Betting
German betting situation ‘better than ever before’
Despite the restrictive nature of the State Treaty and the u-turn by Schleswig-Holstein, Betbull believes things are looking up in Germany.
GERMANY E
uropean retail betting firm Betbull Holdings has revealed that it expects to be
awarded one of the 20 licences up for grabs under the new German State Treaty on Gambling. While recognising the regulations are restrictive in the country, especially after the announcement by the new government in Schleswig- Holstein to repeal its more permissive law, managing director Alexander Leip believes things have never been so good.
“The legal situation in Schleswig-Holstein as well as in the other 15 Federal States is better than ever before in the history of sports betting in Germany, even though there is a need for rectification. However, we appreciate the first ten- dering procedure for a sports betting licence in Germany and are positive to be awarded one of the 20 licences. For more than 20 years we have been success- ful in the betting business
and are convinced to con- tinue our success story within the new legal frame- work.”
The new State Treaty on Gambling came into effect 1 July 2012 with the Europe- wide tendering procedure for the 20 sports betting licences in Germany start- ing the following month. There is no official time schedule yet for awarding the licences, but Betbull said it does not expect a final licence grant before Febru- ary or March 2013.
Leip continued: “Our only criticism about the present situation is that we have 16 different implementation laws in 16 different federal states. This is a severe hand- icap for the whole industry since our business works nationwide and does not stop at any state frontier. Unfortunately, some of the federal Prime Ministers could not hide their lack of understanding of the betting business, probably due to limited experience in a reg- ulated betting market which has resulted in some of the
regulations being way beyond economic reality. At the moment the biggest neg- ative point is administrative actions in Rhineland-Palati- nate, where Betbull shops are still barred from selling sports bets.”
Regarding Schleswig- Holstein, Betbull has filed its licence application for retail sports betting but is concerned that the new coalition government, with its intention to join the State Treaty, will be sluggish in its award procedure. However, it said it ‘will fail because of the legal compulsion to execute the existing Gam- bling Act’.
Leip added: “We are posi- tive that the new State Treaty on Gambling is just the beginning and that within the next two to three years a genuine deregula- tion will [see gambling] no longer be prohibited. As a reliable and transparent company focussing on organic growth, acquisi- tions and strategic partner- ships we will definitely perform well within a regu-
BETTINGBRIEFS
HILLS SNOOKER LOOPY
Williamhill.com has renewed its title
sponsorship of snooker’s UK Championship for the next two years. World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn said: “William Hill recognise that this sport is going places and they want to be involved, and we welcome them back with open arms to sponsor this outstanding tournament. They were clearly delighted with the amount of exposure they got for their brand from the event last year. The
williamhill.com UK Championship is one of our biggest world ranking events and is watched by many millions of people worldwide. We look forward to working with the team from William Hill again with the target to deliver another exceptional event.”
lated market.”
Leip said in the short term Betbull will continue its main strategy and focus on refurbishing its existing retail network as well as upgrading core technology. “Significant investment in new retail units is our top priority,” he added. “We are gearing up for the time when we are granted a licence for sports betting, reviewing all our options to find new loca- tions in order to fulfil the quota of betting shops allowed in each Federal State. Talks and negotia- tions with strong and reli- able partners concerning cooperation will therefore be further intensified within the next months.”
ALEXANDER LEIP: SOME REGULATIONS ‘WAY BEYOND
ECONOMIC REALITY’ (PETER AUSTENFELD)
THIEF GETS SUSPENDED SENTENCE
Cinematic ad brings drama to Sky Bet MARKETING O
nline bookmaker Sky Bet has launched a new television advert, the second chapter of Sky Bet’s hugely successful ‘What if?’ marketing cam- paign, which the firm says has been a key driver in it become one of the fasting growing companies in the online betting and gaming sector.
Directed by Jim Weedon of Bare Films, the startling advert builds on the ‘What if?’ concept and includes the strap line ‘Nothing’s certain. That’s why it’s exciting.” In a departure from tradi- tional bookmaker cam- paigns, Sky Bet’s advert does not focus on odds, bet placement or winnings. Instead, it employs striking imagery to reference key
A STILL FROM THE NEW SKY BET AD
themes of the football season and illustrate the questions a football bettor poses when considering a bet. Ted Moss, Sky Betting and Gaming’s marketing direc-
14 BettingBusinessInteractive • OCTOBER 2012
tor, said: “The ad brilliantly encapsulates everything that’s exciting about foot- ball and betting on it. Every season, managers are sacked, old scores are settled and last gasp goals
can make or break a club’s season.”
The advert has used high production values and employed a cinematic quality to the advert in an attempt to invoke some of
the wider Sky entertainment products. The use of intense lighting, time slice and unex- pected camera angles are intended to heighten drama, which is amplified further by an intense soundtrack. Sky Bet intends to run a mix of brand and direct response adverts across sporting channels, includ- ing spots before major foot- ball fixtures throughout September and October. The campaign will be inte- grated across online and mobile platforms, encom- passing direct response, re- targeting and brand creative, which include homepage takeovers, super banners, backgrounds and rich media on sporting web- sites, Yahoo, Facebook and YouTube.
A former Ladbrokes betting shop manager has been given an eight month jail sentence, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to stealing more than £18,000 from the bookmaker when she was duty manager at two Bradford shops last October and November. Micheala Lesniarek was also ordered by Bradford Crown Court to do 120 hours of unpaid work and pay Ladbrokes £1,200 compensation. Lesniarek said she stole the money to pay off £4,000 drug debt that quickly shot up to £15,000.
TAX APPEAL FAILS
Steven O’Malley, who bills himself as ‘Chorley’s independent
bookmaker’, has been given a bill for £26,000 in back taxes and penalties after fraudulently understating his income to the tax authorities. Following a tax
investigation, O’Malley was ordered to pay £17,508 in income tax, national insurance and general betting duty for the three years 2006- 2009, along with
penalties totalling £9,162. O’Malley had attributed a £13,000 difference between his income and his spending to his success as a gambler, but a tax tribunal has dismissed this appeal saying that his failure to declare his true business income was ‘fraudulent and deliberate’.
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