- Europe facing sportsbook Interwetten has renewed their partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL) for Austria and Germany.
- Interwetten has the distinction of being the second company in the world to offer online sports betting.
- The company will remain an ‘Official Sports Betting Partner’ of the NHL.
Here’s some sports betting history for you. This will be on your test so make sure to have your notebooks out. The online sports betting industry as we know it began in 1996 when Austrian sportsbook Intertops took a $50 bet at 1.04 (-2500) on English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur to beat Hereford United in an FA Cup tournament game. Intertops has several distinctions of this type–they were the first online sportsbook to offer a mobile optimized website (2000) and the first to offer in-game wagering (2002).
The second online sportsbook? That would be Malta based (but founded in Austria) Interwetten. While Intertops has rebranded as ‘Everygame’ in 2021, Interwetten remains one of the most recognized brands in the European market. Earlier this month, Interwetten and the National Hockey League (NHL) announced a multiyear renewal of their partnership in Austria and Germany. As an Official Partner of the NHL, the online sports betting pioneer willreceive extensive brand visibility on digitally enhanced dasherboards (DEDs) in Austria and Germany during the regular season, the NHL’s marquee events and the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and capitalize on promotional campaigns utilizing the NHL Shield.
Wolfgang Fabian, founder and owner of Interwetten:
“”In our company, we are committed to long-term partnerships with the best clubs and associations in the world of sport. I am, therefore, delighted that we have extended and expanded our cooperation with one of the biggest associations in sport – the NHL.”
John Lewicki, NHL Vice President, Business Development and Partnerships, International had this to say:
“We are thrilled to extend our partnership with Interwetten. We welcome the opportunity to expand on our shared commitment to provide ice hockey fans across Austria and Germany an emotional experience centered around the fascination and myth of the NHL.”
Uh….John….I think you mean the ‘fascination and *mythology* of the NHL’. Use of the word ‘myth’ implies that the NHL is an imaginary entity. The use of the word ‘mythology’ isn’t great either but at least it halfway makes sense.
This partnership will be supported by Sportradar, the Official Betting Data Rights Partner of the NHL. The NHL is utilizing ads, Sportradar’s data-driven marketing solution providing the League with digital marketing services to develop sports betting partnerships outside of North America.
