Sky Bet closes Italy site ahead of sportsbook relaunch
Customers prompted to join BetStars.it as the Stars Group and Sky Bet prepare to launch “combined Italian gaming experience”
Sky Betting & Gaming (SBG) has closed its Italy-facing product as the Leeds-based operator prepares to launch a “combined Italian gaming experience” with parent company The Stars Group.
SkyBet.it was shut down in recent weeks and customers are currently being prompted to switch to Stars’ BetStars.it website, which will then be relaunched as Sky Bet Italia later this year.
“Once SBG became part of The Stars Group, plans were made to bring together the best parts of both businesses,” Seb Butterworth, head of Sky Bet International told EGR.
Butterworth added: “In Italy this will be a Sky Bet sportsbook alongside PokerStars and PokerStars Casino – providing the ultimate online gaming experience to our Italian customers.
“We are eagerly anticipating the launch by The Stars Group and Sky Bet of their new combined Italian gaming experience in 2019. Watch this space.”
Head of Sky Bet International, Seb Butterworth, says Stars Group and Sky Bet will provide the “ultimate online gaming experience” to customers
Sky Bet Italia account holders can still log in to their account and make withdrawals.
The debut of SBG’s Italy-facing website back in 2016 marked the operator’s first major international expansion outside of the UK, but the product has struggled to gain traction with market share estimated to be as low as 0.3%, compared to around 2% for BetStars.it.
EGR understands the group is sticking with the Sky name thanks to the perceived strength of the brand.
And according to industry research firm Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, The Stars Group is the market leader in Italy’s total online gaming sector with a market share of approximately 10%, although it was significantly stronger in gaming thanks to the PokerStars brand.
SBG, which was acquired by The Stars Group last year for $4.7bn, is still live in Germany with an SBTech-powered product.