JBO the Asian online gambling operator has entered into a regional partnership with Italian Serie A football club, Bologna.
With the terms of the deal not being disclosed, it has been confirmed that JBO will be serving as the team’s official regional betting partner from the current 2019-20 season.
JBO also has commercial deals which have been put in place with various other sporting properties which include Dota 2, the esports organisation, through which it title sponsors its Asian Masters League.
A JBO spokesperson said: “We see our partnership with Bologna as an opportunity to connect with football fans across the world and it fits in perfectly with our own rapidly expanding global network.
“The most important thing for us is to bring new experiences to our fans who have always been very supportive towards us. We look forward to working with Bologna during an exciting season of football.”
Christoph Winterling, marketing and commercial director at Bologna, added: “This agreement is our first international partnership outside of Italy and demonstrates the continued growth of our club on a global level as well as the interest shown in one of the most historical Italian football clubs.
“Moreover we are happy that JBO will be first partner of ours in Asia to benefit from our brand new virtual advertising technology. It is an excellent opportunity for the club to develop this exciting space that is creating new partnership opportunities.”
The new connection in Italy follows the Italian Dignity Decree which was put in place earlier this year. The decree issued a blanket ban on gambling advertisements across all media platforms in the country.
The law also states that Italian companies, which include sports teams are not permitted to display advertising or marketing communications that feature gambling-led prizes, incentives, events, markets or products.
Last month saw Juventus, the Serie A side enter into a partnership with 10bet after the Dignity Decree came into effect. At the time, a Juventus spokesperson said that the deal is focused on markets outside of the team’s native Italy.
