Paddys' Roller Casino inks Sky Sports sponsorship deal
Ads for iOS-specific app will appear through news channel's Through the Night programme for four months
Paddy Power’s mobile casino brand Roller has landed a deal to be the main sponsor of Sky Sports News’ Through the Night programme.
The partnership will run from 1 July to the end of November, during which time short Roller Casino ads will appear before, after and throughout each Sky Sports News bulletin between the hours of 11pm and 5am, seven days a week.
The Irish operator launched Roller in September 2012, claiming it to be the first casino app designed specifically for use on iPhones and iPads. It features a range of 19 real-money games including tables, slots, video poker and roulette, and scooped the prize for Innovation of the Year at last week’s eGaming Review Innovation Awards.
Ian MacLeod, special projects senior marketing manager at Paddy Power, told eGR the sponsorship with Sky Sports signifies the next stage to promote Roller to a wider audience, having spent the past six months concentrating on direct acquisition and marketing channels. He explained it was time to start “getting the brand out to the masses” in order to “grow Roller as a brand, as well as a product.”
“We wanted to push our premium product on a premium channel and believe there are lots of synergies between the two,” he said. “We have done loads of due diligence and are confident we are targeting the right audience in terms of iPad and iPhone users, as well as viewers interested in betting and gambling.
Roller Casino is a native application developed in partnership with Viaden Gaming. It uses iOS-friendly features including within the Roller Roulette game which allows players to throw in the ball and spin the wheel themselves by swiping the screen of their iPad or iPhone.
Media buying firm M2M worked with Paddys to broker the deal, while the creative advertising work has been completed by London-based agency The PPC.