SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Supporting its sponsorship of the FIDE World Chess Championship held at The College London (9-28 November), Unibet details that it will cater the most comprehensive chess markets inventory for its customers.
This August, Unibet marketing confirmed that it had become the first betting operator to sponsor a FIDE championship as Norwegian chess master Magnus Carlsen faces American challenger Fabiano Caruana over a 12-round series in London.
Magnus Carlsen, considered Norway’s leading sportsman carries a significant global following and is credited with reviving the sport of chess on a global level. Furthermore, tournament organiser FIDE is expecting the London event to surpass its viewership records to date
Updating the market, Unibet details that its FIDE Championship markets, could generate ‘a turnover higher than some FIFA World Cup 2018 matches and comparable to the Champions League final’.
Richard Öström, Country Manager for Unibet Norway says: “The interest in Chess is continuing to grow and as the leading online bookmaker in Europe, we want to be a part of and contribute to big sporting events. The odds in this highly competitive match will continue to fluctuate and this year’s World Championship showdown between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana in London will continue to establish chess as a permanent fixture in betting.”
Publishing its pre-market odds, Unibet gives Carlsen a 29/50 odds of winning the chess series with Caruana priced at 1/3.
Backing Unibet’s sponsorship, Ilya Merenzon, the CEO of World Chess, says: “The odds from the World Chess betting partner Unibet shows just how exciting this championship will be. It’s great to see the betting community from across the globe, as well as six hundred million chess fans, come together, proving that the sport is continually becoming even more popular. The tournament is the highlight of the chess calendar and millions of fans around the world will follow every move.”
