Ladbrokes delays Sportium customer migration
Migration of players from existing LBApuestas brand to new Sportium JV site put back " operator is "on track" for Mexico launch before World Cup
Ladbrokes is to keep its Spanish brand LBApuestas operational for the “foreseeable future” despite the online launch of its Sportium joint-venture with Cirsa last year, eGaming Review has learned.
The UK operator soft-launched its Sportium brand in December last year to Cirsa’s customer database and it had been anticipated that LBApuestas customers would also be transferred to the Sportium brand once the migration was complete.
However issues concerning migration to the Playtech-owned Geneity platform used by Sportium will see LBApuestas left as a standalone operation for the time being.
Last month Playtech chief executive Mor Weizer hailed Ladbrokes’ decision to launch Sportium with its Geneity platform, rather than its incumbent supplier, as an endorsement of the product.
But Spanish gaming consultant Eduardo Morales-Hermo suggested that the operator could be waiting to assess how the sportsbook performs before shifting its entire customer base over.
“Sportium with Cirsa and Ladbrokes is probably going to be Playtech’s biggest bet [to be strong in sports betting], both for Spain and LatAm markets, starting with Mexico,” Morales-Hermo said.
Despite the issues preventing the transferral of customers in Spain, Ladbrokes said it remains “on track” launch its Sportium brand in Mexico ahead of this year’s FIFA World Cup, which starts in Brazil in June.
Ladbrokes’ move into the Latin American market was first revealed in August last year, with CEO Richard Glynn stating the company to be keen to take advantage of the potentially lucrative sports betting market in the region.