Exclusive: Betfred appoints Luke Brill as Australia MD
Former Centrebet marketing director becomes first employee for bookmaker's Australian business
Luke Brill has been named as managing director of Betfred’s Australian business as the operator edges closer to securing its first licence in the country.
UK-facing operator Betfred applied for an Australian online gaming licence in the country’s Northern Territory earlier this year and is currently working with the state’s regulator to finalise the process. Brill joins on 1 July as Betfred’s first full-time employee in the region and he will begin recruiting for a core operational team including traders, marketing and legal and finance experts.
Brill was global head of marketing and gaming for Sportingbet’s Australian brand Centrebet for five years before leaving the operator in 2011. Until the the £454m joint takeover of Sportingbet by William Hill and GVC, Centrebet claimed around 20% of market share along with Paddy Power-owned Sportsbet.
“When Betfred approached me it was clear they had had a proper look at the market and were realistic with their market entry strategy,” Brill told eGaming Review this morning. “They are very aware of who the market leaders are and have no expectations of coming in here as number one or two.”
“Betfred wants to learn about the market to cater for a niche which has yet to be done, and having worked for Sportingbet out here and consulted for other operators I have identified issues that haven’t been catered for. It’s a great opportunity for me to use all my experience to build a company how I want it to be.”
The former managing director of Gamebookers and head of sports marketing at PartyGaming is perhaps best known for striking Australia’s first shirt sponsorship deal between a bookmaker and a major professional sporting club in 2008. Since leaving Centrebet Brill has consulted for a number of operators in the region including bwin.party.