West Bromwich Albion

“They are a vibrant brand and have been a pleasure to work with over the course of what has been an important season in the club’s history.”

Albion Sales & Marketing Director Adrian Wright added: “The mutual decision to part company with Bodog was not an easy one for the Club based on the fact we were very happy with our relationship.

“However, the Club have been presented with an attractive new opportunity and Bodog were more than happy to accommodate our request to step aside and enable us to pursue a different avenue.”

Albion fans have been able to take advantage of Bodog’s “Baggie of the Month” competition throughout the year and Ed Pownall, PR Director for the Bodog Brand, said: “We have very much enjoyed working alongside West Bromwich Albion during another successful season for the club as well as teaming up once again with Roy Hodgson.

“We would like to thank the fans, the club and the playing staff, and wish them and the new club sponsor all the best for the future.”

South Africa’s sports betting could worth nearly R1 billion in the next few years. ITWeb reports that the market is expected to grow from R660 million to around R800 million in the next two years. From there it could grow even further but one company in particular that is licensed by Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board, Ladbrokes, is worried that without an association the market will suffer.

“Sports betting is relatively new to the South African market, and although it is a highly regulated industry, an industry association will establish collaboration between licensed operators, regulators and our customers,” said Anli Kotze, GM for Ladbrokes.co.za.

Ladbrokes’s South African representative is of the belief another way to prevent illicit sites is to block residents from accessing the sites and taking legal action against those that don’t respect the laws.

“In the same way, the US is currently implementing this. Also, the government can fine and/or take legal action against South Africans who play on non-licensed betting sites. The UK and Europe are good examples of areas where online sports betting is lucrative. If you look at companies like Bet365, Ladbrokes.com, Bwin, PaddyPower; their massive successes in fixed odds sports betting in both the UK and Europe are very evident.”

Business News

As one of the two biggest bookmakers going, Ladbrokes first opened up their website in 2000 and soon found considerable success, particularly with their online poker product. But as the years went by, having a strong brand and simply being there was no longer enough and Ladbrokes’ online activities went into serious decline.

That’s why the appointment of Richard Glynn in April 2010 as successor to CEO Chris Bell was touted as being a crucial move for the company. Glynn’s brief was clearly to set about masterminding a plan for online domination. This plan came in the form of Project Galvanise – which could quite easily also be the name of a James Bond movie.

It all sounded extremely promising, Project Galvanise identified a number of areas in which Ladbrokes were under performing and could be comfortably remedied. The general theme behind the changes was to ensure Ladbrokes provided a customer centric experience – a phrase easily said but not so comfortably quantified.

The immediate changes consisted of a senior management shake up with various comings and goings in addition to new supplier deals on the retail side of things. Of more significance to Ladbrokes remaining loyal users was the merging of divisions to allow the company to target one customer across all products.

Cross selling is an obvious advantage Ladbrokes and other bookmakers have over many of their pure play competitors and encouraging retail customers to remain loyal online can have a large impact for the bigger brands.

Slow Start

But things didn’t quite go to plan for Glynn’s galvanised company. The immediate future following the changes saw poor share price performance and a stretching of the gap between them and their nearest rivals Hills. The difference between the two in terms of net revenue was a much as 26% in the first quarter of 2011 meaning that the early stages of Project Galvanise showed little promise.

With regards to their online business the company struggled to make the acquisitions strategy that were intended to drag them up the iGaming food chain. Talks with Sportingbet and 888 about takeovers both fell through and in the end were to protracted that the collapse of the 888 bid was actually seen as a positive.

But following Ladbrokes’ failed Sportingbet takeover in October last year shareholders became concerned that the company not only appeared adverse to taking risks but that they also couldn’t close either deal.

Panmure Gordon analyst Simon French told Reuters at the time: “It begs questions about whether other companies will be willing to enter acquisition talks with them in the future.”

After having made such a noise about reinvigorating the company it was no surprise when Glynn came in for personal criticism. Although, rather than this being focused on his record, the subject of most gripes was with his salary.

Despite profits falling 6.1% year on year in 2011 Glynn received a £327,000 cash bonus plus more in deferred shares. This caused further discontent within the company given that many retail staff were made to go without bonuses – some who had worked at the company for as long as 40 years.

