W88 takes shirt sponsorship to Crystal Palace

Asia-facing operator W88 will be the main shirt sponsor of the Premier League’s Crystal Palace for the 2020-21 season.

UK.- Asian online casino operator W88 has signed a deal to become the main shirt sponsor of English Premier League side Crystal Palace for the 2020-21 season.

It will replace another Asia-facing operator, ManBetX, with whom Crystal Palace signed a club record deal in 2017.

W88 sponsored Aston Villa for the last season, and before that Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018-19. It is also a betting partner to Leicester City.

The ManBetX deal with Villa came to what was described as a natural end in June. 

Crystal Palace said the new deal would help both the club and W88 to increase their international visibility.

Chairman Steve Parish said: “We are delighted to welcome W88 as a new principal partner and shirt sponsor for the 2020/21 season.

“As the club begins a record eighth successive season in the Premier League, the most-watched league in the world, our international fanbase continues to grow.

“We share a common ambition to further extend our international footprint and we look forward to working in partnership with W88.”

W88 Business Development Manager, Hilly Ehrlich, said: “We are delighted to be working with Crystal Palace, a club with a rich history in South London spanning more than a century.

“Apart from working closely with the club’s management and players, we are also excited and looking forward to engaging with Palace fans, both in England and around the world, for a successful partnership.

“W88 has a global footprint and is a brand which represents integrity, trust and excellence.”

W88 operates in Great Britain under a white label deal with Midnight Gaming Limited, but its main markets are in Asia.

Sponsorship deals with gambling operators continue despite a ban on gambling sponsorship due to come into force in Spain and concerns that the UK may follow suit.