Bookmaker Betfred Named New Title Sponsor Of Scottish League Cup

Bookmaker Betfred "is the new title sponsor of the Scottish League Cup," according to the SCOTSMAN. The tournament "will become known as the Betfred Cup." It means "all three major domestic tournaments" are sponsored by bookmakers. Ladbrokes "backs the Scottish leagues and William Hill is the Scottish Cup sponsor." Betfred "agreed a three-year deal, beginning at the start of next season when the League Cup will be relaunched with a group stage in July and a new TV deal which will see 13 matches shown live on BT Sport." Betfred was established in '67 and has 1,400 betting shops and a "vast online business." It "also sponsors the World Snooker Championship" (SCOTSMAN, 5/10). The BBC reported the deal is worth around £1M ($1.4M) over three years. This season's competition "was sponsored by energy firm Utilita" from the quarterfinal stage onward. Next season, it will revert from a straight knockout competition to a group-stage format in the first round (BBC, 5/10).