UK bookmaker and online casino operator Betway became the official betting sponsor and partner of one of the largest global eSports tournaments – the ESL One Cologne CS: GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive). The partnership was announced on ESL Cologne’s official website recently, where it was revealed that Betway would broadcast live odds for the tournament events for the first time. This year’s ESL One Cologne tournament took place at the LANXESS Arena in Cologne, Germany – the home of Cologne’s ice hockey team. In it, 16 of the world’s best CS: GO teams competed against each other for a chance to grab a portion of the $250,000 prize pool. The tournament began with group stages during July 4th – 6th, from where eight teams progressed to the playoffs and only two ended up in the Sunday finale, where last year’s Champions, SK Gaming, once again took the main prize.
Betway has been a member of the Esports Integrity Coalition since 2016 and thus far they’ve also covered other eSports events like Dota 2 and League of Legends. This is not the first eSports betting partnership Betway had signed, as the bookmaker is also the betting sponsor to one of the top teams that competed in the One Cologne event, Ninjas in Pyjamas, with whom they signed a six-figure deal last September in exchange for branding and content usage rights. Betway’s champions were eliminated during the first bracket of the playoffs by Cloud 9, who ended up in the finals.
According to the announcement, Anthony Werman of Betway’s advertising and marketing team stated that the bookmaker was “delighted to partner with ESL for Cologne, a landmark event of the CS:GO calendar”, adding that they couldn’t wait to see the biggest teams “battle it out”. Betway announced, “We are happy to welcome betway as a sponsor for ESL One Cologne 2017! Betway is a global online company which provides entertainment for esports fans who want to test their knowledge.” Betway has already left a footprint in the esports ecosystem with several ways of betting on a variety of matches, as well as sponsoring one of the teams competing in Cologne, Ninjas in Pyjamas
Betway will enhance the ESL One Cologne viewing experience by adding live odds to the broadcast to demonstrate the balance of power between the playing teams. It’s a leading voice in esports betting integrity and became a member of the Esports Integrity Coalition (ESIC) in 2016.
