SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
It has been reported that Australian betting company Tabcorp is scheduled to launch Sun Bets, in partnership with Rupert Murdoch’s News UK, within the next six months.
Chief Executive at Tabcorp, David Attenborough, had this to say: “It is a natural step for us. We have worked with News Ltd. closely in Australia and built up a high degree of trust. They have one of the strongest brands in the UK with half of the UK betting population regularly reading or engaging with The Sun.”
Tabcorp announced the deal with News Corp subsidiary News UK in December 2015. The contract is set to run for an initial ten years but an extension is possible depending on performance. Tabcorp will utilise News UK’s customer base and significant media assets, as well as its associated sports and racing products Dream Team FC, Favourite and Goals.
Attenborough has previously stated that The Sun has more than ten million readers per week and over one million football fans actively engaged through the Dream Team FC fantasy football competition. He’s also highlighted that the partnership is an opportunity for the company to take a chunk of the UK’s $7bn (£4.97bn) online sports and race betting market.
Tabcorp has seen its position as Australia’s largest wagering operator challenged in the last few years. This is due to an invasion of largely UK-based bookmakers including William Hill, Paddy Power, Bet365 and Ladbrokes eating into its market share.
