By Mark Baber
September 15 – Arsenal have appointed Cheshire-based DJI Holdings as their Official Lottery Partner in China despite the ongoing suspension of on-line lotteries by the Chinese government.
Under the terms of the deal, which was unveiled last week, DJI will be able to offer its own customer base a range of club-related content, weekly prises, team merchandise and tickets to attend matches at Emirates Stadium for a period of three years.
According to a press release by DJI: “The relationship will bring Sports Lottery players one step closer to life at Arsenal, enabling them to make more informed decisions when they participate.”
DJI put the deal in the context of the “explosive growth” of football in China “prompted by President Xi Jinping’s three wishes: for China to qualify for, host and win a World Cup,” and claim that the Sports Lottery “will remain a key funder of this ambition.”
Darren Mercer, chief executive of DJI Holdings plc, commented on the deal saying: “This is an exciting partnership of two international players at the top of their game. DJI is committed to being the leading provider of lottery content in China and its robust, versatile technology platform makes it ideally placed to support top-flight football clubs like Arsenal as they seek to engage with fans through fast growing digital channels, particularly mobile.”
Arsenal’s chief commercial officer, Vinai Venkatesham, said: “We are delighted to welcome DJI Holdings to our family of partners and this will enable the Club to connect with more of our fans throughout China. We have a big fan following in China and this partnership is a result of a lot of work growing our presence there. We have toured China twice and have developed significant on-line followings through social media platforms and our own dedicated local language website.”
The Chinese government suspended on-line sales of lottery tickets early this year, amidst allegations of large scale corruption in the industry. When this suspension will be lifted in unclear, but this hasn’t deflected DJI from their strategy to capitalise on the rapidly expanding Chinese Lottery market.
Indeed, hard on the heels of the Arsenal deal, DJI have even announced the intention to set up a joint-venture with the Heilongjiang Sports Bureau which the company says, is “expected to generate significant incremental revenue” based on DJI’s technology, with both partners believing “the online booking market to be substantial.”
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