Galvanising

When it appeared as if Glynn’s fortunes couldn’t get much better his persistence began to pay off.

A new deal with Microgaming has improved the casino and games offering by allowing them to provide of more diverse selection of gaming opportunities. There has also been visibly more advertising and this continues to have a positive effect on the amount of sign ups taking place.

Rather than looking for the big acquisitions Glynn, to his credit, has turned to plan B. This has consisted of investing £50 million which so far has gone on smaller and more sensible deals.

The most recent of which is the hiring of Sky IQ. This deal is designed to help Ladbrokes understand their online customers better, something they haven’t managed too successfully so far. This will enable them to improve their the targeting of their email communications and, more importantly going forward, their mobile communications.

In doing so, Ladbrokes have also been able to continue of their one customer approach as director of customer acquisition and customer development Wendy Collins explained in Marketing Week.

She said: “If a customer plays a game online it is about recognising that and offering them a similar or enhanced experience in the mobile space.”

Another move which is likely to have a significant effect is to the launch of a new online sportsbook which was created in response to digital revenue and profits falling considerably.

New features include one click betting, personalisation options and more cross-selling opportunities. These changes in addition to the new deal with OpenBet have given Ladbrokes much reason to be hopeful in recent times.

This is illustrated by positive share prices. While the last few months have been good to the iGaming industry as a whole, Ladbrokes outshone its nearest rivals in May with an increase of 9.27% and will be hoping to continue to do so.

Business News

Gaming Laboratories International

Ladbrokes has added itself to a list of retailers urging the U.K. government to take action over certain card fees imposed by card companies. ThisIsMoney report the fees have recently gone up and banks are now demanding an “interchange fee” that eventually filters down to the retailer. There is now the growing possibility that this will be passed onto the customer and to try and combat it CMS Payments Intelligence has written to retailers to call for some regulation of the sector. It currently costs £1.5 billion per year and will continue to rise with the advent of more premium cards.

Malta has seen 1,000 people ask to have their names added to a self-exclusion list related to the country’s gaming industry. The figure came out when finance minister Tonio Fenech presented a proposal for a fund to promote responsible gaming in the country and heard that scores of Maltese citizens already want a part of the list according to the Times of Malta.

Business News

Advisory service PricewaterhouseCoopers produced a report in December of last year which included new analysis of the land based and online gambling industries. Among the many conclusions was the statement that land-based casinos and iGaming firms working together is inevitable.

In charge of that report was partner and head of gaming at PwC David Trunkfield. Having spoken to various CEO’s including Frank Fahrenkopf of the AGA while compiling the report, Trunkfield felt that the perception that online gambling would be in direct competition with land-based casinos is largely misplaced.

He explains: “Online gives you access to a different, younger, perhaps more affluent customer that isn’t going into betting shops or going to the more traditional casinos in the US. That’s why we see it as complimentary.“

Examples in the UK of companies that have cashed in on their offline presence are bookmakers such as Ladbrokes and William Hill. They’ve reported that the overlap of players from retail to online is actually very small and US casinos can expect much the same story.

“We’ve also done analysis of offline companies like PMU in France. Their offline business has grown in the past ten years at the same time that their online business was growing really fast. So if the online business was cannibalising then the retail business would be going backwards and not growing,” Trunkfield says.

It is arguments such as this that has convinced the major land-based casino companies in the US that online gambling isn’t the enemy. However, when it comes to specific gambling activities they tend to remain sceptical about the claims that online casinos will not be a hindrance to them. Instead, they choose to put all of their support behind online poker while claiming that the deciding factor is the relatively higher level of skill required to win in poker.

Trunkfield explains: “Casino companies are nervous as lots of companies have been about losing their customers which is why they’re so protective of online casino games. However, if they see poker growing and they get a piece of the pie then they’ll be arguing forcibly for online casino games as they know that they can cross-sell that.”

While players are more likely to remain with a brand when it comes to a service that they’re familiar with, the small overlap described by UK bookmakers means that the brand is more important than matching online and offline services to each other.

A prime example of this is Ladbrokes who were of course known for their retail sportsbook. However, when the time came for the bookmaker to go online it was their poker product that stood out. This can be attributed to a combination of a recognisable brand name and the Microgaming software that the company used.

