Bet365 tops EGR Power 50 for eighth consecutive year
Stoke-headquartered firm powers clear of Paddy Power Betfair in second while Ladbrokes Coral also jumps up the top 10
Bet365 has topped EGR’s Power 50 rankings for the eighth consecutive year, after posting impressive organic growth from an already massive base.
Figures seen by EGR under NDA for the purposes of the rankings show a business in rude health, with strong top- and bottom-line growth.
“Sports betting is clearly the company’s raison d’être,” the report noted. “And 2017 was another year where the operator took the initiative with the launch of new innovative features, such as Quick Bet, Auto Cash Out and Edit Bet, adding a major boost to the operator’s formidable in-play business.”
The Stoke-headquartered firm was followed on the list by Paddy Power Betfair, which held on to second despite a slower start to 2017 as the firm tackles a major platform project.
GVC Holdings and The Stars Group both had impressive years to hold on to the third and fourth spots in the rankings respectively, rounding out an unchanged top four from 2016.
Ladbrokes Coral was the big mover in the top 10, climbing from eighth to fifth on the back of a thriving digital business.
“The merger – which was in the midst of completing prior to last year’s Power 50 –continued to pay dividends with synergies of £45m in 2017 alone,” the report noted.
“The adoption of a multi-brand strategy that lets the group target different segments of customers while managing risk on one trading platform has also been a cornerstone of its recent success.”
Kindred Group, Sky Betting & Gaming, William Hill and Betsson round off the top 10 in that order, with Hills down a couple of spots after a challenging 2017.
“The past year has hardly been plain sailing for William Hill, and the fact online sportsbook revenue actually fell 1% in H1 2017 will have been a major disappointment to the company,” the report said.
Sightly further down the rankings, LeoVegas was the biggest riser, climbing 17 spots to 14th.
“The maturity of the business, with a market cap of almost €700m, is arguably best exemplified by the firm getting its first taste of M&A with the €6m acquisition of Winga in February,” the report noted.
The full rankings can be viewed here.
EGR would like to thank our partner BDO for its hard work in helping us compile the 2017 Power 50. BDO is the world’s fifth largest accountancy and business advisory firm and one of the leading service providers to the egaming sector.