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Online Bookmaker GameBookers Bids to Keep Ballack at Bayern

PinnacleSports.com Updates Oscar Market

Tuesday 28th February 2006

London (February 28, 2006) - Gamebookers.com, the leading European bookmaker, today announced that they have made an offer to Bayern Munich to cover the difference in wages between the money allegedly offered by Chelsea and Bayern Munich’s bid in order to keep Michael Ballack at Bayern.

The unprecedented deal would see the company pick up the difference per week in wages to Ballack, and would make Gamebookers a key sponsor of Bayern Munich.

The deal offered to Munich and Ballack is similar to the revolutionary deal Gamebookers recently signed with Greek Basketball club Aris. The company bought Vladimir Petrovic for Aris in November 2005, and pays the player’s wages for the club.

Ballack with 61 caps is the German national team captain and moved to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2002 from Bayer Leverkusen after a successful Champions League campaign during which he lead the club to the final before being beaten 2-1 by Real Madrid.

John O’Malia, the Chairman of Gamebookers commented, ‘We figured, why buy the front of a shirt when you can buy a player? Ballack is the finest player of his generation in Germany, and if Bayern lost his services it would be a great loss to both Bayern and to the Bundesliga. If Bayern accept our offer, it will be the beginning of a fantastic new partnership with Munich, and to keep Ballack in Germany, especially with the 2006 World Cup finals coming up, this would represent a superb achievement for sport in Germany and for Gamebookers.’

O’Malia added, ‘Furthermore, Gamebookers bettors love the great football played by Bayern Munich, and we are committed to ensuring that the quality of football at Bayern and in the Bundesliga doesn’t suffer at the hands of other European clubs with fatter wallets. It’s our way of giving back something to the beautiful game, as well as to our punters.’

For more information please contact

Luke Brill

+44 (0) 207 537 9998

luke@gamebookers.com

iGaming Press Contact:

Inka Ikonen

Lyceum Media

inka@lyceummedia.com

+44 (0) 207 828 6988

About Gamebookers

Gamebookers.com is an international betting group licensed in the UK, Austria and Antigua & Barbuda. Gamebookers is owned by Trident Gaming PLC. The group company has over 180,000 customers worldwide, handles over 20m bets per year and paid out in 2004 alone over EUR 148m to its customers. The Gamebookers family of betting websites represent a 'one stop shop' for bettors, covering a huge range of both fixed odds, live-betting, and P2P bets on every major sporting event combined with casino games and many unique content and entertainment features. Betting services are provided in 27 currencies and 9 languages -including English, French, German, Spanish, Turkish, Romanian, Greek, Polish and Russian. All companies belonging to the Gamebookers betting group are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Gamebookers Group Ltd., London , which is in turn owned by Trident Gaming Plc, Isle of Man.

 


Source: OnlineCasinoNews