Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team and Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN, have become the world’s first Formula 1™ teams to launch Fan Tokens, via Chiliz’ Socios.com engagement platform. 

Yesterday, two million $AM and $SAUBER Fan Tokens were distributed to fans who had pre-brought them through Socios.com. Both Fan Tokens will be available for purchase via the platform in the near future. 

Regarding the launch, Jefferson Slack, Managing Director, Commercial & Marketing, Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team, said: “At Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team, we’re proud to be joining an exclusive roster of global sporting properties all working in partnership with Socios.com. This really gives us the best possible opportunity to give our fans a seat at the table and help us to tell our story in a new and exciting way.

“We’re setting out to build and develop new and innovative storytelling opportunities, aligned with the embrace of new and emerging technologies, to reach out and service our growing number of fans — and we’re looking forward to exploring that space together with Socios.com.”

Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal and CEO of Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN, added: “The world of fan engagement in Formula One is evolving and Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN is at the forefront of this exciting new realm. Launching a Fan Token is going to provide our growing legion of fans with a new way to interact with the team, which is a key aspect in our quest to bring our followers closer to the team with everything we do.”

The Formula 1™ teams join a network of 34 international sporting properties on Socios.com, including the UFC®, FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, AC Milan, and Manchester City. 

Last week, Socios.com announced partnerships with NASCAR team Roush Fenway Racing, Argentina’s national soccer team, and three IPL cricket teams. 

International betting operator Betsson has teamed up with Norwegian club Avaldsnes IL, which plays in the Toppserien, the country’s top tier of women’s football. 

Avaldsnes IL has risen to prominence in Europe with strong performances in the Champions League over recent years, and now Betsson will be providing financial support to the club in its efforts to qualify for the league every season. 

The sponsorship, which is the biggest in the club’s history, supports Betsson’s commitment to promote diversity and gender equality in sports. 

Ronni Hartvig, Chief Commercial Officer at Betsson Group said: “At Betsson, we believe in diversity as a key innovation factor in all areas, including sports. We are happy to witness more interest in women’s football and we want to be part of that drive. We also believe that our brand will get valuable worldwide exposure in future Champions League matches. This is a strategic agreement that we are confident will benefit both parties in the years to come.”

Stian Staveland Nygaard, General Manager of Avaldsnes Elite, added: “Running a top club aspiring to win the league and to play in the Champions League is expensive. In order to fulfil our ambitions, we depend on strong sponsors backing us, and we are very happy that we landed this agreement with Betsson. It is our biggest sponsorship deal of all time and provides stability in these challenging times.

“The sponsorship market has changed during this last year, and we have had to think differently. Having Betsson as a partner believing in our project allows us to invest, instead of having to lower our ambitions, which would have been the sad alternative.”

Betsson says the partnership is part of its international marketing strategy, and is expected to affect all markets in which it operates. As main sponsor, Betsson will gain exposure through kit advertising in matches played outside of Norway. 

For matches in Norway, the operator will instead by promoting Avaldsnes’ #EqualOpportunities campaign, which has been raising awareness of equality issues in football since 2017.

Regarding the equality campaign and the current issues with the Norwegian gambling market, Betsson’s Ronni Hartvig commented: “While we are waiting for Norway to introduce a licensing system that allows us to further invest on Norwegian soil, ‘#EqualOpportunities’ is a great message that we want to support. For us, ‘#EqualOpportunities’ also has another connotation as it’s in line with our work for Norway to follow most of Europe by offering us an equal opportunity by introducing a licensing system.”

Mixed martial arts organisation BELLATOR is tapping Epik Prime to assist with its entrance into the world of NFT collectibles and the world of blockchain and crypto. 

The partnership is aimed at offering exciting ways to engage its growing fanbase through the creation of unique experiences, digital collectibles, and rare NFT drops through crossovers and collaborations produced by Epik Prime.

BELLATOR MMA currently hosts some of the most prominent fighters in combat sports including world champions Patricio “Pitbull,” Cris “Cyborg,” Ryan Bader, Vadim Nemkov, Gegard Mousasi, Douglas Lima and Sergio Pettis along with top-rated challengers AJ McKee, Michael “Venom” Page, Valerie Loureda and more. 

