VBET has been announced as new title sponsor of Swedish esports organisation Alliance.

The deal marks the Malta-based betting operator’s entry into the world of esports sponsorships, and will help Alliance create more content for fans and expand into new titles and regions.

VBET will also be hosting an ‘ultimate fan experience’ competition, offering the chance to win a trip to Dota 2’s The International, and Alliance will host charity poker tournaments, featuring both team members and special guests. 

Regarding the news Head of Esports at VBET, Eduard Avagyan, said:

“We are pleased to announce our new partnership with Alliance. Alliance has had a massive impact on esports and a history of commitment to esports. We believe that our experience and shared values of loyalty, respect, and community-oriented culture will make our partnership great.”

While CEO and Co-founder of Alliance, Jonathan Berg, added:

“It’s with great pleasure that I welcome VBET to the Alliance family and I’m honoured that they have chosen to enter esports for the first time together with us.

“I’ve gotten to know the VBET team over the past months and I’m confident in saying that this is just the start of a long-lasting partnership that will help us support our players better as well as bring fans closer to us.”

VBET was founded in 2003, and today offers betting on traditional sports and esports, along with an online casino and skill-based games to customers in markets including the UK, France, and Germany. The operator also has partnerships with several football clubs, including AS Monaco, Portsmouth FC, and FC Pyunik. 

Alliance currently fields rosters in PUBG Mobile, Trackmania, Smash, Dota 2, Fortnite, and Apex Legends.

Staying with Alliance, in November 2020 the organisation confirmed it was joining Chiliz’ Socios.com fan rewards and engagement program. 

AYO.NEWS says:

VBET is in good hands with Alliance, as the organisation also helped introduce both Monster Energy and HyperX to esports back in the day. We’re sure it’s just the start of a long relationship, and just the first of many esports partnerships for the betting operator. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2019-2021.

Paris-based esports organisation Team Vitality has announced a partnership with gym equipment distributor Incept. 

Incept, which has supplied high-quality indoor sports equipment since 1987, will be equipping the V.Performance development centre, located at the Stade de France.

Incept is supplying Team Vitality with wattbikes, CONCEPT2 equipment: RowErg, BikeErg and SkiErg as well as other fitness equipment to Team Vitality, helping its 40+ professional players deliver world-class performances in official competitions.

According to Team Vitality, the common values of “performance, professionalism, competition and surpassing oneself,” shared by both parties made the collaboration a must. 

Staying with Team Vitality, last week the organisation announced partnership with supermarket chain ALDi France, while at the end of last year, it officially launched operations in India. 

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South Korean car maker Kia Motors is returning to support the LEC for the 2021 season. 

Kia has supported the League of Legends European Championship since 2019, with this year marking the brand’s third year as a main partner. For 2021 is returning with a revitalised look and fresh new logo. 

Regarding the news Head of Brand Experience Team at Kia, Michael Choo, said:

“Through our renewed partnership with LEC, one of the world’s premier esports tournaments, we look forward to actively engaging with and introducing the new Kia brand to global esports fans. We are especially excited to see our recently revealed new corporate logo appear in the League of Legends in-game map, Summoner’s Rift.”

While Head of Sponsorships & New Business EU Esports at Riot Games, Alban Dechelotte, added:

“We are humbled to see Kia coming back to the LEC for the third year in a row, and to see the LEC among its prestigious portfolio of partnership properties, such as the Australian Open and FIFA.

“Most notably, we are thankful for Kia’s trust in the LEC to be a springboard for their core values of change and innovation, especially in this pivotal year for the automotive manufacturer.”

The LEC returns on Friday 22 January at 17:00 CET on lolesports.com. 

AYO.NEWS says:

As we reported yesterday, the LEC has also renewed partnerships with Secretlab, Red Bull, and Beko for the 2021 season. The fact that so many major global brands are returning to support the LEC year after year speaks volumes about the commercial effectiveness of such sponsorships, and bodes very well for the future. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2019-2021.

KitKat has announced partnerships with the Brazilian League of Legends Championship (CBLOL), and Spanish esports organisation Vodafone Giants.

Brazilian League of Legends

The Nestlé chocolate brand will sponsor the CBLOL domestic competition and be a partner for MSI (Mid Season Invitational) and League of Legends World Championship and All-Stars broadcasts. 

Discussing the partnership Head of Esports from Riot Games Brazil, Carlos Antunes, said:

“The new partnership with KitKat is the perfect way to premier our competitive season in League Of Legends. [Especially in] the same year that we launch the championship with the franchise system and we are making our next step to secure the future of CBLOL.

“Partnerships with companies like Nestlé, a well known brand and close to our community, are milestones in the world of Esports, showing not just the progress of electronic sports, but how much games are present daily in a relevant part of the Brazilian population.”

While Marketing Manager of KitKat in Brazil, Patricia Nacamuta, added:

“As part of the brand strategy, KitKat wants to get closer to the gaming universe and explore the concept of ‘break’ at different times of the event, creating a long-term relationship for people to enjoy and connect with the brand. KitKat has been betting on this and, to become closer to Generation Z, it is something we want to build for years to come. ”

The CBLOL also has commercial partnerships with major brands including Dell, Gillette, Mastercard, and Red Bull. 

Meanwhile, in Spain….

On the other side of the Atlantic, KitKat has also teamed up with Spanish esports organisation Vodafone Giants, becoming its new main sponsor. 

The partnership will see the KitKit logo feature on the Giants’ player jerseys, while branding will also be included across the organisation’s social media channels. KitKat joins other Vodafone Giants partners including Chupa Chups, Diesel Only the Brave, Maggi, Nike, and Red Bull. 

