SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Parions Sport, the flagship sports betting subsidiary of Groupe FDJ, has declared its ‘return to tennis’, becoming a principal sponsor of the ATP250 Lyon Open.
Beginning this Monday, the Lyon Open (17 to 23 May) is recognised as one of the lead tournaments in the build-up to French tennis’ Roland Garros Grand Slam Championship (24 May to 13 June).
Parions Sport joins Nitto, Dunlop, Lacoste and Emirates International as a principal partner of the tournament which will be hosted at the heritage Open Parc Auvergne Rhône Alpes club.
Tennis’ ATP Tour returns to Rhone Province, following the suspension of all French pro-sports events during 2020, as the En Marche government ordered all professional sports leagues and events to be immediately terminated.
Entering 2021, the ATP Tour announced that it had partially lifted its ban on sports betting partnerships, allowing for its sanctioned ATP 250/500 tournaments to be sponsored by licensed bookmakers.
The ban was lifted following the approval of Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU); however bookmaker sponsorships have not been allowed for ATP Masters series and the Grand Slam tennis events of The Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.
Securing its sponsorship of the Lyon Open, Parions Sports stated that it would examine further tennis partnerships as its second most wagered market behind football in which the Parions serves as sponsor of Olympique Lyonnais.
