Aston Villa to launch club-branded Villa Win with prize draw operator
Winvia Entertainment has entered into an agreement with the Premier League side to launch a club-branded competition.
UK.- As the UK’s prize draw sector works to achieve more formality and head off the prospect of regulatory scrutiny, a new source of collaboration has emerged. The London-listed prize draw operator Winvia Entertainment has entered into an agreement with Premier League side Aston Villa to launch a club-branded competition.
Villa Win will use the same platform as Winvia’s BOTB (Best of the Best). The AIM-listed company will be responsible for delivering the operational infrastructure and regulatory oversight while creating a new revenue stream for the football club.
According to the announcement, competitions will offer chances to win exclusive club-themed rewards and fan experiences. Initially, Villa Win will be available in the UK, but there are ambitions to expand the offering internationally.
It’s the first major B2B deal since Winvia’s IPO on the London Stock Exchange in November 2025. The company said at that time that a significant part of its growth strategy would revolve around partner-led launches.
The operator, which also runs several brands in Romania, stressed that it will adhere to the new UK Voluntary Code of Good Practice for Prize Draw Operators. This was introduced at the behest of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport as a self-regulatory option for a sector that remains outside the scope of the Gambling Commission’s remit.
Gil Barel, Winvia’s head of strategic partnerships and M&A, said: “Aston Villa has a powerful brand and a highly engaged supporter base and has recognised the opportunity for prize draws to bring supporters together in a fun and engaging way. We are pleased to be working with the club to launch a new prize draw competition supported by our technology platform, operational capability and prize draw expertise. We are confident that this model has the potential to scale across other clubs and sports organisations and become an increasingly important part of the group’s long-term growth strategy over time.”
Aston Villa said revenues generated by the offering “can be reinvested in a number of ways including our many community schemes.”
Lottery operators have been calling for prize draws to be considered as a form of gambling requiring licences from the Gambling Commission as they see them as unfair, unregulated competition. That attention has led to the creation of the new Prize Competition Council to represent the sector’s interests.
The new focus on standards is leading to signs of consolidation in the market after the German lottery broker Zeal Network acquired a 96.5 per cent stake in SevenCanyon Limited. Meanwhile, concerns have been raised over the a change in HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) stance on how VAT applies to prize draws in the UK.
