Australian NRL rugby league team Penrith Panthers has announced e-gaming operator Sportingbet as its new stadium naming rights partner.
Sportingbet replaces its subsidiary Centrebet, which agreed a five-year deal with the Panthers for an undisclosed seven-figure sum in January 2011. The Panthers said the two firms’ parent company William Hill Group analysed the suitability of both bookmaking brands for the role.
“Our research revealed that Sportingbet is the stronger rugby league brand and we wish to utilise that by placing additional focus on it,” Sportingbet chief executive Michael Sullivan said.
Centrebet first sponsored Penrith Panthers when it became a corporate partner in 2010. By replacing customer-owned financial institution CUA as the naming-rights holder at Penrith Stadium it became the first betting brand to hold such a designation in Australian sport.