HorseRacing.com.au – One of the world’s leading betting and gaming companies, Ladbrokes plc., has entered the Australian betting market after acquiring Gaming Investments – the holding company and owner of online gambling operator Bookmaker.com.au – for an initial fee of $22.5 million with further payments based on results.
Ladbrokes is one of the world’s best known gambling brands and offers betting services to punters all over the world through their website, telephone betting operation and retail-betting shops that can be found in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium and Spain.
The global gambling operator will launch their own site, Ladbrokes.com.au, in Australia for the first time while managing existing Australian operator Bookmaker.com.au who have thrived since entering the competitive market in 2012, with $400 million staked with the Brisbane-based bookmaker in the twelve months up to June 30.
Gaming Investments have developed their own wagering software that is an industry leader in both digital marketing and search engine optimization, which Ladbrokes International & Group Strategy Director Damian Cope believes provides Ladbrokes with the ideal platform to launch in Australia.
“Bookmaker.com.au has achieved strong growth since launch in 2012,” Cope said.
“The technology skills and highly experienced management team that have enabled that success will now help Ladbrokes establish a strong presence in Australia by delivering value, product innovation and a better customer experience.”
The 2013 Spring Racing Carnival has already started to heat up, with the first Group 1 event held at Caulfield last Saturday, and James Burnett, Bookmaker.com.au General Manager Marketing and Communications, is excited to be able to give punters all around Australia the opportunity to take advantage of a number of new and innovative features during the peak time for racing.
“We are excited to move into this next phase of the business as Ladbrokes.com.au,” Burnett said.
“With the Spring Racing Carnival just around the corner, customers will be looking at the Australian betting marketplace and assessing their options more closely than ever so there couldn’t be a better time to launch the new service.”
Ladbrokes currently offers thirteen tailored websites, available in nine different languages, that service 800,000 active clients all around the world.
