iGaming Business – Members of Betclic Everest Group’s senior management team have expressed their confidence in the future of the French online betting market, announced a major relaunch of Everest Poker and that the group will record more than €20m EBITDA in France in 2013 following its restructuring in the last couple of years.
Speaking at a press conference held on Thursday morning, Isabelle Andres and Marc Guigo, BEG chief executive and director for France and central Europe respectively, praised the company’s work in its core betting business and said it would be back in the black at an operating profit level this year while all the group’s brands: Betclic, Everest, Expekt and Bet-at-home, would generate €250-€300m in gross gaming revenues in 2013.
Guigo said Betclic had managed to keep its 36-37% market share since the market opening of 2010, the French online betting market recorded €584m in stakes, a 13% rise on the same period in 2012, in the first nine months of 2013.
Both executives were confident in the future health of the online betting market, which has been boosted by major investments in PSG and Monaco football clubs and punters being interested in Champions league and international bets, and said it had gained in maturity in the past year.
“Betclic has managed to keep a strong and stable position in the most heavily taxed market in the EU and in difficult (economic) conditions,” said Guigo, “the online betting market is competitive and dynamic and we have focused our growth on three key points: mobile, where over 40% of bets are now placed by our players, football betting, which now accounts for 62% of our betting mix, the World Cup in 2014 and the development of our bets offering, where football offers have now doubled and tennis offers have grown 50%.”
