Betsson hails Copa America sponsorship as world reacts to Messi victory
Lionel Messi dropped to his knees in tears after securing first major trophy for Argentina in front of Betsson-branded LED board
Betsson has celebrated the success of its regional sponsorship agreement with CONMEBOL following the conclusion of the 2021 Copa America.
The activation had been a long time coming for the Stockholm-listed operator, which first opened discussions with the South American football association before the original tournament – scheduled for 2020 – was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
But the commercial deal turned out to be well worth the wait as the competition took on the perfect narrative with Argentina captain Lionel Messi winning his first major international trophy.
Neutrals across the world cheered on the Barcelona legend with fans desperate to see him replicate the illustrious success of his club career with a national team that has fallen short on so many occasions.
The regional nature of Betsson’s agreement meant the operator was not permitted to advertise its sponsorship in global markets.
That mattered little on the day of the final, however, as Messi sank to his knees in tears of relief at the full-time whistle, right in front of Betsson’s LED advertising board following Argentina’s 1-0 win over Brazil.
#CopaAmérica 🏆
— CONMEBOL Copa América™️ (@CopaAmerica) July 11, 2021
¡EL MOMENTO TAN ESPERADO! Pitazo final y así lo gritó Lionel Messi 🔟🇦🇷🤩
🇦🇷 Argentina 🆚 Brasil 🇧🇷#VibraElContinente #VibraOContinente pic.twitter.com/BacbLCghFU
Betsson has been a market leader in Peru for several years and also boasts operations in Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Chile and Mexico.
Betsson’s Rest of World region revenue rose 75% annually in Q1 2021 to €17.7m, primarily driven by growth in Peru and Chile.
The agreement was designed to strengthen its brand awareness across the region and was signed on an exclusive basis, meaning no other gambling company could sign up with the 2021 Copa America.
Betsson CCO Ronni Hartvig hailed the activation, revealing that new customer sign-ups had tripled in Peru and Chile throughout the duration of the tournament.
He told EGR: “In life you do many deals and many partnerships to try and drive the business forward and we all know that not everything is equally successful.
“This one just turned out very, very well for us as everything came together.
“Before the tournament started, if you wanted a dream final it would have been Argentina versus Brazil, and that is exactly what happened which is beautiful from that aspect,” he added.
Betsson remains in discussions with CONMEBOL over working together on future competitions.
The operator is also the main sponsor of the Peruvian first division (Liga Uno Betsson).