Betfair to boost development with new hires

Betfair is looking to boost its software development capabilities with the hire of 20 new staff, including a dozen at its London office.

The London-listed operator is recruiting developers with experience in Java and Linux programming, as the firm continues to invest in technology projects including its integrated sportsbook platform.

Betfair released its fixed-odds sportsbook, developed using OpenBet software, in the UK last May and is in the process of integrating it onto the company’s existing exchange betting platform. Bettors can switch between exchange and fixed-odds products using a tab above the market screen.

Betfair is believed to be working on combining the two products into a single offering, with rival operator Ladbrokes also thought to be developing a similar product following its acquisition of BetDaq.

A spokesperson at Betfair said that the vacancies would not be part of any single development team and added that the company is always on the lookout for new talent in order to grow the business.

One of the 12 London-based vacancies is for a global head of reliability engineering and operations who will head up Betfair’s technology-driven teams.

The operator underwent a major restructure earlier this year with hundreds of staff made redundant as it looked to scale back operations in Germany, Greece and Cyprus in favour of regulated and regulating markets.

The redundancies were part of CEO Breon Corcoran’s strategy as he pledged to return the company to growth.