Manchester City extends partnership with OKX

Premier League soccer club Manchester City has extended its partnership with cryptocurrency exchangeOKX, which will now become the official training kit sponsor for the topflight team. The company signed earlier in 2022 as Manchester City’s "first official cryptocurrency exchange partner" and will continue to operate as such, with added visibility.

As Manchester City prepares to step into the 2022-23 season, soccer players will be training in their new OKX-branded kits. The company is replacing Expo 2020 Dubai as the official training kit partner, too. The partnership reflects Manchester City’s bold decisions when it comes to striking new partnerships.

For one, the Premier League is under a lot of pressure to reconsider its policies on gambling sponsorships. The idea of banning those has been floated by politicians, anti-gambling campaigners, and the league itself. However, there is still no clarity as a White Paper Review of the Gambling Act has not been released still.

OKX is not a gambling company, but it’s a cryptocurrency one, and regulations about these products are becoming just as tangled, which is why Manchester City has clearly chosen to be more assertive when it comes to its partnerships. Just last week, the team agreed to team up with 8Xbet which is the official team sportsbook partner in Asia.

Commenting on the new opportunity with OKX, City Football Group COO Roel de Vries said that the company was pleased to be extending its relationship with OKX. "OKX and Man City are aligned on values such as innovation and success and for both parties, everything starts with training and education," de Vries added.

The executive is also confident that OKX and Manchester City have worked hard together to ensure that they create the right experiences for fans. They have "supercharged" the experience, de Vries explained.

There has been no shortage of cryptocurrency platforms in the United Kingdom. Stake.com, a website that focuses on cryptocurrency payments, but offers sports betting products, launched in the United Kingdom in December last year.

Since then, the company has been one of the more prominentoperators in the space. The truth is, though, that the upcoming Gambling Act Review may definitely change some of the things that companies have taken for granted.

Image credit: Manchester City