M ONT H I N M I NUT ES
MONTH IN NUMB3RS
REPLY
The trust factor
> By Mark Davies > founder of Camberton
Hats off to the online and mobile operators who gave evidence to the DCMS Select Committee last year. At the end, the chairman, John Whittingdale, asked a question about how people know which gambling sites are licensed and which are not. The reply was that consumers care less about licensing than they do about whether they consistently get paid out, which is true, but I’m not sure that it actually answers what is a favourite question among politicians. The short answer is that the market does the work as far as the consumer knowing who he is betting with is concerned. Most gamblers know a handful of names of gambling brands, and they go straight to it, while those who are new to gambling go to the sites they see advertised. The policy of some governments to restrict licensing to too low a number to allow well-known brand names to get in is damaging to the overall take. Any government with a licensing regime that blocks big brand names is asking for serious trouble. I believe that the French legislation is madness. The fear of unlicensed sites attracting business in a jurisdiction with decent regulation is largely misplaced, because licensed operators are able to promote themselves in the country where they are licensed, and consumers automatically go to the websites that they have heard of. Only in a regime where a reputable operator cannot promote its product is the consumer forced to Google ‘gambling site’. People in the UK know Bet365 and Paddy Power because they spend a lot of money to advertise on TV. So it is vital, as was mentioned by the operators giving evidence, that licensed sites can advertise and offer promotions, while unlicensed ones cannot. Governments that wish to remain in control of gambling products must not try to be cute with regulation in a way that keeps well-known, well-run operators out.
£80m
Amount paid by Groupe Bernard Tapie to the US Department of Justice for Full Tilt Poker
see Consequences of a deal
151%
Italy's mobile penetration: the highest in Europe
turn to page 19 for news of PokerStars' new mobile app
OpenBet hits the bullseye!
OpenBet: Barry Hearn, chairman of Matchroom Sport (left), Phil 'The Power' Taylor and OpenBet CEO David Loveday (right) announce exclusive licensing deal to distribute casino conent based on sports brands
50%
Growth in SkyBet’s operating profit since 2009-10, helping them to climb 10 places to No 12 in this year’s Power 50
turn to page 54
QUOTES
$90m
Amount paid by Caesars Interactive for a 51% stake in social games developer Playtika
see cover feature on p45
The evolution of legislation depends on whether the ruling party could achieve absolute majority in government, which looks very unlikely
Betfair’s public affairs manager on Greek regulation. Turn to News Analysis, p39
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BETFAIR’S INS AND OUTS
30m
turn to page 9
The number of monthly players Zynga Poker currently has on Facebook, according to Appdata.com
FAMILY TREE
Last month saw former Paddy Power chief operating officer Breon Corcoran named as the next CEO of Betfair. When he takes up his new role in August 2012 the Irishman will join a number of other new faces at the London-listed operator. Meanwhile, a number of high-pro?le names have left the company, with others set to follow them in the coming months.
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