Kindred agrees sponsorship deal with Danish esports team

Kindred Group plans to use its new partnership with Danish Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) team Astralis to boost interest in esports betting among its customers. 

The two-year deal will see Kindred's flagship brand Unibet become Astralis' official betting partner, with the operator granted global image rights and access to exclusive content created by the team.

The new partners will also look to collaborate on a number of new initatives and betting products, helping enhance the experience for bettors and spectators. This comes as part of a drive to familiarise esports viewers with sports betting, and sports bettors with esports competitions. 

“Esports has grown into a billion-dollar business with a fanbase across all corners of the world,” Kindred Group chief commercial officer Rhodri Darch said. “Astralis is the star of the CS:GO world, and we are very excited to join forces with the world’s number one team.

“Astralis is an esports powerhouse that has just been awarded Esports Team of the Year,” he continued. “It’s our ambition that the partnership will help Astralis become even more competitive and raise interest in the exciting world of esports.”

Founded in 2016, Astralis has quickly grown to dominate the CS:GO contest sector, winning competitions such as ESL One Cologne, DreamHack Masters Marseille and the ELeague CS:GO Premier in 2018.

News of the deal comes as Kindred Group was today (November 30) named as one of the first companies to secure a new online betting and gaming licences in Sweden, ahead of the country’s re-regulated market opening in January.

Image: US Air Force