Winvia Entertainment pencils prize draw deal with Aston Villa

Winvia Entertainment, the London-listed prize-draw operator, has partnered with Premier League club Aston Villa to develop an official club-branded prize draw titled “Villa Win”.

Winvia, which owns the prize-draw technology used by BOTB (Best of the Best), will develop and operate the “Villa Win” competition on behalf of Aston Villa. 

The company will provide the technological platform, operational infrastructure and regulatory oversight necessary to deliver the prize draws. 

These draws will give Aston Villa supporters opportunities to win club-themed prizes and unique fan experiences. The initiative is designed to boost fan engagement beyond matchdays while creating a new revenue stream for the football club.

Winvia, which also operates a number of Romanian brands, listed on the London Stock Exchange in November 2025.  It commenced trading on AIM, a sub-market of the LSE which is tailored to help smaller, riskier, or high-growth companies secure capital. 

‘Potential to scale’

Winvia has highlighted that this represents the first major B2B deployment of its BOTB prize-draw system. The company will oversee operational, technical and compliance activities, running the competition in accordance with the Voluntary Code of Good Practice for Prize Draw Operators. 

Gil Barel, head of strategic partnerships and M&A of Winvia Entertainment, commented: “Aston Villa has a powerful brand and a highly engaged supporter base and has recognised the opportunity for prize draws to bring supporters together in a fun and engaging way. 

“We are pleased to be working with the club to launch a new prize draw competition supported by our technology platform, operational capability and prize draw expertise.

“We are confident that this model has the potential to scale across other clubs and sports organisations and become an increasingly important part of the group’s long-term growth strategy over time.”

Future plans

Winvia will initially roll out the “Villa Win” prize draws to Aston Villa supporters in the UK, with ambitions to expand internationally.

The company will manage the competition’s ongoing operations. Both parties have stated that the revenue generated will contribute to the club’s long-term development and community programmes.

Winvia indicated that the partner-led deployment model is expected to become a significant component of its strategy following its recent IPO.

Revenues generated can be reinvested 

Aston Villa has positioned the arrangement as a means to generate “more fan engagement opportunities” and create additional funds to reinvest in club activities, including community programmes. 

Francesco Calvo, the club’s president of business operations, described the prize draws as a fresh avenue for interacting with supporters and supporting community initiatives.

“It will not only allow us to interact with our supporters in a fun and different way, but any revenues generated can be reinvested in a number of ways including our many community schemes.”

Prize draw trends

The deal marks the prize draw vertical’s expansion into new areas, including sports. It is gaining huge traction in the UK, with a trade body for the sector having been formed in July.

M&A in the sector has also been increasing, as earlier this year German lottery brokerage Zeal Network SE aquired a 96.5% stake in UK prize draw operator SevenCanyon Limited.

Currently the vertical is governed by a voluntary code put in place by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in May.

“One of the key advantages in the UK is that prize draws are not currently subject to Remote Gaming Duty,” Jamie Pinner, a senior leader at DrawHouse, recently told iGB.

“That makes them a far more efficient revenue stream than sportsbook or casino products, at least for the time being.”  

DrawHouse recently issued a warning to UK prize draw operators over potential changes in the treatment of VAT by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). 

The company believes that the reinterpretation of VAT rules could reduce operator margins by as much as 25%-30%, while also exposing businesses to sizeable retrospective tax bills.