SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Spanish-licensed bookmaker Kirolbet has made a quick start to 2016, by adding La Liga football club Real Sociedad to its growing list of partners.
Starting today in London, they will be exhibiting at ICE stands N1-130 and N1-132. We caught up with Kirolbet Marketing Manager Beñardo Elorz to discuss the new partnership with Real Sociedad, existing deals with other Spanish clubs and their plans for the year ahead.
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SBC: Kirolbet recently became the official betting sponsor for Real Sociedad. You refer to the club as the perfect travel companion for Kirolbet’s company profile; what did you mean by this?
BE: We believe that Real Sociedad is a perfect travel companion to consolidate Kirolbet in the Basque Country and to publicise our company naturally, transparently and responsibly.
We are a local company with national projection. Just like Real Sociedad in La Liga, we are competing in sports betting against bigger budgets. So how do we achieve our success? By working hard with people in-house, giving maximum effort and enthusiasm, and fighting for every opportunity.
SBC: How does the deal you have made with Real Sociedad differ from previous agreements with fellow La Liga clubs Athletic Bilbao and Eibar SD?
BE: Not at all; we are also sponsors of Baskonia, a Basque based Liga ACB Basketball team. With all of them we hope not only to consolidate our brand in the Basque country, but also to transmit our values of proximity, effort and fair play throughout the whole of Spain.
SBC: We understand you have considerable presence in the Spanish 2nd division, as partner for Osasuna, UG Logrones and Coruxo FC; are you forced to alter your strategy for clubs outside of the top tier?
BE: Our strategy is to penetrate other regions by making deals with local partners at an operational level. Sponsorship deals with teams such as these helps us to grow our brand. Our activity may have started in the Basque Country in 2008, but we have now expanded into 8 regions across Spain via kirolbet.es.
SBC: Kirolbet is in the first year of a three year partnership with Athletic Bilbao; as a Basque gaming and sports betting provider, how important to you is the success of Football clubs in the region?
BE: It is a fact that a club’s sporting success helps the partner to achieve a greater impact. In any case, the sporting success or failure directly influences the gambling business, as shown with Spain’s early elimination in the 2014 World Cup.
SBC: And finally, can you share with us any big plans for Kirolbet in 2016?
BE: We are confident that the good work, enthusiasm and training we put in every day, and for every match we sponsor, will help us to become a reference in Spain. Think Local, Act Local and Go Global.
