William Hill Sponsor Monster Raving Looney Party In General Election
29th April, 2010
With the General Election campaign trail now in full swing, online gambling site William Hill, has signed a sponsorship deal with the idiosyncratic Monster Raving Looney Party. The sponsorship deal will see the party change its name on the ballot paper to the Monster raving Looney William Hill Party.
The rather eccentric political party to say the least was founded in 1982 by the late Lord Sutch. The gaming firm has said that they are going to offer each candidate the chance to win back their £500 deposit if they can correctly guess the number of votes they receive at the polls.
The Official Monster Raving Loony William Hill Party will have a record number of candidates running this year with more than 50 representatives standing for office on May 6th.
“We believe that parties like the Loony Party are an essential part of British democracy and eccentricity and that the world would be a poorer place if there was no room in politics for a little harmless levity,” said Graham Sharpe, Media Relations Director for William Hill.
“We have agreed a substantial sponsorship deal with the Party, which includes a change of name during the general election campaign to reflect our involvement with them. So, they will become the Official Monster Raving Loony William Hill Party. We are also giving every candidate a free bet on how many votes he or she will get, giving them the opportunity of winning £500, which is the cost of a deposit to stand.”
William Hill sponsored Lord Sutch on many occasions when he ran unsuccessfully for parliament before his death in 1999. However this is the first time that a political party has secured a name related sponsorship deal.
By Gina