The fact that Ladbrokes Poker is in its current situation is even worse considering the start that the product had and how popular it once was. There have even been land-based casino companies that have been able to make their mark online. One of the most recognizable is Genting who not only run the pureplay Circus brand but also provide a Genting online casino and poker product. Gala will be hoping to emulate their success as they re-launch later this month with Playtech software and an entirely new look.

Even the Hippodrome Casino will offer online casino games if their joint venture with Media Corp is eventually completed while US casino companies have been pairing up with iGaming companies – if only to provide poker products.

One more example of where land-based casinos will be able to benefit from running parallel online and offline operations will be with the new opportunities that this will afford them. The Palace Casino in Great Yarmouth took advantage of such an opportunity by creating live online dealer games that allow you to play on the same tables as real customers that are actually in the land-based casino at the time.

While there are slight tweaks to be worked out in this kind of game, the point is that it was made possible by online gambling and a bricks and mortar casino combining forces. It will be the first few who manage to do this successfully that will strengthen their grip on an ever more saturated market place.

Trunkfield concludes: “There’s an opportunity there but you have to go and grasp it otherwise other people will. In most countries, although there are some land-based casinos and sports betting businesses that have a high share of the market, there’s always others who didn’t take advantage or went the wrong way about it.”

“The people who are partnered with the right people, understand the customer and understand the online marketing side of things can have great success.”

Casino News

International Game Technology

Ladbrokes has also signed a deal with IGT to utilize the suppliers’ stable of online products. eGR reports the Lads will integrate IGT’s remote gaming server, which will mean that Ladbrokes customers can access 100 casino and slot games. It will also give Ladbrokes.com at least 30 new games before the year’s out with the hope they can remedy last year’s decline in online net gaming revenue.

KMiGaming has hired James McMaster as its new business director. McMaster comes to KMi after managing the Bodog Brand affiliate program for Betting Partners and has led a respected career in the iGaming industry. Keith McDonnell, CEO KMi, added that he was “delighted to be able to offer our clients the benefits of his expertise and ensure our business can continue its growth without compromising quality”.

32Red IT director Graham Campbell has decided to call it a day after serving the firm for 10 years. He’s been with the company from its outset after first working at Ladbrokes and as such has had a distinguished career in the gambling industry. For this reason if he wants a job it’s unlikely he’ll be without one for long.

Business News

William Hill

“Our investments in marketing and innovations continue to deliver benefits, with our Sportsbook exceeding £50m in turnover in a single week for the first time during the quarter and mobile turnover reaching almost £11m in a single week,” Topping said. “Our mobile performance is now benefitting from our Sportsbook app being available in the Apple App Store, giving us access to thousands of new customers who have never bet with William Hill before, highlighting the growth potential of these new channels and their importance to our multi-channel offering.”

Regarding the group as a whole, net revenue increased by 12 percent with retail up 5 percent. It all contributed to an operating profit of 19 percent and meant being a on the face of Hills’ very own Captain Birds Eye. Actually…not so fast. Topping reserved some ire for the UK government and their decision to consider a point of consumption (POC) tax, with the group stating there’s “no demonstrable need for the proposed POC regulation based on consumer protection”.

Ladbrokes celebrated yesterday’s results by calling out the Irish government on gambling industry reform. Joe Lewins, MD of the company’s Irish business, called for “urgent reforms”.

“The 1931 legislation governing the sector isn’t fit to meet the challenges of emerging 21st century technologies, and this is leaving the sector unable to compete on a level playing field,” said Lewins. “If these concerns are not urgently addressed, the sector will continue to struggle and this will have a negative impact on much-needed exchequer revenue and employment.”

Blue Square has concluded its search for a new consumer communications partner by signing a deal with Hill+Knowlton Strategies. The firm will help create brand awareness by handling both reactive and proactive comms; and developing brand building initiatives. Robert May, Brand Director of Blue Square, said: “The team brings a wealth of sports experience and creative ideas to help drive the Blue Square brand forward.”

Business News

Diversification of another sort is underway at the Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Des Moines, Iowa. Friday marks the first day of its 2012 racing season and, for the first time ever, Iowans will be able to utilize the marvels of advance deposit wagering (ADW). The system, run in partnership with Betfair’s US subsidiary TVG, will permit Iowans to place wagers via phone, computer or mobile device. The Iowa Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association hopes the ADW option will result in a $400k windfall for Prairie Meadows and another $400k added to purses.

