BetVictor pulls plug on Sun Bets plans
Leading UK newspaper on the lookout for new partner after new BetVictor owner Michael Tabor terminates negotiations
BetVictor has called-off talks with UK newspaper The Sun despite the pair having been on the brink of agreeing a white-labelled sportsbook deal, eGaming Review has learned.
In February, eGR exclusively revealed the pair were in final stage talks over a deal which would have seen BetVictor supply a sportsbook aimed at The Sun’s six million readers.
However, eGR understands that the operator’s new owner, Michael Tabor, called time on the discussions at a stage when the two parties were said to have been “ironing out the final details”.
Despite the news, the media giant remains determined to launch a sports betting product in the coming months and has already reopened talks with a number of interested parties.
A spokesperson for The Sun refused to comment specifically on the collapse of the BetVictor deal but did reaffirm the newspaper’s commitment to enter the sports betting fray.
“Britain’s most popular paper is the number one choice of more than half the UK’s online gamblers, so we are always seeking ways of strengthening our sports offer to them,” the spokesperson said.
In April it was revealed that The Sun had trademarked the name ‘Sun Bets’ along with the tagline ‘back yourself’.
Tabor took full control of the Gibraltar-based operator a fortnight ago when buying out long-term owner and chairman Victor Chandler for an undisclosed sum.
The horseracing millionaire had previously held a 45% stake in the company and the deal saw chairman Victor Chandler and CEO Michael Carlton relinquish their positions.
Tabor has yet to announce the successors to Chandler and Carlton although eGR sources suggest that Tabor’s son Ashley is likely to take a senior position on the board.
Both BetVictor and Tabor’s media team Seven Dials declined to comment on this article.