clubs, seeking to promote TOTO as a league sponsor, helping Dutch football clubs and development programmes recover from pandemic circumstances.

Dutch news sources report that Nederlandse Loterij will pay between €200,000-to-€300,000 for individual club sleeve sponsorships, offering financial relief for Eredivisie teams.  

Last April, the Dutch government ordered the Dutch FA (KNVB) to terminate the Eredivisie 2019/2020 league, enforcing that the Netherlands would hold no large-scale public events until September.  

Dutch government orders have led to the KNVB and Eredivisie agreeing on a provisional 09 October restart date – a month behind other major European football leagues (La Liga, Premier League and Bundesliga).

 Industry observers currently await for the European Commission’s response to the ‘Remote Gambling Act’ for final review on competition and fair market practices, as the Dutch government aims to launch its regulated online gambling marketplace on 1 July 2020.