Unibet

The Double Zero said:

Do you guys think it is fair that Unibet keep getting shafted by the ASO and RCS organisers in their races?
I think it is an ego battle between the race organisers and the UCI and Unibet are copping the brunt of this.

Unibet, or if you are in France, ?, are the pawn in the game being played out between the Tours and the UCI. The big loser won't just be the Pro Tour if the organisers stick to their guns, it will be the riders and staff at Unibet who will lose their jobs when the sponsors decide to terminate their contract.

The UCI deliberately picked a fight with the GTs. First they said there would be sixteen ProTour teams, but they licensed eighteen. They said they will reduce the number. Instead they licensed two more. They knew very well that this is one of the big points of contention with the GTs. The GTs need wildcard slots to support their smaller domestic teams.

It looks like Unibet has become the line in the sand for the GTs, but it is not like the team's management was unaware of the situation. The gambling issue seems like flat out incompetence on the part of the sponsor and the management.

The Double Zero said:

Do you guys think it is fair that Unibet keep getting shafted by the ASO and RCS organisers in their races?
I think it is an ego battle between the race organisers and the UCI and Unibet are copping the brunt of this.

Humour me for a second. Put yourself in the shoes of Unibet management. You invest millions to enter the ProTour on the presumption that you'll get automatic entry to the GT's, which is worth so many advertising dollars. The GT organisers flagrantly ignore the UCI regulations to invite all teams, so you miss out.

If the UCI win their battle against the GT's at the European Commission (ie. the commission determine that the GT's are obligated to follow UCI regulations)...will we see lawsuits from Unibet, for the losses in not being part of the biggest races on the calendar?

ps. for what it's worth, I think the whole '?' business and the media attention at the moment is worth more to Unibet than if they'd slipped by un-noticed.

Unibet--online degenerate gambling?

Doping, drinking and gambling---is see the congruence.

Flyer's.Finale! said:

Unibet--online degenerate gambling?

Doping, drinking and gambling---is see the congruence.

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I can think of at least two very prominent teams sponsored by lotteries. Both appeared regularly in all of the GT's.

That's gambling, isn't it?

Walrus said:

Humour me for a second. Put yourself in the shoes of Unibet management. You invest millions to enter the ProTour on the presumption that you'll get automatic entry to the GT's, which is worth so many advertising dollars. The GT organisers flagrantly ignore the UCI regulations to invite all teams, so you miss out.

If the UCI win their battle against the GT's at the European Commission (ie. the commission determine that the GT's are obligated to follow UCI regulations)...will we see lawsuits from Unibet, for the losses in not being part of the biggest races on the calendar?

Unibet management made a fault when they had bet on the bad horse.

There is very few odds that Unibet win at the EC. Even if they win they must win too against French sport laws which said that only French Federation can organise events. So UCI can be only authorized to indirectly manage TDF with the FFC agreement.
I think Unibet could sue UCI more efficiently, but as you pointed Unibet receive a better attention with this story than with their riders!

I would really like to wear one of Unibets ? jerseys. I think it's perfect for all the BS going on in cycling right now.

I hope they are smart enough to sell them.