Stung by a recent scathing New York Times article on its safety record, the New Mexico Racing Commission will consider implementing stricter standards developed by the Association of Racing Commissioners International. The Associated Press reports a public hearing in Albuquerque has been scheduled for May 2 to discuss the proposal.

Ladbrokes has signed on as title sponsors for the Lanark Silver Bell racenight at Hamilton Park Racecourse. The three-year deal follows Lads initial sponsorship of the fixture in 2011, and both parties apparently enjoyed the experience well enough to commit for a longer haul. This year’s event is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 24.

Betfred is smarting after paying out nearly £432k to a punter who successfully picked five winners at this year’s Grand National. Retired pipefitter (and grandfather of nine) Peter Duxbury spent £31 on a 50p each-way Lucky 31 and £2 on an each-way accumulator for a total investment of £35. The Nottingham Post reported that Duxbury’s previous biggest payday was a £34k payout back in Dec. 2002. Betfred founder Fred Done personally presented Duxbury with his check at Aintree on Saturday. The 73-year-old Duxbury was quick to deflect any praise for his prognostication skillz. “I got all the luck – you still need that.” And all this time we thought that Beatles song said all you needed was love. Thanks for nothing, Lennon…

Business News

“We have invested considerably more in digital marketing and customer acquisition remains strong. We are starting to see this drive growth in the topline, particularly in the key focus area of UK sportsbook which was up 22%,” Glynn said. “As stated in February, we are confident of delivering Digital profit growth during the second half of the year as the benefits from our investments converge. At this early stage of the year we are in line with the Board’s expectations for the Group in 2012.”

Beyond the sportsbook, games net revenue increased 19 percent due to an increase in content but there was little joy in the other online sectors. Casino net revenue decreased 4.8 percent whereas poker net revenue fell by a disappointing 26.8 percent. Bingo net revenue also decreased 2.6 percent. The company will launch its new website in May and a contract extension with OpenBet will enhance “flexibility of development whilst further expanding games content”.

The rest of the company saw net revenue increase 8.9 percent with operating profit up 3.9 percent at £50.4 million. Retail experience an impressive increase of 9 percent driven by the rise of the machines – 21.7 percent increase in net revenue. End of year results looked rather bleak for the firm and a lot could depend on what their new website looks like as to how successful the year as a whole turns out.

Business News

OpenBet

Ladbrokes veteran Kevin Hopgood could turn his back on the firm after 35 years. eGR understands the long-serving employee is “considering his options” and could start up his own consultancy business after a three-month non-compete clause is up. Hopgood’s final role with the company was as international development director and in his time he’s held a number of high-profile roles. A spokesman for the company confirmed Adam Greenblatt will take over Hopgood’s role. He added: “The international focus will be on China, Spain, Denmark and other new market opportunities.”

BetVictor is in talks to change the company that handles its advertising account. CampaignLive reports agency sources are saying the firm is working with intermediary Oystercatchers to find a new firm. It brings down the curtain on Home’s year or so in charge of the account and it might mean comedian Paddy McGuinness no longer appears in the advertising campaign. He’ll just have to keep himself occupied with 30 women and one man every Saturday night. Hard life.

Business News

Simon Ordish LVS CEO said, “LVS are expanding at a rapid rate as we continue to win new clients and we needed an industry heavyweight who could operate at a very senior level and also manage all aspects of our development. Nick’s played a major part in defining and implementing Ladbrokes IT strategy in retail, e-gaming and Internationally. His experience speaks for its self and I am delighted to have him on board.”

Nick Dutton, the former Director of Information System for Ladbrokes said, “After 20 years with Ladbrokes I am delighted to be joining LVS. One of my key reasons for joining is the superior technology stack they are able to offer their customers. This is a very exciting time to be joining LVS and I look forward to being a major part of their future development.”