Regarding the collaboration, Business Executive Manager at Nestlé, Carla Sivatte, said:

“From KitKat we seek to be closer to our public, to join the trends that move them in terms of entertainment and the way they consume content. Having seen the great boom in this industry, our objective is to capitalise on the territory of video games in a relevant way by working on differentiation and contributing value to the industry through actions that favour the growth of gaming and above all esports.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Nestlé has been building KitKat’s association with esports for some time now, which makes sense given the relatively young market the brand is aimed at. The brand already has an established relationship with Riot Games, having become a main sponsor of the LEC in June 2020. In the same month, the brand also sponsored the BLAST Bounty Hunt Dota 2 event.

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2019-2021.

Rainbow Six Siege developer Ubisoft has extended its partnership with major payment platform PayPal until September 2022. 

The collaboration is centred on Rainbow Six Siege esports competitions, including both the European and North American leagues, their regional Finals, the Six Majors, and the Six Invitationals, along with the Rainbow Six World Cup.

Commenting on the news Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing at Ubisoft, Geoffroy Sardin, said:

“We are happy to welcome back PayPal as a key partner to accompany us as we keep on growing our Rainbow Six Esports scene. PayPal highly contributed to the success of our previous esports leagues and events, and we’re confident they will continue offering the great experiences and content we envision for our community.

“We are excited to kick off our collaboration with the European League Finals and North American League Finals this January and to unveil the full extent of the partnership over the months to come.”

While Vice President Consumer Marketing at PayPal, Jill Cress, added:

“Video games are at the heart of the digital industry and are expected to grow continuously to $200 bln in the coming years. 

“On its own, esports already accounts for an audience of more than 92 million enthusiasts in Europe and is expanding at a fantastic pace with unprecedented community engagement. We are happy to collaborate with Ubisoft once again to offer to their community new and exclusive experiences”.

PayPal made its esports entry with Ubisoft and Rainbow Six back in November 2018. 

Thanks for fortuitous timing, Rainbow Six was one of the few titles that saw an in-person international championship event last year, and saw a dramatic growth in popularity in the first few months of 2020.

Moving forward, for 2021 Ubisoft is introducing a new revenue sharing program, R6 Share, to help build a sustainable Rainbow Six esports ecosystem for 42 teams globally.

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LOOT.BET has revealed key statistics from 2020, shedding light on the intriguing evolution of the esports betting sector through the pandemic. 

Most Popular Titles

The operator says that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) was the most popular title to bet in in 2020, with the biggest win being €6,540, and the luckiest bettors coming from Ukraine, Sweden, and Hungary. 

Illustrating the popularity of CS:GO at LOOT.BET, over 53% of all money wagered on esports was on the title, with Dota 2 taking second place with a 35% share, and League of Legends ranking a distant third with 7%. 

Notably, FIFA, previously one of the most unpopular games to bet on, ranked 4th after enjoying a surge in popularity during the COVID-19 lockdowns, which saw the cancellation of the majority of real world sport. Newcomer VALORANT also did well, ranking seventh, ahead of more established titles like Overwatch and Rocket League. 

Bet Sizes

Despite League of Legends ranking third in terms of overall money wagered with LOOT.BET, it took top spot when it came to average bet size, at €32.34, followed by King of Glory at €30.65, and Call of Duty at €27.20. Meanwhile, despite making up the bulk of total bets, the average sizes of individual bets for CS:GO and Dota 2 were just €21.41 and €20.64, respectively. 

In terms of the most popular esports events to bet on, LOOT.BET users wagered most money on ESL One Road to Rio (CS:GO), Epic League (Dota 2), and Legends Pro League Summer (LoL). 

Favourite Teams

The most popular teams among LOOT.BET customers were Na’Vi (CS:GO), Team Nigma (Dota 2), and T1 (LoL). In terms of the teams attracting the biggest average bets, Team Liquid took top spot for CS:GO, Just Error for Dota 2, and Victory Five for League of Legends. However, the highest individual bets in each title were claimed by Heroic (CS:GO), Team Aster (Dota 2) and DAMWON Gaming (LoL). 

In terms of money won, Sprout led for CS:GO, VP.Prodigy for Dota 2, and FlyQuest for League of Legends. Meanwhile, those that disappointed bettors the most were Fnatic for CS:GO, Team Nigma for Dota 2, and FunPlus Phoenix for League of Legends. 

When it came to gain by profit for each EUR bet, the leaders were Gambit for CS:GO, 496 Gaming for Dota 2, and LDLC OL for League of Legends. While Team Singularity (CS:GO), B8 (Dota 2), and Team Vitality (LoL) gave the most disappointing returns. 

Most Active Esports Bettors

Interestingly, according to LOOT.BET, the luckiest bettors during 2020 were from Ukraine, Sweden, and Hungary, while those from Spain, Canada, and South Korea were unluckiest. 

The most active, by average quantity of bets per person, were from Hungary, Japan, and Switzerland, while the least active hailed from Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. 

The highest media odds were recorded in India, the Philippines, and Poland, while at the other end of the scale were Spain, Indonesia, and South Korea. 

Despite many in-person esports events being cancelled, postponed, or scaled down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, LOOT.BET says that overall it saw a 67% increase in betting volumes, and active users surged by 58%. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Despite the rise in popularity of other titles, it seems CS:GO is going to hold on to the top spot for some time yet, at least among LOOT.BET’s customers – though given its trajectory so far, VALORANT could make significant gains in 2021. Depending on how the COVID crisis plays out, we could also see sim sports like FIFA enjoy another surge in popularity over the coming months. But, regardless of the details, one thing is clear; 2020 was a great year for esports as a whole, and esports betting is continuing to gain momentum. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2019-2021.