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{{Short description|Network of international online casinos and online gambling companies}}
{{Infobox dot-com company
| name = K8
| logo = K8 logo.png
| type = [[Private company|Private]]
| industry = [[Online gambling]]
| foundation =
| area_served = International
| predecessor =
| successor =
| num_employees =
| founder =
| location_city =
| location_country = India
| services = online [[sports betting]], [[poker]], [[casino]], games
| homepage = {{url|https://k8.com}}
| language = [[#Multilingual|Multilingual]]
}}

'''K8''' (also known as K8 entertainment group) is a network of international online casinos and [[online gambling]] companies, with over 15 million users. K8 has offices in almost 50 countries in the world; including the United Kingdom, The Philippines and Vietnam. K8 promotes itself by its sponsorships of UK premier league teams, [[West Bromwich Albion FC]]<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/west-brom-announce-new-shirt-11284423| title = West Brom announce new shirt sponsors for the forthcoming season - Birmingham Live| date = 5 May 2016}}</ref> and [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2017/06/21/man-city-expands-asia-k8-com-regional-betting-partner/|title=Man City expands in Asia with K8.com as regional betting partner|date=June 21, 2017}}</ref> and German football team [[FC Schalke 04]].

== Overview ==
K8 operates like a virtual casino, offering slots, table games such as [[Blackjack|Black Jack]], [[poker]] and [[roulette]], live dealers and sports betting, for each one of their websites.

In Asia, their most popular sites are Vietnamese-based, K8vina and K8vn. K8 casino is licensed under First Cagayan Philippines, to operate live betting, and operates according to the rules promulgated by the Regulatory Authority.

Their European expansion began in November 2015, with the establishment of UK-K8, whose headquarters are located in Birmingham, UK. They are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. UK-K8 is known for its use of the [[EveryMatrix]]’s platform to operate its website,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sbcnews.co.uk/igaming/2017/05/18/k8-everymatrix-uk-casino-relaunch/|title=K8 chooses EveryMatrix software for UK casino relaunch|date=18 May 2017}}</ref> the partnership was announced in early 2017, and was integrated in their affiliate program and also gambling solutions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.casinoguardian.co.uk/2017/05/12/k8-casino-website-goes-live-uk-via-everymatrix-platform/|title=K8 Casino Website Goes Live in the UK via EveryMatrix Platform|date=12 May 2017}}</ref> To appeal to British users' needs, they also upgraded their sports betting with [[Golden Race]] platform, this means that bet settlement operations happen in real-time, due to Golden Race and EveryMatrix's sportsbook solutions, and has increased its reliability and usage amongst European users.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamingintelligence.com/business/41704-everymatrix-agrees-k8-gaming-platform-deal-upgrades-sportsbook-software|title=EveryMatrix agrees K8 Gaming deal & upgrades sportsbook software|date=7 February 2017}}</ref>

K8 used a variety of marketing methods to introduce UK-K8, most notably the sponsorships of Premier League football teams.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://calvinayre.com/2016/05/05/sports/k8-group-shirt-deal-west-bromwich-albion/|title = Asian-facing K8 Group inks two-year shirt deal with Premier League's West Brom| newspaper=Calvinayre.com |date = 5 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://calvinayre.com/2017/06/23/sports/football-sponsorships-selling-like-hotcakes/|title = Football sponsorships selling like hotcakes as new seasons loom|date = 22 June 2017}}</ref>

== Sponsorships ==
K8 was the main partner and sponsor for [[Kunlun]] fighting,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://edgedavao.net/sports/2014/04/22/davaos-grandeza-excited-to-see-action-in-kunlun-k8-fight-4-world-tour/|title = Davao's Grandeza excited to see action in Kunlun K8 Fight 4 World Tour|date = 22 April 2014}}</ref> a Chinese MMA event. Internationally, they are most well known for their football sponsorships, they also appointed German footballer, [[Michael Ballack]] as brand ambassador from 2015 to 2016, which coincided with their sponsorship of German football team [[FC Schalke 04]].

In 2015, the online entertainment company became a sponsor of the [[Copa America]] in Chile, the third largest continental football event in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.ytsports.cn/news-590.html |title=Chinese online gaming company K8.com sponsored 2015 Copa América |publisher=En.ytsports.cn |date= |accessdate=2022-08-11}}</ref>

In 2016, K8 became the kit sponsor for the [[West Bromwich Albion FC]], a Premier League football team. This became the football team's biggest sponsorship to date, which reportedly cost K8 over £5 million.<ref name="igamingbusiness1">{{cite web|url=http://www.igamingbusiness.com/news/west-brom-unveils-k8-group-new-shirt-sponsor|title = West Brom unveils K8 Group as new shirt sponsor|date = 6 May 2016}}</ref> The partnership was mostly used as a marketing strategy to bring awareness to the European extension of the K8 group; UK-K8.<ref name="igamingbusiness1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wba.co.uk/news/2016/may/albion-announce-uk-k8.com-as-new-shirt-sponsor/ |title=Albion announce UK-K8.COM as new shirt sponsor | West Bromwich Albion |publisher=Wba.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2022-08-11}}</ref> The sponsorship deal lasted only one season.

