Ladbrokes gears-up for ?1m EU referendum
Operator prepares for 23 June vote with new micro-site, also has one eye on US elections
Ladbrokes is looking to cash in on the upcoming EU referendum after launching a new “one stop-shop” micro-site dedicated to this summer’s big vote.
The operator said the Grand Parade developed site, which features a referendum barometer based on the operator’s current odds, would help drive retention and customer acquisition in the months leading up to the 23 June event.
Ladbrokes head of political betting Matthew Shaddick told eGaming Review the firm expected to see stakes in excess of ?1m as more punters take to political betting markets.
“Whilst many viewers [of the site] are passive observers, we are sure that eventually these people are the political betting customers of the future and it’s a great shop window for us,” Shaddick said.
“We forecast in excess of ?1m stakes, which will be less than the Indy referendum, but that was a two-year campaign. The fact that there is just one big proposition actually makes it a more saleable bet to a lot of people – much more straightforward than parliamentary elections,” he added.
The micro-site follows on from a similar product launched by Ladbrokes ahead of last year’s General Election, a release which Shaddick said the firm had learned a few lessons from.
“We learned that the general public are increasingly becoming more fascinated with our take on any political event, especially when there is disparity with the polls,” Shaddick said.
“We also learned that it’s important to have the main feature – in this case the barometer – as a clear standalone widget which can easily be shared and embedded in other sites and blogs,” he added.
Shaddick said the firm would consider launching another micro-site for November’s US Presidential Election should businessman Donald Trump win the Republican Party nomination.
The involvement of Trump has resulted in increased media and public attention on the US election in the UK, something Shaddick said Ladbrokes could take advantage of should he win the nomination.
However, with Trump well ahead in many of the state-by-state primary and caucus polls, primary betting numbers have been deflated, although overall Shaddick said the firm would turnover more than in the previous election.
“Most of the primaries are totally uncompetitive at the moment,” Shaddick said ahead of tonight’s ‘Super Tuesday’ vote, when 12 states go to the polls. “Iowa [last month] was the exception but, overall, I think this will be even bigger than 2012, especially if Trump is the Republican candidate.”