Sky Bet makes real-money Italy debut
Operator's dot.it site is live for a small number of customers ahead of a wider rollout in the coming months
Sky Betting & Gaming (SB&G) has made its international debut with the launch of an Italy-facing online sportsbook, EGR has learned.
SkyBet.it is now live to a select number of pre-registered Italian customers who were last week invited to preview the site ahead of a full rollout before the end of the year.
The Leeds-headquartered operator has limited the initial launch to sports betting-only and is offering players a 100% welcome bonus on deposits of up to 50.
“The wait is over: we are proud to invite you to try out Sky Bet,” the customer invitation read. “Our sports betting site is now available, just for you that have received this exclusive invitation.”
Customers who sign-up to the site are required to fill out a number of registration details to prove their Italian residency, such as the provision of their tax code.
“We have launched a beta version of Sky Bet Italia for a group of pre-registered users,” a Sky Bet spokesperson told EGR this morning. “We will use their feedback to deliver a full version of the product in the next few months.”
The launch comes after the operator recently debuted its popular free-to-play Super 6 product in the Italian market in preparation for its eagerly-anticipated real-money rollout.
Super 6 has proven to be a successful acquisition tool for Sky Bet in the UK and the Italian version enables customers to win 100,000 for correctly predicting the scores of six Serie A games.
Sky Bet originally gained an operating licence from local regulator AAMS in 2012 with the strength of the Sky Italia brand a key reason for targeting Italy as its first international market.
However, the firm held off launching until the market conditions were more liberalised and the government removed the burdensome sports betting turnover tax â which was replaced by a 22% GGR levy at the start of the year.
SB&G will be up against stiff competition in Italy, including bet365 which is estimated by research firm Eilers & Krejcik Gaming to have a 25% share of the Italian sports betting market.
Last year, SB&G hired former managing director of Paddy Power Italia, Giovanna D’Esposito, to spearhead its new Sky Bet Italia business after opening new offices in Sheffield and Rome to aid the launch.