Eurosport Announces Launch of Online Betting Site
Date published: 1 June 2009
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As online gambling continues to grow in popularity around the world, many
companies are jumping on the bandwagon for a slice of the lucrative pie, most
recently popular TV sports broadcaster Eurosport, which has announced
plans to launch a members-only sports betting site on June 1, 2009.
The massive online betting undertaking is a joint venture between Eurosport and
leading investment fund, Serendipity. The online betting operation will be
operated by the joint venture company SPS Betting, which has as one of its core
objectives to build up a player base of more than half a million by 2014.
Known as EurosportBET, the online betting site will be free to members
and offer pre-match betting across nine sports. Down the line, the website is
expected to introduce live betting as well as online poker facilities. The
company also aims to offer its services to other online gambling-friendly
countries in Europe.
According to a statement issued by Eurosport, the company is aiming to launch
EurosportBET in Italy by as early as October this year, followed by France by
January 2010. Thereafter, it plans to launch two new websites a year targeting
sports betting fans in Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and Poland.
EurosportBET's ambitious plan of action is, of course, dependent on whether the
online gambling regulations and legislations in the above countries allow for
foreign online gambling firms. The European Commission is currently cracking
down on EU countries that are failing to deregulate their gambling industries.
Said SPS Betting marketing director, Caroline de Fontenay, 'Several European
countries are starting to deregulate the betting sector and so the time is right
for Eurosport to enter the market. Sports betting is no longer perceived as
linked to negative rules, and it offers a more engaging way to enjoy sports.'
This year Eurosport will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Since it's launch, the
TV broadcaster has expanded its services to reach over 116 million homes in 59
countries. It currently offers viewers 8 hours of live sports action every day
and its website attracts up to 9.9 million unique visitors every month.
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