Dutch sports betting monopoly seals slew of football deals
The Dutch national lottery’s sports betting operator TOTO has agreed sleeve sponsorships with nine top-flight teams.
The Netherlands.- TOTO, Holland’s monopoly sports betting and football pool operator, has entered into sleeve sponsorship deals with nine Eredivisie teams as the top-flight football league awaits a return to play in October.
The operator, which is owned by the Dutch national lottery, Nederlandse Loterij, has becomes an official sleeve sponsor of Feyenoord, Sparta Rotterdam, Willem II, FC Utrecht, FC Groningen, ADO Den Haag, FC Twente and RKC Waalwijk.
Dutch press reported that Nederlandse Loterij will pay between €200,000 and €300,000 to each club, helping to support the clubs after the cancellation of the 2019/20 league due to Covid-19.
It is believed the operator is in talks to also set up TOTO as a sponsor of the Eredivisie League as a whole to help finance clubs and football development programmes that have seen a shortfall of income due to the pandemic.
The Dutch FA KNVB cancelled the 2019/20 league and the government announced large public events would not be allowed in the Netherlands until September. The next season has been scheduled for an October 9 start, a month behind other major European leagues.
The sponsorships also come as the Netherlands’ remaining gaming monopolies begin to prepare for competition as the country’s new market vision for gambling foresees ending monopolies in the sector. Online gambling is due to be licensed from July 1 2021.
