Posted on: August 2, 2022, 10:38h.
Last updated on: August 2, 2022, 11:20h.
AC Milan, one of Italy’s oldest top-flight soccer clubs, has enjoyed significant popularity in Asia for years. Building on its position in the region, it has now joined forces with online gaming platform M88 Mansion.
Through the new partnership, which AC Milan announced yesterday, M88 is the club’s regional poker and casino partner in Asia. In addition, the gaming platform is going to introduce its new AC Milan Studio, an iGaming portal branded completely around the soccer team.
The branded studio will give M88 players access to a library of AC Milan-themed games. It, as well as the partnership in general, will allow M88 to further strengthen its foundation in the Asian market.
Striking a Chord with Players
The partnership should prove to be beneficial to M88 and AC Milan. The soccer team, citing a study by YouGov, claims that it is the most popular Italian club in China for the second year in a row. In all of Asia, it reportedly has around 300 million fans.
That’s good news for the 15-year-old M88, which will now be able to capitalize on the appearance of AC Milan in its marketing efforts. Currently, the gaming company has around one million users across Southeast Asia, according to its own records, and could soon add more through the AC Milan deal.
The operator is already the official regional partner of Spain’s LaLiga soccer league. As such, it operates an exclusive LaLiga Room on its website, similar to what it will introduce for AC Milan.
The soccer club wins as well. It has the opportunity to give its fans branded gaming options that they can enjoy. It will also receive additional marketing exposure through the AC Milan Studio and placement on M88’s website.
AC Milan, which leads Italy’s Serie A league, is currently on the market, but not for much longer. US-based investment firm RedBird is set to purchase the club from a private equity firm for $1.3 billion if authorities approve the sale.
M88 Tries to Gain Ground
M88 offers online casino games and sports betting. Despite its long history in the business, it has maintained an almost exclusive interest in the Asian market. Only on limited occasions has it tried to extend its reach beyond the region.
One of those occasions was when it entered Spain. The company announced in October of last year that it received a license from the country’s gaming regulator, leading to the introduction of MansionCasino.es and Slots Heaven. It also imported its MansionBet sportsbook at the same time.
Despite not having a larger global reach, M88 has found its place as a sponsor of several leagues and organizations. It also has teamed up with celebrities to strengthen its position.
This past March, the gaming company became the official betting partner of the Badminton World Federation for the latter’s championships. The agreement runs through 2024.
The following month, M88 connected with Hong Kong-based Talon Esports to become the organization’s title sponsor of its Dota 2 team. That same month, it partnered with international celebrity Maria Ozawa in what was probably the company’s boldest move.
Ozawa is a model and former porn star-turned-entrepreneur. M88 now hosts an exclusive Maria’s Room gaming space on its platform through the partnership. It comes complete with Ozawa videos and photos.