British online gambling operator
Sportingbet is a British online gambling operator,
owned by Entain plc. The company was listed on the 2️⃣ London Stock Exchange and was a
constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index prior to its acquisition by GVC
holdings.
History [ 2️⃣ edit ]
The company was founded by Mark Blandford in 1997.[2]
Sportingbet acquired Paradise Poker in October 2004.[3] On 7 September 2️⃣ 2006 Sportingbet
reported that its then chairman, Peter Dicks, was detained in New York City on a
Louisiana warrant while 2️⃣ traveling in the United States on business unrelated to online
gambling.[4] Louisiana is one of the few states that has 2️⃣ a specific law prohibiting
gambling online. In March 2007, all Louisiana warrants involving the company were
cancelled.[5]
In October 2006, Sportingbet 2️⃣ announced Paradise Poker would stop taking
deposits from US customers, although most would be allowed to continue to play for
2️⃣ another month.[6] Additionally, Sportingbet sold all its US-facing sports betting and
casino businesses, including Sportsbook and Sports, to a group 2️⃣ of private investors
forR$1, and an assumption ofR$13.2 million in debts.[7]
In February 2007, Sportingbet
announced it was eliminating its Paradise 2️⃣ Poker software and migrating players to its
Sportingbet Poker platform. Prior to this, the two platforms had approximately the same
2️⃣ number of players, but the Sportingbet platform had higher liquidity because that
platform was part of a larger network. The 2️⃣ brand name of Paradise Poker was
retained.[8]
In 2008, Netbet (Pty) Ltd, a company in South Africa, licensed the
Sportingbet brand 2️⃣ for online gambling in South Africa.
In October 2012, Sportingbet
announced its board had agreed to preliminary terms for a £530 2️⃣ million takeover bid
from UK bookmaker William Hill and Isle of Man-based GVC Holdings.[9] Under the terms,
Sportingbet's Australian and 2️⃣ Spanish operations were bought by William
Hill.[10]
Operations [ edit ]
Sportingbet operates local-focused sportsbooks, virtual
games and casino sites, and the 2️⃣ online poker cardroom, Paradise Poker. Overall, the
company has over 2.5 million registered customers in 200 countries, who place over 2️⃣ one
million bets (casino, poker, sports and virtual games) per day.
Sportingbet operates
several websites. The largest of these are wholly 2️⃣ owned and operated by Sportingbet.
They also use a system similar to a franchise, in which independent website operators
use 2️⃣ Sportingbet's centralised software, financial services, trading, and customer
service under license. These web sites receive a cut of the profits 2️⃣ their customers
generate.
Sportingbet's corporate offices are located in Guernsey. They also have
offices and call centres in the Republic of 2️⃣ Ireland and Costa Rica. The PLC is located
in Moorgate, London.
The company sponsored Premier League, Championship and League One
football 2️⃣ team Wolverhampton Wanderers from the 2009–10 season until the 2013–14
season.[11] This link-up with a football club first began in 2️⃣ January 2009, when
Bulgarian football club Slavia Sofia announced a 3-year sponsoring deal. As a result,
the logo of the 2️⃣ company appeared on the club's shirts for the 2008–09, 2009–10 and
2010–11 seasons of the Bulgarian A PFG. Sportingbet also 2️⃣ sponsored Steaua Bucuresti of
Romania for the 2009–10 and 2010–11 season. The logo also appeared on Steaua Bucuresti
II, Steaua's 2️⃣ reserve team's shirt, which now plays in Liga. Sportingbet also sponsored
division 1 Victorian amateur football team Banyule FC for 2️⃣ the 2010–2011
seasons.[12]
PAOK FC[13] (2024–2024)
CFR Cluj (2024–present)
Série B[14] (2024)
Copa
Libertadores[15] (Brazil only) (2024–present)
Copa Sudamericana[15] (Brazil only)
(2024–present)