ENDS

Media Contact:
Jodie Thind, Lyceum Media
jodie@lyceummedia.com
+44 (0) 208 123 7184 | +44 (0) 7932 440 157

Notes to Editors

About LVS (http://www.lvs.co.uk)
Recently acquired by the French national lottery operator, La Française Des Jeux, LVS has supplied interactive sports betting software to leading sportsbook operators since 1992. The Advanced Betting Platform sportsbook engine from LVS is the most flexible sportsbook on the market and has ten years of continuous development behind it. The Advanced Betting Platform (ABP) enables operators to provide customers with the ability to bet and play in multiple languages and currencies across several products and platforms including web, mobile devices, retail outlets and telebetting services. LVS is a member of the World and European Lottery Associations and is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission.

Press Releases

• Offer bets on any Olympic event, with due regard for the integrity of the Games.

• Report all unusual betting patterns detected through our in-house risk management tools and any identified breaches of IOC rules to the UK Gambling Commission’s Sports Betting Integrity Unit, under existing UK regulations.

• Not knowingly take any bets from anyone accredited by the IOC.

• Ensure that senior personnel manage our internal systems and offer a 24-hour reporting service.

• Suspend or void bets if given clear guidance by the Gambling Commission unless directed otherwise by the operator’s own regulator.

• Restrict media comment on integrity to joint statements with the Gambling Commission and the IOC.

According to a release by the RGA, it will also mean signatories in other jurisdictions now report suspicious betting patterns to the Commission. We can only assume this will have to first be reported to the EGBA or ESSA and the length of time it takes will be a crucial factor. Apart from that, much of what has been laid out is simply an update to what would already happen. If suspicious betting patterns are detected, the systems in place will report it straight away. As we heard yesterday from the chair of the meeting, Mike O’Kane, the bookmakers are less worried about the Olympic Games as a betting event.  Euro 2012 represents more business for gambling industry firms and ultimately the popularity of the sport presents more risk of match fixing.

It’s no surprise the various authorities are thinking of every eventuality when it comes to the Olympics being the unfettered spectacle everyone is hoping for. We just hope they aren’t ignoring other more realistic threats by focusing attention on possible betting corruption.

Sports News

Sportingbet Group CEO Andrew McIver thinks the ongoing economic unrest in Europe has made the going there “bumpy” for all online gambling operators, but the fact that Greece and Spain – two markets in which Sportingbet is particularly strong – are among the hardest hit countries means McIver’s company is feeling the pain a little more than most.

With tightened belts – and confidence perhaps shaken by the implosion of sites like Full Tilt Poker – gamblers have adopted a ‘just in time’ approach to funding their online accounts. McIver says some of the company’s recreational players “had got to a point where they were depositing £10, betting, withdrawing, depositing, betting, withdrawing… The logistical cost of that is vast.” Hence Sportingbet’s recent decision to introduce a £1 charge on all deposits “to put them off that sort of behavior.” While there have been complaints, McIver said the protest “hasn’t been enormous.”

Sportingbet’s current plan for Europe is to simply “ride out” the downturn by continuing to provide punters with a good product. Growth will come from Australia already 47% of Sportingbet’s business and South America, “a much smaller part of our business but it is growing strongly compared to Europe.” Sportingbet’s first ports of call on the continent are Brazil and Chile. “Desktop research” indicated Brazil should be their primary target, based in part on its size, a strong football heritage and passionate people who love sport.

But it’s not all gravy. Unlike McIver’s UK customers, who grew up with betting shops on every corner, Brazilians “grew up in a lottery system. Fixed-odds betting is something they’ve had to learn, really.” Sportingbet’s Brazilian website had to undergo extensive redesign to incorporate “a much more educational piece” to the process: explaining probabilities associated with each wager, what it means in odds, what a successful result means in monetary terms, etc.

Chile’s Spanish-speaking populace appealed to a company that already has a big Spanish business. McIver also believes Chile could be the first South American country to regulate online gambling, although he offered this caveat: “I haven’t got this right yet.” Regulation is key to Sportingbet’s long-term strategy, which McIver says is “to be regulated wherever we can.” That said, the company is “prepared to take a gamble” that certain countries (like Brazil and Chile) will eventually introduce regulations. That scenario never looked likely in Turkey, which prompted Sportingbet to exit that market in late 2011.

Sportingbet would love to take a gamble on re-entering a regulated US market. McIver says the company elected to make a $33m settlement with the Department of Justice in 2010 because “we hoped it would open the door going into the future.” McIver believes individual states will lead the way by regulating poker and casino games, which means that sportsbooks like Sportingbet will have to wait a while longer until they can take full advantage of the US market. But that hasn’t stopped Sportingbet from conducting joint venture talks with a potential US partner, which McIver says are “at the paperwork stage.”

