November 2: LaLiga has brought on Debet as its official betting partner in Southeast Asia, strengthening its commercial push in a region where Spanish football still chases the Premier League’s considerable lead.
The deal gives the bookmaker rights to the Southeast Asian markets covered by the deal, although neither its duration nor its financial value has been disclosed.
As with most betting deals that span multiple territories, the activation will have to navigate a patchwork of local gambling and advertising regulations, which LaLiga acknowledged by stressing that the partnership will operate according to each market’s individual rules.
The deal is the latest piece of a Southeast Asia strategy that has been in the works for years. LaLiga opened a permanent office in Singapore in 2017 and has since developed relationships with local media, content and sponsorship as it seeks to strengthen Spanish football in the region.
President Javier Tebas acknowledged the scale of that challenge only last month, saying LaLiga’s focus in Singapore was to close the gap with the Premier League rather than pretend it doesn’t exist, while maintaining interest in the Spanish competition in Asia continues to grow.
Ivan Codina, LaLiga Southeast Asia Country Manager, said: “This partnership represents a new opportunity to further develop our international commercial partnership strategy. Southeast Asia is an important region for LaLIiga, and welcoming Debet to our sponsor portfolio allows us to continue to expand our partner network in these markets.”
Debet is not new to using European football as a showcase for his brand, having held a brief sponsorship stint with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League last season, which continued into their Champions League campaign. They will be forced out of the position if Wolves are promoted back to the top flight due to the Premier League’s restriction on major gambling sponsors.
A Debet representative said: “We are delighted to enter into this partnership with LALIGA, an internationally recognized sports organisation. This agreement marks an important step in our business development strategy in South East Asia and reflects our commitment to building partnerships with highly respected organisations.”
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at (email protected)
