Isle of Man-based online gaming firm PokerStars is branching out into a burgeoning new market by providing financial backing to a German football team.
They're sponsoring a multi-purpose stadium in Lubeck and have purchased exclusive naming rights to the property in a three-year deal, with further options, for a reported €120,000 a year.
The 18,000-capacity stadium – home of German fourth-division side VfB Lubeck – will now have PokerStars.de at the start of its name, in a move seen by many as the first step towards a boom in the region’s online gaming market.
The stadium is situated in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, which is opening its doors to online gambling, having already become the first German state to legalise and regulate online poker.
FC Isle of Man and AFC Liverpool to meet in vital hunt for points
Hockey: Cup finals double-header on the cards
Rugby: Douglas to host Sandbach in big top-of-the-table clash
Football: Prem title contenders Corinthians and Peel to meet
Manx road racers open up about the importance of talking therapies