M ONT H I N M I NUT ES
MONTH IN
NUMB3RS
16%
Playtech’s yearon-year revenue
rise for the three
months ended 30
September
See news on p14
RIGHT TO
REPLY
FREE BETS WRONGFULLY
UNDER FIRE
DAVID ARCHER
OWNER, FREEBETS.COM
26%
Tabcorp’s
estimated share
of the Australian
online betting
market
See our feature
on p26
6
Months until the
implementation of
the UK Gambling
(Licensing &
Advertising) Bill
Read our analysis
on p23
12
Number of licences
which were available
in the New Jersey
regulated online
gambling market
Read our interview
with 888 boss
on p51
8
In what is an extremely competitive
online betting and gaming market,
free bets have become a great tool
for bookmakers to generate a high
volume of customer acquisitions.
So it’s been interesting to see
the advertising of free bets recently
come under scrutiny by the
Gambling Commission who will soon
carry out some consultations with a
view to introducing guidelines.
I often get asked if free bets really
exist. They do. The caveat is normally
‘when’. Free bets when customers
open an account and deposit are
very commonplace although there
has been a recent trend of offering
no deposit free bets for sport.There
are certain things punters have to do
in terms of rolling over any winnings
before they can withdraw and the
free bet returns rarely include the
stake, but it’s a close a thing as free
as you are going to get.
Sites such as Freebets.com and
the affiliate industry in general
play an increasingly important
role in comparing free bets, other
promotional offers and making
clear to the consumer the terms
and conditions. Obviously for the
affiliate industry, any new guidelines
for operators using and advertising
these particular offers will have some
impact on their own business.
It’s hard to find a punter who
doesn’t like free bets and most make
good use of them. Clearly it’s within
the interests of both bookmakers
and affiliates to work together with
the Gambling Commission, the
Advertising Standards Authority and
the Responsible Gambling Trust.
While we believe there’s a fine
line between protecting consumers
and infringing on personal choice,
critics should remember one of the
main objectives of the Gambling
Commission is to keep gambling fair
and safe and overall they are doing a
good job.
QUOTE OF
THE MONTH
“Any operator that
has the balls to go out
there and do it I wish
them the very best - it
is the world’s biggest
gaming market”
Brian Mattingley, chief executive
888, on the US market read our interview on p46
FAMILY
TREE
MYBET
There has been a
raft of changes at
the top of the mybet
family tree including
the departure of its
CEO and CFO
www.egrmagazine.com