Svenska Spel in national stadium deal
Operator partners with Friends Arena in an agreement set to run until December 2013.
Swedish monopoly operator Svenska Spel has signed a partnership with the country’s national football stadium, Friends Arena.
The stadium, in Stockholm’s Solna municipality, will host its first game next month when the Swedish men’s team plays a friendly against England, and the deal with Svenska Spel is due to run until the end of 2013.
Other events due to take place during the period include the UEFA Women’s European Football Championship, with Friends Arena due to play host to the final.
Svenska Spel previously held a partnership with the RÃ¥sunda Stadium, the previous home of both the Swedish national team and five-time league champions AIK Solna, and as with the previous agreement the Friends Arena deal covers in-stadium betting across “most sporting events”.
Johan Lindvall, brand manager for the operator, said: “We are sure that many great sporting moments will play out in Sweden’s new national stadium and obviously we want to be there when sporting history is written.”
Revealing that Svenska Spel will also be granted use of the venue for internal events, Lindvall added: “We want to get as close to the audience as possible and through the stadium’s integrated technology, we can provide our customers with a new gaming experience based on the amazing digital possibilities Friends Arena has today.”
Thomas Per Lund, president of the Friends Arena, said: “We are pleased to be able to link to us such a strong brand as Svenska Spel. We believe they will provide significant added value to our visitors and make their experience of events even stronger.”
Svenska Spel currently enjoys monopoly status in Sweden, however following a report from the Swedish Audit Office (Riksrevisionen) which could pave the opening of the country’s egaming market, the operator’s chief executive Lennart Käll said: “I hope this report can lead to a good debate about the gaming market and what kind of society we want.”
It is not the first operator to enjoy branding at a national football stadium this year, with William Hill having agreed deals with the English and Scottish football associations in January and August respectively.
Svenska Spel is among the biggest climbers in this year’s eGR Power 50, due to be published in the coming days. For subscription options, click here.