Tottenham adds Chinese to gambling shirt logo

English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspurs is looking to increase its their profile in East Asia by sporting Chinese characters promoting internet gambling on its shirts. The Mandarin script will appear next to the logo of shirt sponsor Mansion on the club’s away shirt. The Gibraltar-based on-line gambling business is reportedly owned by billionaire Putera Sampoerna, Indonesia's third-richest man. In May 2005 his family raised about US$2 billion by selling control of clove/tobacco kretek cigarette manufacturing company, PT Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna, to Altria (Philip Morris) for US$5 billion.

Mansion last year signed the biggest-ever televised poker deal with American TV giants Fox Sports Network. Its sports betting covers NFL and English Premier League, NBA and NCAA Basketball, Rugby and many more For bigger bets, Mansion Exchange combines interactive sports betting with the "competitive wholesale pricing of a live market"

"The Club has always enjoyed massive international support and it is a mark of our tradition and success that we can now look to broaden our appeal in markets such as China. Working in the Chinese market is an exciting prospect for us and for our partners, Mansion. We look forward to exploring the Chinese market in the years ahead working closely with Mansion, who already have many customers in this part of the world," Executive director Paul Barber told the club’s website.