Premier League: the betting operators Betfair and Bet 365 to be Aston Villa partners in 2015-16

The two betting operators Betfair and Bet 365 have become partners of Aston Villa FC (Barclays Premier League) for the 2015-16 season, the club announced on 03/07/2015.

The two British companies obtain co-exclusive rights of the club in the betting category. The agreements include media and image rights to Aston Villa, LED advertising board visibility, and other club visibility projects. Betfair and Bet 365 and replace Dafabet as the betting category partner. Dafabet paid €6m to be the shirt sponsor of the Birmingham club in 2014-15.

"We want to partner with good brands that will activate extensively and we want to increase our commercial revenues so we can compete with the best on the pitch," said Charlie Wijeratna, the chief commercial officer of Aston Villa.

• Aston Villa has received £68.6m (€93.3m on 09/06/2015) in TV and commercial income distributed by the Premier League for the 2014-15 season.
• Aston Villa finished 17^th in the Premier League with 38 points, and was defeated in the final of the FA Cup against Arsenal (0-4) on 30/05/2015.