Coral.co.uk has followed up on its sponsorship deal with the Middlesex Sevens rugby club to announce a major new deal with Premier Rugby and the Guinness Premiership. Under the deal, the gambling firm, one of the largest in Britain, will support professional club rugby for the next two years. Its branding will be seen on all Guinness Premiership clubs’ playing shirts.

The high profile deal was announced by Coral’s e-Commerce Managing Director, Dominic Harrison. “This sponsorship is truly exciting for us as it is the first time we have become involved with a sport outside our traditional racing environment for some time.  The sport of rugby union has real momentum at present and we are looking forward to contributing to that especially at club level. We intend to be pro-active and get involved with clubs and their supporters across the season.”    

Another win for the gambling firm is the involvement of English rugby star Matt Dawson, formerly a scrum half with the London Wasps and the Northampton Saints. Dawson will play a key role in the sponsorship as Coral’s official ambassador, hosting special poker evenings for rugby fans around the country.

The Guinness Premiership itself stands to gain substantially from the sponsorship deal.  Coral has committed to implementing a “bounce back” scheme, which will reward clubs when their supporters open gambling accounts. The profit the clubs will earn from the scheme will go toward developing new players.

Following news of the sponsorship deal, Coral unveiled its new rugby website where fans can log in to find the latest news on their favorite game, along with magic moments from the past. The new site, will also provide up to date betting information and statistics on all clubs in the Guinness Premiership.  

The deal is expected to boost Coral’s already considerable market presence even further. Currently the firm is the United Kingdom’s largest private company, employing over 17,000 people in the country alone. It boasts an e-Commerce division and over 1,500 retail trading outlets offering online casino fans a wide range of bingo, poker and sports betting activities.

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