While talks are progressing, McIver doesn’t appear to believe there’s any compelling reason to rush things. Unlike some of his colleagues, McIver isn’t expecting the US market to start significantly contributing to his bottom line out of the gate. “Do I think the US is going to suddenly be a great gold scene within the industry within the next year? No, I don’t. Do I think it will come back in a five- to 10-year period? Yes.”

Business News

Don’t forget to watch the 2012 GES LatAm highlights video here.

Business News

Ladbrokes will be piloting a new initiative to reduce crime across its betting shops in London.

The initiative, named Facewatch, is an online crime reporting and image sharing system which will be used by the Police, Business Crime Reduction Partnerships, Business Improvement Districts, shopping centres and retailers across the capital.

In a statement today, Ladbrokes said the face-watching scheme has been proved to reduce crime and improves detection and conviction rates by acting as a strong deterrent to would-be thieves and shoplifters. It also saves the Police and shop staff time by offering a rapid and customer focused response to any incident.

Public Affairs Manager at Ladbrokes, Richard Royal, said: “The safety and security of our customers and staff is paramount and we’re delighted to add another crime-fighting tool to our excellent procedures, which already includes a 24/7 manned security room and the best CCTV in the business. Ladbrokes is glad to be at the forefront of cutting edge innovative technological solutions to problems which affect the whole community.”

Facewatch is a proven internet based system which by empowering business owners to work in partnership with the Police allows crimes to be reported quicker, with the correct evidential information and witness statements, enabling the Police to start investigations immediately and enabling the business owner to proactively help the victim.

Details of the crime are entered into the Facewatch system via any Internet connected device and a crime investigation number is immediately provided to the victim. The business owner is then able to upload moving and still images from his CCTV cameras which may be used in court as evidence. Further services such as payment card cancellation is provided free of charge to a victim who will also receive regular updates by email on the progress of the police investigation.

Chairman and founder of Facewatch Ltd, Simon Gordon, added: “Facewatch is the perfect solution in this environment as it provides immediate benefits for customers and staff whilst ensuring rapid and accurate uploading of all crime information and allows all shops to share information and images of persistent offenders”.

Business News

There will be a large focus on how to deal with any corruption around the Games and methods employed to ensure suspect patterns are communicated between all parties. Representing the IOC will be head of ethics Paquerette Girard Zappelli, Kendrah Potts, the lead lawyer on betting and doping at LOCOG will be on hand, along with Nick Tofiluk, head of regulation at the Gambling Commission. The IOC has already signed a deal with Betfair to assist with any problems that might occur and the UK is setting up a unit to tackle fixing.

Gambling industry voices are slightly perturbed by the various bodies getting so worried about the games being so heavily influenced by fixing with one “industry insider” quoted by the Guardian, saying: “The reality is that the Olympics is a very small event in betting terms. The threat seems to have been overstated.”

Given that any betting corruption in sport is swiftly reported to the relevant authorities by firms in the gambling industry, it’s no surprise they’re calling the threat overstated. The Olympics taking place in the UK means it’s happening in one of the strongest territories in terms of gambling industry regulation and most fixing is discovered before developing further.

Mike O’Kane, trading director at Ladbrokes and chief bookmaker at the industry body European Sports Security Association, is chairing the meeting. The government sending a representative in the shape of Department of Culture Media and Sport civil servant, Andrew Scattergood, from their Olympic executive.

Sports News

Spielo International

GTECH G2 business units, Boss Media and St Minver, are the other two to be included on the application.

Ladbrokes has appointed Sky IQ as their new customer intelligence services partner. It will see the firm enhance Lads’ capability in campaign effectiveness, CRM and customer analytics. It covers retail, mobile and digital with the latter the main focus. Lads CEO Richard Glynn added: “The agreement with Sky IQ is a further step along our digital development plan. We continue with our investment in digital technology, digital marketing and increased customer focus. Sky IQ’s experience of enhanced CRM and campaign management will help drive further momentum.”

