Australian betting operator Tatts Group is rebranding its wagering operations in a bid to go toe-to-toe with the Aussie branches of international online gambling operators like William Hill and Paddy Power. The change, which will take effect in the first quarter of 2015, involves consolidating the Group’s Tattsbet, TAB, Tote and Tatts.com brands under the new UBET moniker. The new national betting brand will be accompanied by the long-awaited launch of Tatts’ new wagering website, Ubet.com, and a new mobile app.
While the change won’t apply to Tatts’ lotteries division, extensive refits are planned for Tatts 1,400 retail betting outlets, which generate 70% of the company’s wagering turnover. Aside from new UBET signage, the shops will also get a technology makeover via increased video monitors and other data-driven treats. A Tatts spokesperson said this was “not just sticking a label on the front door. This is a holistic business change. It will look very, very different from what it currently does.”
Tatts CEO Robbie Cooke (pictured) told the AAP that the change was the biggest in the company’s 52-year history. Cooke said the company “simply had to evolve as a business, so it made sense that our identity evolve with us.” Cooke says UBET is a “great, punchy name” and the new identity is “more reflective of who we are.”
Cooke says Tatts has a “two-year horizon” for an “intense repositioning” of Tatts’ operations. Tatts will boost its marketing to accompany the rebranding but Cooke declined specifics on how costly this promotional push might prove. Cooke said only that Tatts’ recent 30-year racing monopoly extension in Queensland had provided it with sufficient resources to boost marketing without seriously affecting earnings.
Marketing manager Penny Glasson told Mumbrella that UBET’s marketing would stand out among the “sea of sameness” that plagues betting promos down under. Glasson said UBET would target a younger demographic while taking a “different approach” from the “very blokey” offerings of Tatts’ competitors.
Communications design group Hulsbosch can take credit for the UBET name. Founder Hans Hulsbosch told The Australian that it took a year to come up with a snappy name that (a) had the word ‘bet’ in it, (b) hadn’t already been claimed by online domain squatters and (c) “could become part of the vernacular. UBET already is.”
