Billionaire entrepreneur and EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou launches EasyBet in a joint venture with Matchbook. An overview of the UK online gambling market, its revenue and the prominence of sports betting.
EasyGroup, a brand that includes renowned budget airline EasyJet in its group of companies, is now entering the sports betting arena with the launch of EasyBet.net.
Billionaire entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou has used the “Easy” brand to market everything from an airline to pizza outlets and is now betting on the online sports betting sector.
This year, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the founder and owner of the “Easy” family of brands, which began its journey in 1994, celebrates 30 years of innovative entrepreneurship.
Three decades on, easyjet.com, founded in 1995, stands as the most recognised brand in the group. Impressive figures underscore this: The airline has transported over 1.1 billion passengers since its inception. Moreover, the Easy family now encompasses over 100 diverse sub-brands, covering a broad spectrum of consumer-focused businesses worldwide.
Commenting on the launch of EasyBet, the EasyGroup founder said it is a “natural” move for the conglomerate. “We are delighted to welcome EasyBet.net to the ‘Easy’ family of brands,” Haji-Ioannou said. “It is a natural new market to complement our other large consumer brands in the UK and Ireland.”
EasyBet offers peer-to-peer betting with the aim of giving customers fairer odds than traditional bookmakers. It allows you to bet on sporting events. You can back what you think will win or lay what you think will lose. EasyBet believes that this model offers fairer odds to the consumer.
The EasyBet website only offers sports betting and wagers on politics, such as the outcome of the next US Presidential election. It does not plan to offer casino games in the future.
EasyGroup said launching a betting brand would help it defend infringement of its copyright by other betting sites that were using the “Easy” name.
EasyBet is a joint venture with Matchbook, a trading name of Triplebet.
Triplebet is based on the Channel Island of Alderney and is seen as being on the comeback trail since the Gambling Commission suspended its gambling licence for six months in 2020. It was fined £740,000 for failures regarding player protection and anti-money laundering controls. Its compliance systems have since been overhauled.
Matchbook will pay a licence fee to use the "Easy” brand, mimicking similar deals struck by betting firms with Sky, Virgin and the Sun newspaper.
Malcolm Graham, chief executive of Matchbook, said he was “thrilled that we will be supporting Stellios’ philanthropic activities via the licence fees being paid to EasyGroup.”
TripleBet has a "white label" deal with EasyBet. White labels allow newcomers to the UK betting market to piggyback on the online structure of a company that already holds a licence to take bets in the UK, marking it with their own branding, such as EasyGroup's distinctive orange livery being prominently displayed.
Overseas firms have frequently used the white label system to obtain a British licence.
The UK online gambling market size reached US$8.3 billion in 2023. Looking forward, the market is expected to reach a value of US$12.7 billion by 2032, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 4.6% during 2024-32.
In the United Kingdom, online gambling has gained popularity as it offers various benefits, including cashless transactions, accessibility through electronic devices, customisable budgets and real-time gambling experiences.
The UK market is considered to be highly evolved and is primarily driven by the high adoption of smartphones and internet services. The local online gambling market has been segregated into sports betting, casinos, and several others based on game type. Sports betting currently exhibits a clear dominance in the market.
Online gambling in this market has risen significantly during and after the pandemic, as tax-free winnings, affordability, and convenience all contribute to a surge in gambling across the UK. In 2024, the UK bagged second spot in the top online gambling nations list, just behind the US, which is expected to see about US$18.41 billion in revenue this year.
In conclusion, reading the guide entitled “Successful Sports Betting: The Art of Value Betting” was interesting and offered insight into the marketing of online sports betting strategies suggested for punters using the EasyBet platform.
EasyBet welcomes the potential bettor into the exhilarating world of sports betting where "intuition meets strategy and every game holds the potential for victory."
The sports betting landscape constantly evolves, with shifts in betting markets, odds and sports analytics. The successful punter will commit to continuous learning, staying up-to-date with the latest trends, tools, and strategies, adapting to changes, and refining their approach based on new information, which is key to staying ahead.
Embarking on a sports betting journey with these pro strategies in mind sets the stage for a more disciplined, informed and ultimately successful betting experience.
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