Bookmaker William Hill’s Australian division has revived its dormant Centrebet brand only months after streamlining its down under operations into a single corporate presence.
On Tuesday, William Hill Australia formally announced the rebirth of its Centrebet website and mobile app, which is being positioned as the home of the “serious” racing bettor. Hills Australia CEO Tom Waterhouse said Centrebet was “the only option for all punters who want the best price and the only place the professionals can get a big bet on.”
Hills acquired Centrebet in 2013 as part of its £455m takeover of Sportingbet’s regulated market business, then quickly announced that it would consolidate its entire Australian operations – including Centrebet, Sportingbet and TomWaterhouse.com – under the William Hill Australia banner.
The laborious customer migration was finally completed last year but this week’s announcement suggests that the numbers didn’t support the brand unification strategy, which had been intended to avoid “confusion” in the market. Former Centrebet punters reported receiving email and social media come-ons in late December hinting at the brand revival.
In a bid to woo back the punters it forcibly migrated onto the Hills’ site, Centrebet has committed to betting all punters to win A$5k on Saturday and A$2,500 on midweek metropolitan races in all states, not just Victoria and New South Wales, where such minimums are the law of the land.
Sports bettors are also being lured to the brand’s Power Bet sportsbook by betting on all punters to win at least A$10k on head-to-head and line markets, while offering the best prices on AFL, NRL, NBA, NFL, Grand Slam Tennis and Big Bash Cricket.
Meanwhile, Hills may have lost its Australian Open courtside presence but the company is making the most of its remaining privileges as the Open’s official partner. The company just debuted a new television commercial, starring Aussie actor Axle Whitehead and a Kanye West soundtrack, to promote the speed of its betting interface. The spot, designed by the Fenton Stephens agency, will be accompanied by a retail and integrated digital campaign.
