SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Unibet, the flagship European sportsbook property of Kindred Group Plc, has signed Chess Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen as a ‘Global Brand Ambassador’. Carlsen has joined the bookmaker’s stable of sporting figureheads to promote fair play and responsible gambling.
Nicknamed the ‘Mozart of Chess’, Carlsen – a Grandmaster since the age of 13 – has reigned in all formats of the game over the past decade, with the Norwegian phenomenon recognised amongst the legends of Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov.
Unibet has previously worked with Carlsen, having title sponsored the Norwegian’s ‘2018 FIDE World Championship’ match against American challenger Fabiano Caruana.
A nail-biting 51-hours of play featuring 12 drawn ties would garner worldwide coverage of Carlsen vs Caruana, an event branded as a tour de force by the global chess community with Unibet securing its ‘most successful sports sponsorship’.
Rhodri Darch, Chief Commercial Officer at Kindred Group, said: “We see great potential in building a stronger market position towards the hundreds of millions of chess fans around the world, as well as all other online gamblers who understand and appreciate the value of gaining an advantage by digging into data and researching facts.
“Since 2014, Unibet has communicated that ‘luck is no coincidence’ celebrating those players who rely on research and statistics to make informed decisions. Magnus is a perfect fit for this concept, and our most recent marketing campaign is a good example of that.”
Seeking to broaden its appeal to chess’ 600 million players and fans worldwide, Unibet is the only bookmaker to offer in-play chess wagering featuring next move markets.
Carlsen commented: “Unibet and I share a lot of the same values and interests in sports and related stats. We both know that ‘luck’ is no coincidence. To make the right decisions, you need a well-balanced combination of knowledge, skill, and intuition.”
