Unibet extends global sponsorship with five-time chess World Champion Magnus Carlsen

Kindred Group plc (Kindred) has signed a two years extension of its partnership with the world’s best chess player, Magnus Carlsen through its flagship brand Unibet. The group also extends its sponsorship of Offerspill, Norway’s largest chess club.

Both sponsorships will promote and support Kindred’s long-term ambition to reach zero per cent revenue from harmful gambling by 2023.

“We see great potential in engaging the best chess player of all time, and the world's highest-ranked chess player, as a global ambassador in the fight to combat problem gambling,” commented Nils Andén, chief commercial officer, Kindred Group.

“It is also natural for us to involve Offerspill, Norway's largest chess club in our work. This partnership is an important contribution to raising awareness of chess as an exciting global sport, while also engaging in the local community in Norway.”

“Just as I have set a hair-raising goal of becoming the first chess player in the world to reach 2,900 rating points, Kindred, as the first global gambling operator, has set itself an ambition of zero revenue from customers with harmful gambling behavior. This is an ambition I would like to contribute to achieving and a message I am happy to support,” added Mr Carlsen, five-time World Champion.

“In top sports, it is about pushing the boundaries, but at the same time, you have to know your limitations and know when to stop. The same thing is important when gambling; you need to stay in control and know when to stop,” he said.

“Over the last two years, Offerspill made an impressive effort to lift Norwegian chess to a new level, especially during the pandemic. Such a boost requires funding, and we are proud to contribute, and at the same time promote our message of safety, sustainability and responsibility in entertainment-based gambling through the club,”concluded Mr Andén.

In 2014, Unibet was the first gambling operator to introduce odds on chess, at the same time as Magnus Carlsen defended his World Cup title for the first time. Throughout the years, Kindred has also sponsored a number of international tournaments and major championships.

Mr Carlsen founded Offerspill in 2019 and has been a Unibet ambassador since 2020. The same year Offerspill and Kindred Group signed a partnership. Today, Offerspill is the largest chess club in Norway with 400 members.