June 21, 2017, K8 announced a sponsorship agreement with Premier League club [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]. The multi-year deal includes advertisements on digiboards at Manchester City's [[City of Manchester Stadium|Etihad Stadium]], and the right to offer trips and experiences to the public to meet the team.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.mancity.com/news/club-news/club-news/2017/june/kaifa-yule-k8-com-man-city-announcement| title = City announce new betting partner in Asia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sbcnews.co.uk/asia/2017/06/22/k8-com-nets-manchester-city-asia-betting-partnership/|title=K8.com nets Manchester City 'Asia Betting Partnership'}}</ref><ref name="thedrum1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/06/23/manchester-city-fc-inks-multi-year-deal-with-kai-fa-yule-k8com-their-official|title=Manchester City FC inks a multi-year deal with Kai-Fa Yule K8.com as their official betting partner in Asia|website=The Drum}}</ref>

September 26, 2017, K8 announced a sponsorship agreement with Championship club, Cardiff City. The multi-year deal includes betting booths at Cardiff City Stadium, and the right to offer trips, tickets and experiences to the public to meet the team.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sbcnews.co.uk/latestnews/2017/09/28/cardiff-city-announces-k8-com-new-betting-partner/|title=Cardiff City announces K8.com as new betting partner}}</ref>

November 1, 2024, K8 and Atlético de Madrid have reached a sponsorship agreement for the next two seasons.
<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.atleticodemadrid.com/noticias/k8-and-atletico-de-madrid-have-reached-a-sponsorship-agreement-for-the-next-two-seasons/|title=Atlético de Madrid announce k8.io new betting partner in Asia|date=November 2024 }}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sigma.world/news/k8-becomes-atletico-de-madrid-betting-partner/|title=Atlético de Madrid announces k8.io as new betting partner}}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/11/05/online-bookie-k8-takes-atletico-sponsorship-asian-region/|title=k8.com as Atlético de Madrid Asian betting partner|date=5 November 2024 }}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.footballbusinessjournal.com/post/k8-becomes-atletico-de-madrid-s-official-betting-partner-in-asia/|title= Atlético de Madrid welcome k8.com|date= November 2024}}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sbcnews.co.uk/sportsbook/2024/11/01/k8-a-madrid-betting-partner/|title= k8.com and Atlético de Madrid reached agreement|date= November 2024}}</ref>

== Controversies ==

K8 is part of the recurring theme of increasingly larger numbers of gambling companies sponsoring Premier League teams.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quella-Guyot |first=Amandin |date=29 June 2017 |title=Les casinos en ligne sponsors du Football {{!}} Sport Business |url=https://www.sportbusinessetmoi.com/casinos-en-ligne-sponsors-football-11254 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004175724/https://www.sportbusinessetmoi.com/casinos-en-ligne-sponsors-football-11254 |archive-date=4 October 2017 |access-date=17 June 2023 |website=SportBusinessetMoi |language=fr}}</ref> In the 16/17 season, more than 50% of sponsorship shares were held by betting companies,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityam.com/250809/gambling-and-betting-companies-have-taken-over-premier|title = How gambling and betting companies have taken over the Premier League's shirts|date = 8 October 2016}}</ref> K8 being one of them. Also including their competitors, [[Dafabet]] and [[Bet365]]. Many were skeptical of K8's decision to sponsor Manchester City FC, due to the UK government's decision to review the gambling sector, to prevent over exposure to gambling, and to prevent the increasing number of gambling addiction. which has increased by 0.3% over the past three years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityam.com/250947/government-mulling-crackdown-bingo-adverts-and-promotions|title = Government mulling crackdown on bingo adverts and promotions during sporting events in gambling industry clampdown|date = 7 October 2016}}</ref>

On the same day that K8 signed as a sponsor<ref name="thedrum1"/> for Manchester City, UK's Football Association announced that it will end all partnerships with betting companies, in light of recent betting incidents<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/06/22/fa-ends-sponsorships-with-betting-firms-it-looks-move-beyond-gambling-controversy|title=FA ends sponsorships with betting firms as it looks to move beyond gambling controversy|website=The Drum}}</ref> and to combat addictions.

== References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

[[Category:Online gambling companies of the Philippines]]
[[Category:Companies based in Manila]]
[[Category:Privately held companies of the Philippines]]

K8 Group - Revision history

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