BragBet signs betting partnership with Northern Ireland Football League

BragBet, the social betting platform powered by Boylesports, has signed a deal to become the official betting partner of the Northern Ireland Football League.

Isle of Man-licensed BragBet will serve as betting partner of the NI Football League for the next two and a half seasons,

The NI Football League is the organising body of the Danske Bank Premiership, the Belfast Telegraph Championship, and the League Cup, as well as the Reserve League and the Youth League, with responsibility for the administration and commercial rights of the competitions. It has 42 member clubs from the Premiership, Championship 1 & 2.

“We are delighted to have agreed a partnership deal with BragBet,” said Graeme Beggs, NI Football League marketing and communication manager. “They are a young and incredibly exciting company who, in our opinion, could revolutionise the way fans interact with each other by combining social media and betting in the one platform.

“We have looked at a number of potential partners, but no business shared our vision of a combined social media and football product, quite like BragBet and we are delighted to appoint them in a two and a half year deal.”

Co-founded in 2010 by Phil Riordan, Brian O’Mullane and Jonathan O’Neill, BragBet allows players to invite friends to form a team, with cash deposited into a joint pot. Each week a different team member becomes the captain and decides how the pot is used and which bets to place. All team members can share their suggested bets each day and comment on their friends’ suggestions.

“We are delighted to announce our partnership with the NI Football League on the back of our decision to move our Head Offices from Dublin to Belfast,” said Phil Riordan, CEO of BragBet. “Football fans in Northern Ireland have a fantastic reputation for passion and loyalty to their clubs and we are excited about offering our team betting platform to those fans.”

BragBet recently secured £287,000 to expand its operations in Northern Ireland, including £200,000 from Invest Growth Fund, managed by venture capital firm ESynergy on behalf of Invest Northern Ireland.

“In reviewing the potential locations, Belfast stood out because of the strong software base, a pro start-up business environment and the availability of the specific mobile skills we require to grow our business,” continued Riordan.

Mike Bowman, fund director at ESynergy, added: “BragBet is a truly innovative start-up disrupting the betting markets using the power of social media.  In identifying a need to expand their business, they engaged proactively with Invest NI and ESynergy and discovered the positive start-up ecosystem in Northern Ireland, which is a perfect match for their business needs.

“We are delighted to be able to join with existing investors including BoyleSports and Telefonica, to assist the company with their strategic growth plans, focused on Northern Ireland.”