Brazil-based esports organisation FURIA has announced online poker operator PokerStars as its new “master sponsor.”

The partnership makes more sense when you consider that André Akkari, a co-owner of FURIA, is one of the most successful Brazilian professional poker players, and a PokerStars Ambassador. As part of the collaboration, Akkari will be leading a new team of poker streamers, including top Latin American female poker professional Lali Tournier, and Rafa Moraes. 

Financial details of the agreement have not been disclosed. 

Commenting on the partnership Akkari said:

“Poker plays a natural part in Furia’s DNA. It’s all about making optimal decisions in the moment for long-term results. The partnership is a natural step for expansion as we look to move beyond eSports.”

While Associate Director of Public Relations at PokerStars, Rebecca McAdam-Willets, added:

“The team at Furia work very hard, lead by example, and are always looking to improve and evolve.

“This approach, as well as their general ethos, sits extremely well with what we aim for at PokerStars. It will be exciting for us to see what we can bring our community and how we can engage new audiences by working together with such a passionate team.”

FURIA is well-known for fielding a particularly potent Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams, and recently acquired a slot in the Brazilian League of Legends Championship (CBLoL) franchise. 

The organisation also has commercial partnerships in place with Aim Lab, AOC, GamersCard, HyperX, Legion by Lenovo, Nike, Nvidia, Rivalry, and Unilever. 

In April, FURIA also teamed up with Swiss blockchain-based mobile app solution Blocksport to improve fan engagement.

AYO.NEWS says:

While we see partnerships between betting operators and esports organisations, this relationship seems set to take collaboration to a new level, so it will be interesting to see how it pans out, and if it will inspire other esports organisations to get involved with traditional gaming. 

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