Italian operator Microgame is ready to launch a betting exchange in conjunction with Ireland’s Global Betting Exchange (GBE). It comes after Italy changed its legislation regarding exchanges and it will be integrated with existing products as part of the People’s IBEX Brand. GBE chief executive Brian O’Sullivan said: “We have been monitoring progress towards the regulation of Betting Exchange in Italy and are delighted that we are close to the point where Italian consumers can benefit from the full range of betting exchange features that we have been providing to users in the UK for more than 10 years.”

It means GBE’s Betdaq will be in competition with Betfair’s soon-to-be launched Italian offering.

Business News

Sacre left the bookies holding out for a hero and boy did they get it. The crowd of 54,471, up from 53,318 last year, were dumb-founded when Hurricane Fly could only manage third on the podium and for once the bookies were happy Ruby passed the post first. Rock On Ruby that is.

Betfair reported “of the £10m traded on the Champion Hurdle at the off, £8m of that was on Hurricane Fly.” Russ Wiseman, head of media at Sportingbet, added to this, tweeting: “All square after Day 1. Doesn’t bear thinking about if The Fly had landed CH.”

Mark Pearson, head of media at Betfred, was equally happy with “The Fly” being swatted stating it was “a great result.” This was after they had finished up “with huge liabilities and on the returning champs.”

Stan James would have lost “a million” had the result gone in favor of the punters and Paddy Power reported it was a “punter day” for their bettors – even with the good news on Hurricane Fly. Another of the horses that lived up to the billing alongside this was Quevega, Kate Miller at William Hill admitting that a punter had won £133,000 off a £200,000 bet on the horse.

Overall the outlook is good with the consensus it’s 1-1 between the bookies and punters. How long it’ll last is anyone’s guess and it could even come down to the Gold Cup itself. Thank god they all had a hunch/knew something about Hurricane Fly. Otherwise the punters would have a commanding lead.

THREE FATALITIES ON DAY ONE

In more somber news, three horses fell victim to the course on the first day. The cross-country course was to blame for two fatal broken legs to Scots-Irish and Cheltenham favorite Garde Champetre in the Glenfarclas Chase. Educated Evans taking a heavy fall in the final race followed this, and Robin Mounsey, British Horseracing Authority spokesperson, said: The course, both the construction of the jumps and the ground, was inspected eight days ago and today, when it was found to be good to firm. On both occasions it was deemed t

Sports News

As quick as it gets

Fred Done’s firm has found a cash cow in the shape of Goals Galore and you can tell when you download the app. The best part is the fast track to GG as soon as you sign in. Unfortunately the app doesn’t stimulate your excitement like it could and compounds this with relatively slow loading times.

Pros

+ Dedicated Goals Galore tab on home page

Cons

- Feels very basic

- Slow

- Goals Galore odds not displayed clearly enough

Score – 5

Bet365

bet365 in association with New Era

This Stoke-based outfit has made their name by offering good value and reliability in equal measure, both of which are present here. Bet365’s app isn’t one that will jump through hoops and make you particularly excited. It does offer a quick and easy way to bet on absolutely anything and comes with a brand name you can trust. It might not be all-singing-all-dancing but it does the job.

Pros

+ No need to download from App store

+ Easy to use and clearly set out

+ Although web-based it’s specifically laid out for iPad

+ Good quality streaming

Cons

- Hard to find transaction history

- Boring and doesn’t have the wow factor

- Ray Winstone should be there somewhere.

Score – 9.5

Photos: a rarity in gambling apps

Betfair

Although this one’s out on its own as a betting exchange it gives the traditional sportsbooks a run for their money. It’s the quickest of the lot and the downloadable app is smooth as a new born baby’s backside. Placing a bet is simple and the same goes for topping up your account. It would be perfect…but there’s a distinct lack of streaming!

Pros

+ Made specifically for iPad and looks the part

+ Very quick

+ Easy to keep track of bets

Cons

- No streaming

Score – 8.5

Always giving the customer something back

Paddy Power

Paddy’s app is much like his company as a whole – geared towards customer enjoyment. The downloadable app has Money Back Specials (MBS) on the start page at all times. It’s quick and easy to place bets. There’s one quite significant spanner in the works though. The app stopped working numerous times during our test and it’s a real let down for a good-looking app.

