We’re now only a couple of months away from the new F1 season and less than 3 months away from the Melbourne GP — My neck of the woods. Why am I talking about F1 all of a sudden?
Well, as many of you may have seen, we’ve signed a brand new 3-year sponsorship agreement with one of the most well-known, established F1 teams out there: Sauber Alfa Romeo…. or should I say Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake?
Additionally, I’m delighted to also say that you’ll be able to soon catch Alfa and its drivers live on KICK, firmly connecting the fun of live streaming and the thrill of F1. We’re so excited to see how this new partnership develops over time and builds on existing ones we have.
To celebrate our new partnership and the beginning of the new F1 season, there will be large promotions and bonus drops during every single race this season. So be sure to tune into each race and watch Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake for special hints around these!
Reaching new audiences and engaging with new fans has always been something that has fuelled me and that has driven our ambition at Stake (I promise no more racing jokes).
So why F1?
Well, we’ve seen dramatic growth in the F1 audience base over recent years (much like with crypto) predominantly due to proactive marketing but also, of course, Netflix’s Drive to Survive series. Additionally, the F1 community is all about thrills and drama on the track, just like our community is all about the thrill of the game, and maybe some drama on stream.
Sponsoring an F1 team is a big step for us, but there’s a natural fit between Alfa and Stake, and sometimes it just feels right.
I’m not surprised that we have seen massive crypto sponsors in the sport and even a Miami-based race with a primary crypto sponsor. I know the team at KICK are excited to see Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake on the platform, and I can’t wait to see what happens when the world of F1, gaming, crypto and content creators get together.
We’re hard at work behind the scenes planning how we can enhance race weekends further with this sponsorship and give back to the fans while providing opportunities for new fans to become involved with the awesome sport.
Earlier this month I wrote a blog on what the year ahead could hold in store, and I alluded to some exciting developments in the pipeline. The great news is that there’s even more to come.
The worlds of F1 and gaming have a lot in common. Both are powered by awesome communities, both rely on technological innovation and a desire to always push boundaries to provide fans with the most exciting experience.
But there’s one area where the two differ — that’s the rule book.
What excites me about F1 is that teams have to achieve excellence and provide entertainment all within the strictest parameters one could ever imagine. Massive fines and even points deductions if a car is 1kg too light or if there isn’t enough fuel in it at the end of a 2- hour race, the strictest design policies and rulebooks you could ever imagine.
And yet, despite these confines, each year a car (even though it might not look it) is beyond different to the previous iteration of it.
So what am I getting at?
As a casino powered by crypto, a lot of gaming regulators see us as too difficult to understand and difficult to regulate. We’d like to change that — we’re actively talking to regulators across the world, educating them about what we do. I would love to see a world where anywhere that you can play with fiat currency, you can play with crypto.
To get there, we need regulation, and that means coming up with the F1 rule book for Stake. I know we’ll do it, but it’s a long road ahead. I’ll keep you posted.
Ed.
