MPBL seals deal with sports betting firm, puts premium on integrity

MANILA, Philippines — Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) officially ushered in OKBet as its new partner in its return to a full-swing season amid the pandemic, promising a more entertaining and quality basketball action for the passionate Filipino fans.

After holding compressed tournaments in the past two years, MPBL came back with a bang last summer featuring 22 squads that are currently slugging it out for the Mumbaki Cup crown with OKBet as title sponsor and Xtreme Philippines as co-presentor.

With OKBet, a multi-industry company primarily providing leisure, entertainment and gaming solutions, on board, sky's the limit for the MPBL as the country's largest regional basketball league.

"We're very happy to have OKBet as part of our MPBL family. Through this partnership with OKBet, we're making a big comeback to showcase the best city and provincial basketball teams in the country," said MPBL commissioner Kenneth Duremdes in the official launch yesterday in Okada.

"The goal of our founder, Sen. Manny Pacquiao, is not just to provide opportunities for our players, but give Filipino basketball fans quality entertainment and a source of inspiration during these challenging times," he added.

OKBet, which is also backing three league teams in GenSan Warriors, Sarangani Marlins and Marikina Shoemasters, shared the MPBL's vision for the further development of Filipino athletes.

"We see the value of partnering with MPBL and we want to empower our athletes to help them realize and reach their full potential. This is our way of supporting the growth of future world-class Filipino sports champions," beamed OKBet vice president for marketing and business development Robert Chen.

Apart from that, the partnership of the MPBL and OKBet is to put premium on responsible and regulated gaming as well as ensuring the integrity of games with the guide of the Games and Amusements Board (GAB). 

OKBet, flaunting a holistic entertainment platform while ensuring its system integrity, data privacy and security, gained accreditation from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) as a sports betting service provider earlier this year.