Sky Bet records 20% Q1 revenue growth
Egaming operator continues UK-focused strategy and sees growth on the back of a strong mobile performance
Alderney-licensed Sky Betting and Gaming has seen net revenue grow 20% year-on-year in Q1 2014, driven by strong performance from mobile and its focus on the UK market.
The operator’s parent company BSkyB released its financial results today and despite not releasing figures for its egaming arm, Sky Betting and Gaming managing director Richard Flint confirmed the operator had seen approximately 20% net revenue growth, with its mobile product having performed strongly.
“We’ve got a very good product and an industry leading product which you can see by the ratings in the app store,” Flint said. “Sky has got a good reputation and profile in mobile apps and it helps being part of that.
“I think it’s also fair to say that our internet product was not as good as some of our competitors,” he added. “Now we’ve got a product which is as good, or even better, than the competition and the customers have moved across to that.”
The backend of Sky Bet’s mobile offering is currently run by software provider OpenBet, with the front end being brought in-house from Mobenga, which Flint said had given the operator more control and flexibility.
Sky Betting and Gaming recently announced the launch of an updated version of its mobile app which saw the release of a seamless login function between its Sky Bet and Sky Vegas brands and Flint belives it has boosted its mobile casino product.
“We do all that in-house and it has certainly helped us to cross-sell between Sky Bet and Sky Vegas,” he said. “We’ve seen growth in Vegas mobile revenues partly on the back of that cross-sell.”
The eGR Operator of the Year award winner became the new title sponsor of the Football League in July as part of a five-year deal which Flint said provides a platform for growth in the future.
“Our focus is very much the UK where we continue to see good growth and we are pleased to see the effects of this partnership,” he said. “This helps us going forward in terms of our brand profile and visibility. It’s early days but we think it’s going to raise our brand visibility in the UK even more which was precisely the point of doing it.”
The sponsorship came just weeks after becoming the official betting and gaming partner of Leeds United Football Club.