Sportingbet delays re-entering France
Sportingbet has delayed its re-entry to France again and said that its B2B partnerships with French newspapers may not go live...
Sportingbet has again delayed its re-entry to France, admitting its B2B partnerships with newspapers Le Monde and L’Express may not go live if it cannot make a profit from the market.
Group finance director Jim Wilkinson told eGaming Review: “Our intention at the moment is to go in as a B2C, we are not looking to partner. At the moment [Le Monde and L’Express] are waiting with us to see what is happening in the marketplace. At some point, we decide we are not going in, or it’s not going to happen for another two years, then it will be up to Le Monde and L’Express to reappraise their position.”
Wilkinson also told eGaming Review that although ongoing work to bring IT systems into compliance with the requirements of French regulator ARJEL could be complete by the end of Q1 next year, “[W]e would only [apply for a licence] when we believe it is economically viable. We have to be able to make a profit.”
Wilkinson explained: “We understand the tax, we think we understand the licence fees, it’s a question of what is being passed onto the consumers and what our competitors are taking as losses.”
Unibet this week also defended its decision not to enter the heavily taxed French sportsbetting market on a B2C basis from day one as it “didn’t see the benefits in a business sense.”