Betfred soft launches Australian business
New mobile site open for business, with a full offering due to launch later this year
Betfred soft launched its Australian mobile business yesterday, becoming the latest UK bookie to enter the competitive Australian sports wagering market.
The operator previously revealed plans to launch as a “mobile bookie” and after receiving its licence from the Northern Territory Gaming Commission, Betfred’s sports-only Australia-facing mobile site began to accept bets as of yesterday.
Speaking to eGaming Review this morning Luke Brill, managing director of Betfred Australia, said the launch followed 18 months of planning as the company had to meet more than 385 compliance requirements and establish offices in Sydney and Darwin.
“This is the first of a multi-phased approach to the Australian market,” Brill added. “The mobile site will soon be followed by stand-alone apps for both Android and Apple for sports, rugby league, Australian rules football and Lotto.”
The firm plans to use the soft launch period to test the marketing of Betfred’s product for the Australian public.
The Betfred.com desktop sports site is to be customised for the Australian market with a dedicated racing product for horses, dogs and harness, with this product due to be released later this year.
Betfred first applied for a licence to operate in Australia in February last year and has watched as other operators “ such as Ladbrokes “ have entered the hotly contested market in the meantime.