Celtic have been knocked out of the Champions League but there has been some good news for them. The Scottish Premiership champions have named William Hill as their official in-stadium partner.
William Hill will be offering sportsbook facilities at Celtic Park for the next two seasons. They have already had a strong link with Celtic. The bookmakers (now part of the 888Holdings group) have a retail outlet outside the stadium.
The Commercial Director of Celtic is Adrian Firby. Talking about the deal with William Hill, he said the club is “very pleased to be partnering with an industry leader in William Hill. We are certain that supporters who use this service will benefit from an enhanced stadium experience throughout the season.”
William Hill has previously been involved with Scottish football. From 2011 until June 2020, they were partners with both the Scottish national team and the Scottish Cup. One reason that deal ended was concerns over the promotion of gambling companies in Scottish football.
This new deal with Celtic will include exclusive promotions and offers for supporters of the club. The Director of Media, Sponsorship and UK Creative is Liam McKee. He says that Wiliam Hill are “delighted to partner up with Celtic at their iconic home and deliver our unrivalled retail betting experience to the Celtic faithful.”
Despite the club no longer being in European competition this season, they are top of the Scottish Premiership. McKee says that William Hill is “thrilled to be along for the journey” for what should be another “exciting season.”
The deal with Celtic does not represent a betting sponsorship agreement. The Scottish Premiership champions already have Dafabet as their official betting partners. It is more about William Hill managing the in-stadia betting offering at Celtic Park. Betting kiosks have become a popular sight at UK football grounds.
At Rangers, the betting interest is on who might replace Giovanni van Bronckhorst as manager. He’s under pressure after a disastrous Champions League group that saw them lose all six games. Only two goals were scored and 22 conceded by the club currently second in the Scottish Premiership.
If the Dutchman does get the sack, the betting favourite to replace him is their former manager Steven Gerrard. He lost his job at Aston Villa last month and is 2/1 at Betfair to return to Ibrox Park. The odds on van Bronkhurst leaving his job in the next year are 4/7 with the same bookmakers. He’s 4/1 to leave the club in the next couple of months.
Also in the Betfair market for next Rangers boss are QPR manager Michael Beale (4/1), Sean Dyche (8/1) and KKjetil Knudsen (12/1).
