LONDON, March 5 (Reuters) - Betway will become Formula One's first official betting operator in a multi-year deal announced by the sport on Thursday ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Formula One Announces Betway as Its First Official Betting Operator
Betway Partners with Formula One in Groundbreaking Betting Deal
LONDON, March 5 (Reuters) - Betway will become Formula One's first official betting operator in a multi-year deal announced by the sport on Thursday ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
The Malta-headquartered online betting brand is part of Super Group, a holding company that also includes online casino Spin.
Scope and Significance of the Partnership
Liberty Media-owned Formula One said the deal would span Europe, the Middle East and Africa region as well as Canada and Mexico and represented the first of its kind in the F1 betting market.
Engagement and Fan Experience
"Sports betting is now a natural extension of how many modern fans engage with live events," Formula One's director of commercial partnerships Jonny Haworth said in a statement.
"As a series with vast and complex data sets, our innovative partnership with Betway allows our adult fans to take a step closer to the strategy and action that makes it so thrilling."
Role of ALT Sports Data and Betting Features
Formula One said the partnership will build on ALT Sports Data's expertise as the official betting data supplier, providing real-time predictive analytics from Formula One's data banks as well as creating proprietary data and priced odds.
Fans will be able to place in-play bets on driver and team strategy including safety car occurrences and pitstops.
Upcoming Season and Industry Impact
The 24-race season starts in Melbourne this weekend, with the starting grid expanded to 11 teams following the arrival of Cadillac and with major changes to the engine and chassis regulations.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)
