UK-based online gambling operator Sky Betting and Gaming has entered Italy’s real-money sports betting segment as part of its strategy to expand beyond its domestic market, gambling news website CalvinAyre reported.
The gaming and sports betting company has recently launched a .it sportsbook, offering football, basketball, and tennis betting markets. More markets are to be added in the weeks and months to come. The sportsbook comes with an app that makes it possible for gambling customers to customize their markets and overall betting experience. The gambling operator is next set to add casino offering to its Italian website.
Sky Betting and Gaming has reportedly been eying the Italian betting market since 2014 when its former owner, Sky plc, purchased Sky Italia. Although the gambling operator was sold to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners a year later, its interest in entering the Southern European country’s regulated market has not diminished at all.
Sky Betting and Gaming commenced its Italian expansion a few months ago with a Super 6 roll-out. Generally speaking, the free-to-play product offers players the chance to win exciting monetary prizes by predicting successfully the outcomes of six football matches of their choice. The gambling company is now aiming at attracting its recreational players to its real-money betting offering. And as mentioned above, the launch of casino products will come as the third stage in the operator’s international expansion.
Here it is important to note that back in 2014, when Sky purchased Sky Italia, the media giant also acquired its German counterpart – Sky Deutschland. This is why the fact that Sky Betting and Gaming is also looking to expand into the German gambling market does not come as a big surprise. The operator is set to implement the same multi-stage product roll-out as in Italy, and in the UK before.
The Super 6 game has already been launched for German players and tests for the introduction of real-money betting options are underway. The gambling operator hopes that it will manage to successfully convert its recreational German customers into real-money bettors.
Sky Betting and Gaming reported full-year revenue of £373.6 million for the twelve months ended June 30, 2016, up 51% from the previous fiscal year. The increase was attributed to the performance of the company’s sports betting division which generated £214.1 million during the period in review. Revenue from casino games and online poker totaled £159.5 million.
