Poll: Can Sky Bet succeed as a pan-European operator?
Acquisition of Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland by BSkyB renews opportunity for the UK-focused operator to expand into new markets
Last week BSkyB announced its £4.9bn acquisition of 21st Century Fox’s stake in Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland, paving the way for a possible launch of Sky Bet in both the Italian and German online gambling markets.
The Alderney-licensed operator received an online gaming licence from local regulator AAMS in May 2012, but has yet to launch in Italy due to difficulties agreeing a deal with local broadcaster Sky Italia.
Sky Bet managing director Richard Flint had previously stressed significant differences between BSkyB and Sky Italia which he said only “had a brand name and shareholder” in common.
But now Sky Bet parent company BSkyB has taken control of Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland, Flint appeared more positive over the prospects of international expansion, which would mark a significant change in direction for the purely UK-focused operator.
“The fact that we are now one entity will certainly help our Italian launch and will help move things along in Germany as well,” Flint told eGaming Review on Friday.
“We’ve already got an Italian licence and we haven’t launched yet because this activity has been rumbling along in the background, but this now clears things up,” he added.
But can Sky Bet succeed in branching out into new European markets? Or has it left it too late to enter highly competitive markets such as Italy, where even the likes of Paddy Power have yet to match their own expectations?
Have your say on Sky Bet’s potential pan-European future on the right hand side of the page.