The prominent Asian real-money gaming company, Khelraja signed a sponsorship pact with the Serie A giants, Juventus. Following this esteemed development, Khelraja became the Italian supremo’s official regional partner.
Leveraging the massive following of Juventus in the South and Southeast Asian region, Khelraja aimed to reach out to the fans and provide them with exciting opportunities.
Khelraja was founded in 2021 and has already made a name for itself in Thailand and Indonesia within two years. The gaming entity provides its users with esports, live casino games and sports betting. Khelraja has a hefty experience in partnering with a football club, as prior to this association, the entity also teamed up with Sevilla FC in La Liga.
Following this association, SportsMint Media got in touch with Mr Japneet Singh Sethi, Country Manager – Marketing and Operations, Khelraja. In this interaction, Mr Sethi went on to talk about the company’s motive for partnering with Juventus, the Asian football audience, the Indian exposure, exploring Premier League (PL) and much more.
1. What are Khelraja’s expectations from this partnership?
This partnership will help Khelraja grow its footprint amongst Asia’s football-crazy audience. There has been a significant increase in the audience for top European leagues such as La Liga and Serie A, especially in South Asian markets. Most of these individuals access matches on digital devices, which indicates a significant overlap with our prospective audience of online gamers. As such, partnering with a top-tier football club such as Juventus enables us to build positive brand associations and strengthen our position as a reputed and market-leading iGaming platform in the region.
2. Could you please shed some light on how Khelraja landed a partnership with the Serie A giants, Juventus?
From the beginning, Juventus was our key target as a prospective partner for a very simple reason: it is the biggest Italian football club. It has a long and illustrious history in its domestic competition and is also amongst one of the most renowned and decorated clubs on the European stage. It has an incredible team, and many of its star players have won accolades on the international level as well.
More than most, what we admire about Juventus is its character and fighting spirit, its spirito. The club has overcome multiple challenging phases since its inception and turned nearly almost hopeless situations into opportunities, both on the pitch and off it. Such character deserves credit and has deservedly won the club many fans beyond Italian borders.
3. Could you please elaborate on the joint initiatives that will be carried out in this association?
While there are multiple initiatives and activations in the pipeline as part of this association, the most interesting one has to be sending selected users to Turin for a VIP matchday experience. This will enable the users to take in the unique atmosphere of the Allianz Stadium, and it goes without saying that it will be an unmatched occasion. We are delighted to be able to offer this experience to our customers.
4. After Serie A and LaLiga, does Khelraja have plans to partner up with a team from the Premier League?
Yes, a partnership with a Premier League team is definitely something we would like to explore. The Premier League is the most watched football league in the world, and its top teams have passionate fan bases all over the globe. Domestic football rivalries in England, such as Liverpool and Manchester United or Arsenal and Chelsea, have already made their way into Asian markets, where rival clashes become occasions to behold.
That said, we don’t want to follow the path of other brands, which have multiple active partnerships but don’t know how to activate them optimally. We currently have football partnerships with Juventus and Sevilla FC, and have the fabulous Esha Gupta as Khelraja’s brand ambassador, and are excited with the results we have seen so far. Any partnerships that we explore, particularly in football, will be strategic and well-thought-out, and respectful of our current partners.
5. How crucial is Indian exposure and popularity to European football?
Very. Football, as popular as it is in European nations, is already a saturated market in the region. On the other hand, Asian markets, with their passionate football audiences and increased spending power, present a massive headroom for growth. It also helps that most of the prospective audience here is smart and educated, and is keenly aware of the technical and tactical details of the game. To them, European football clubs with their colossal investments into high-quality training provide the perfect viewing option for incredible matches and talking points; just think back to when Jurgen Klopp’s heavy metal gegenpressing tactics made ripples after challenging the might of, first, FC Bayern Munich and, later, the dominance of Manchester City. This makes it a win-win situation: viewers from India and other Asian markets are interested in European football, and European football clubs are happy to have more viewers come their way.
6. With Khelraja renowned in Asia, when will the company venture into cricket?
We evaluate every partnership from a strategic perspective and gauge the potential for mutual value creation that can be unlocked through it. Any new partnerships, therefore, will be at the same level that we already have in place with Esha Gupta, Sevilla FC, and Juventus, regardless of the sport.