Manchester City chooses 8Xbet as Asian sportsbook partner

Manchester City has struck a partnership with Gambling Commission licensed sportsbook 8Xbet. Thanks to this partnership, 8Xbet will become the official sportsbook partner for the Premier League champion in Asia. The alliance will feature a particular focus on content opportunities designed to promote and optimize the collaboration between the two and help boost visibility for each organization’s respective brands.

Naturally, the two companies will also feature their assets and branding throughout numerous digital channels, all of which are designed to give them better exposure to each other’s respective audiences. Speaking about this partnership, 8Xbet Founder Ryan Li said that Manchester City is a huge powerhouse in Asia, and the local following was significant.

Thanks to 8Xbet, Manchester City can further capitalize on its prominent status in Asia. City Football Group VP of Global Partnerships and Marketing Tom Boyle welcomed the opportunity to be working with the 8Xbet brand in Asia. He argued that the club will benefit immensely from this collaboration, extending its reach in the region even further.

8Xbet will be represented at home at the Etihad Stadium with circumference branding and logos visible. The assets will be shared across LED screens during Manchester City games in their home stadium. The collaborations between Premier League clubs and gambling companies have continued to proliferate despite a threat of their ultimate suspension by the league itself or lawmakers.

The Premier League is reported in talks with clubs to drop their gambling partnerships. Until yesterday, it was believed that Manchester City could be one of the teams to firmly take the Premier League’s position, but as of right now, it seems the ball is back in the government’s corner.

Rumors that gambling sponsorships will be removed from the Premier League have been floating around for at least a month, even though calls for this measure go back years. The latest reports by The Times and Sky News, however, suggest that there is hesitation in the government and lawmakers.

There are also the wishes of anti-gambling campaigners to consider who will no doubt see a betrayal in the government’s actions should policymakers give up on the idea of suspending gambling partnerships in the Premier League. One rumored idea is to keep things as are but at the first sign of an offense for the government to step in and pass strict restrictions.

Even if a voluntary ban by the Premier League is accepted, it will only remove the gambling branding from player shirts and jerseys, but not from the stadium circumference based on the information revealed by Sky News.

Image credit: 8Xbet