Scott Coker, President of BELLATOR, commented: “Epik Prime has tremendous expertise in the NFT space and helps many of the best brands in the world execute strategies into the world of digital merchandise and experiences. We are very excited to be entering blockchain with Epik Prime and look forward to giving our fans something they’ve never had before.”

Victor David, CEO of Epik Prime, added: “BELLATOR is a mammoth in the sports world and we’re thrilled to be joining them to combine their talented roster of fighters with emerging ways to engage with fans through the form of NFTs.”

Epik Prime has previously created successful crossovers with hugely popular video games including Arena of Valor and Avakin Life, along with global brands like dance label Spinnin’ Records, NBC’s hit television show World of Dance, and media conglomerates including Universal and Warner Music Group.

AYO.NEWS says:

BELLATOR isn’t the first MMA organisation to embrace blockchain and NFTs, as we’ve already seen UFC partner with Dapper Labs to create digital collectibles, and both UFC and rival PFL team up with Chiliz to launch Fan Tokens on its Socios.com engagement platform. However, it will be interesting to see which direction BELLATOR takes with Epik. 

Following its acquisition of Expekt, one of northern Europe’s best-known sports betting brands, LeoVegas is relaunching the sportsbook under a new marketing concept. 

The new-look Expekt, which has been migrated to LeoVegas’ proprietary technical platform, Rhino, is initially launching in the Swedish market. 

Gustaf Hagman, LeoVegas’ Group CEO, commented: “It’s incredibly exciting for us as we launch the new Expekt today. The timing couldn’t be better with the eventful years in sport that we have in front of us. By running Expekt on our technical platform starting from today, customers will be able to partake in our award-winning gaming experience – both for sports betting and casino. Expekt will once again be a leading sports betting brand in Sweden and the Nordic countries, and that work starts today.”

LeoVegas’ acquisition of Expekt, from the Betclic Group, is part of its strategy to broaden its operations and place a stronger focus on sports betting. 

Sports media company LiveScore has named Cristiano Ronaldo as its new global brand ambassador. 

The partnership with the Portugal and Real Madrid striker will launch ahead of this summer’s UEFA European Championship, and is set to last for at least two football seasons and through next year’s FIFA World Cup. 

Ronaldo will be featured on LiveScore’s first TV advertisements, and across an extensive digital marketing campaign. 

Regarding the partnership, Ronaldo said: “I’ve used the LiveScore app to keep up to date with the latest scores for many years, so I’m really excited to begin such a natural new partnership. Throughout my career every goal has always been about more than a score to me, and I know LiveScore has been there every step of the way, to keep my fans across moments that have defined me.”

While Marketing Director of LiveScore, Ric Leask, added: “In a year that has seen LiveScore rapidly evolve as a global sports media business, this landmark new relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo is without doubt the biggest moment so far. There is simply no bigger sportsperson — past or present — than Cristiano Ronaldo, who continues to captivate fans around the world with his brilliance on the pitch,”

Staying with Ronaldo, at the end of last year the footballer also joined Garena as brand ambassador for its flagship Free Fire battle royale game.

British gambling giant Entain is reportedly considering a bid for William Hill’s non-US assets. 

Last month, William Hill was acquired by US gaming superpower Caesars Entertainment in a $4B USD deal. However, Caesars has made it clear it was only ever interested in retaining the iconic British bookie’s US assets, and will look to sell the rest to help it pay down its $2B debt mountain.

According to Bloomberg, Entain, which owns brands including Ladbrokes and Coral, is now contemplating attempting to acquire William Hill’s UK and other non-US assets. Though such an acquisition would give Entain a massive market share, especially in the UK, it could well run into regulatory hurdles precisely because of that. 

US private equity firm Apollo Global Management, is also thought to be interested in acquiring some of William Hill’s assets. As previously reported, Entain and Apollo are both also attempting to acquire Tabcorp wagering and media assets in Australia. 

Although Entain is thought to be the front runner in the Tabcorp battle, things could be tighter in the William Hill war, with reports suggesting Apollo is currently favourite. Industry sources also suggest that Betfred could be interested in acquiring William Hill assets from Caesars, which could lead to quite a fight. 

Staying with Entain’s spending spree, the company also recently acquired Swedish betting firm Enlabs AB.