Pros

+ MBS at its heart

+ Quick

Cons

- No streaming

- App regularly malfunctions

Score – 5

Sportingbet

If you decide Sportingbet is the one for you then we doff our hat to you if you can stay awake. The live score section is useful for football buffs but anyone else will find it hard to be motivated to return after their first visit. It’s hard to navigate around meaning placing a bet takes a while.

Pros

+ Live score section is useful

Cons

- Only available in portrait

- Slow and hard to navigate

- Extremely boring

Score – 5

Shake it out!

William Hill

Lets make one thing clear from the outset: Hills have got this right. The layout is very welcoming and works perfectly with the app. They’ve gone further than many competitors with sections like “Trending” – to identify what’s popular – and the standalone “Shake-a-Bet” app. Whilst the former might have traditional Hills customers wondering about fashion the latter could be the answer to getting the girlfriend interested in sports betting. It works like a slot machine and puts togethera random selection of bets in an accumulator. Hills offering, as good as it may be, hasn’t yet been optimized for iPad and thus doesn’t gain the top rating.

Pros

+ Layout straightforward and easy on the eye

+ Trending section is out on its own

+ Shake-a-Bet is an innovative option

Cons

- Made for iPhone

Score: 9

Ladbrokes

This portrait-only offering is very easy to get around. Each sport has an icon at the top of every page and if you can forgive the mad Italian commentator making an appearance you’ll grow to like it. Horseracing fans will have a field day with the streaming offering. Placing a bet is easy and contrary to some reports we had no problems with it crashing.

Pros

+ Horserace streaming available

+ Easy to navigate between sports on all pages

Cons

- The annoying Italian commentator greets you

- Only available in portrait

Score: 8

Sky Bet

Sky Bet’s app impressed us in that its streaming service was one of the best that we encountered during our review period. The app itself is out there in the boring stakes with Sportingbet and bet365 with nothing that really jumps out and says, “bet with me!” It’s a solid offering whilst at the same time leaving you with no feeling that you should be moving your account to Sky Bet.

Pros

+ Horseracing streaming among the best

+ Easy to place bet and navigate

Cons

- Boring

- Could use Sky Sports coverage more

Score – 7.5

With the new iPad out later this week it will be interesting to see if anyone aims to take a march on bet365 with an enhanced app. William Hill remain best placed to do so and an iPad app would put them top of the pile. In the meantime Stoke’s finest can sit pretty atop the pile.

Marketing News

Spain

The story also reports one international supplier that has a deal with a local land-based casino is behind schedule to the extent they may not make the market opening.

Paddy Power’s latest Cheltenham marketing stunt has already been stopped in its tracks. The jockey, which took six hours to put up on the chalk horse, was “unseated” yesterday afternoon. Paddy Power added: “It’s been taken down already. We had it up this morning and lots of pictures were taken and then the ranger on site asked us to remove it.”

Three companies have signed up to be a part of the Danish Online Gambling Association (DOGA). Betsson, Bet24 and Ladbrokes are now members of the group that acts as a collective voice for all operators in the recently regulated Danish gambling industry. The three join Bet365, Betfair, Unibet and Sportingbet. Morten Rønde, chief executive of DOGA, told eGR: “These three operators are top-tier companies and we are very happy to have them join the organisation. It gives DOGA a better basis for dealing with the gambling authority and Danish MPS and broader representation in the industry.”

Business News

NMi

Cryptologic posted their first revenue increase in five years as results showed a significant profit for 2011. Revenues were up 5% to $27.3 million – the first increase since 2006. Profits of $6.5 million were the first since 2007, in comparison to a $21.6 million loss in 2010. It makes you start to realize just how remarkable a turnaround this is.  David Gavagan, Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer, added: “While trading conditions remained challenging throughout the year, our strategy and restructuring and the commitment of our people over the past 18 months have returned the business to profit for the first time since 2007 and delivered the first annual increase in revenues and cash for five years.”

Ladbrokes’ annual report disclosed that CEO Richard Glynn walked away from 2011 with a substantial bonus. Despite the company’s poor results, he was handed £327,000 in cash and £164,000 in deferred share options for his performance. 327 G’s will look like small change if Glynn lives up to his own heady expectations though. The Daily Telegraph reports that if his “Project Galvanize” is successful in raising the share price to 297p by 2015 he’ll get £12 million. We’ll let the Swedes play you out Richie Rich…

Business News