Liga Stavok has become an official betting partner of the National Hockey League (NHL), marking the first time the US ice hockey league has formed a regional betting agreement in Russia and the CIS region.

As a result of the linkup, Liva Stovaok will be able to take advantage of marketing on NHL digital assets, including the league’s official Russian language website NHL.com/ru, and will also gain the right to use official tournament marks, logos and designations.

As the official sportsbook partner of the NHL on Russia and the CIS region, these marks and logos will be used to create ‘atuehtnic NHL fan and consumer marketing programmes’, whilst also gaining access to a number of media assets such as custom digital, social and email marketing campaigns with the aim of driving brand awareness and customer acquisition.

“Moving towards an international level is part of the business strategy of Liga Stavok,” said Yury Krasovskiy, CEO of Liga Stavok. “It is a great honor and responsibility for us to expand our participation in development of world ice hockey. 

“Liga Stavok sincerely loves hockey and it is ready to invest significant funds in its development not only in Russia, but also in the world. This partnership with the NHL is another historic step in this direction. We are thankful to the NHL for appreciating our business potential and reputation as the most popular sports bookmaker in Russia.”

Furthermore, Liga Stavok will conduct ‘dynamic marketing campaigns’ leveraging NHL branding across the company’s digital sports betting offerings in Russia and the CIS region. 

For the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Liga Stavok served as the presenting sponsor of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge on NHL.com/ru, whilst the partnership was supported by Sportradar, which serves as an official partner of both the NHL and Liga Stavok.

John Lewicki, Vice President, Business Development and partnerships, International at the NHL, added: “This marks an exciting time for NHL fans in Russia. Liga Stavok, the market leader in sports betting, is partnering with the NHL, the world’s premier hockey league, to deliver inventive initiatives designed for our robust fanbase in Russia. We look forward to working with Liga Stavok to bring new features to the NHL experience in Russia.”

The agreement represents an expansion of Liga Stavok’s marketing and branding in the sport, having secured an agreement with the Russian Ice Hockey Federation in 2017, becoming an official partner of the Russian national team in the process.

Additionally, the operator has also signed a five-year sponsorship deal with the Ice Hockey World Championship.

For the NHL, on the other hand, the collaboration marks further growth of its engagement with the sports betting space, building on a multi-year arrangement with Malta-based operator Betway.