SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
European online sports betting operator, Unibet has announced that it will be the platinum sponsor of the 101st edition of Giro D’Italia, one of the most prestigious cycling races in the world.
This year’s event starts in Israel and continues through to Italy, across 21 stages in 24 days, with it anticipated that the event will bring together a live audience of over 12 million spectators with a social fan base of over three million, giving Unibet a strong platform to engage with dedicated cycling fans.
After last year’s success as an official sponsor, Unibet has decided to expand the sponsorship to become platinum sponsor. Commenting on the news, Rhodri Darch, Chief Strategy Officer at Kindred Group, said: “Cycling is continuing to grow in popularity and as a result, the opportunity to bet on the sport is gaining traction. We were really pleased with the results of our partnership with the Giro D’Italia last year and want to continue our success with raising brand awareness and giving customers an industry leading sportsbook offering across all stages of the race.
“We wanted to offer more this year to our customers, especially given the excitement around this year’s race; Chris Froome is aiming for his first Giro win and Tom Dumoulin will be defending last year’s victory. We are looking forward to some good racing in the 101st Giro D’Italia.”
Paolo Bellino, General Manager at RCS Sport, commented: “We are delighted that an international brand such as Unibet has confirmed and strengthened its presence at the Giro D’Italia. This shows, once more, that our race has a worldwide appeal, thanks also to the record of 198 covered countries, through the major television stations in five continents. The Big Start from abroad, for the first time outside Europe, is already a media success that will give a unique visibility to the Giro D’Italia and to all our Partners.”
Chris Froome, 2nd in the UCI’s world rankings and winner of last year’s Tour De France and Vuelta a España, is the current competition favourite.
