Lads to cut ties with US-based affiliates
No formal plans to apply for a licence in Nevada - players signed up by affected affiliates will not see accounts closed.
Ladbrokes has announced it will sever ties with all of its US-based affiliates by the end of the month, according to an email seen by eGaming Review.
The communication, first published by affiliate site AZ Online Casinos, says: “We regret to inform you that Ladbrokes and LBapuestas have taken the business decision to cease commercial partnerships with all of our affiliates based in the USA.” eGR understands, however, that the accounts of any players referred to the site by these affiliates will not be affected.
It has been suggested that the move could be interpreted as the operator clearing the decks ahead of a Nevada licence application, however a spokesman for the company told eGR that it was “Not formally looking for a licence” in the Silver State or elsewhere in the country.
Suggesting that only a small number of affiliates would be affected by the move, he explained: “We have never taken US bets, but we do have Stadium Technology so [a push for licensing in the US] is something we could potentially look at in the future.” However he reiterated that there is no movement for a licence at present.
Ladbrokes acquired a controlling stake in Nevada-based sportsbook software business Stadium Technology in January this year, however with the state’s regulations only permitting online poker at present the operator has no formal plans to extend its online poker offering beyond its European-facing skin on the Microgaming network.
The operator is poised to launch its new online sportsbook fully over the coming months after recently rolling it out to selected customers. Yesterday it announced that digital sports revenues for the three months ended 30 September had risen 21.8% compared to the corresponding period in 2011, however it provided no further detail on the figures.