Tabcorp partners News UK for Sun Bets launch
Australian operator signs a 10-year revenue share deal with the media company to launch The Sun-branded sportsbook
Australian operator Tabcorp has signed a deal with media publishing giant News UK to launch a new online sportsbook under the brand of its flagship newspaper The Sun.
Sun Bets will launch in 2016, subject to Tabcorp obtaining regulatory approval, and ends months of speculation as to which operator would obtain the contract after reports of the launch surfaced last year.
The deal between the two companies will initially run for 10 years on a revenue share basis and marks the Melbourne-based operator’s first major push into the UK and Irish online gambling markets.
“Entering the UK market in partnership with News is an exciting opportunity for Tabcorp as we take our capability into the AU$7bn UK online gambling market,” David Attenborough, Tabcorp CEO, said.
“This partnership provides us with the opportunity to create a leading online bookmaker in the UK market under the Sun Bets brand over the coming years and first with our strategy of pursuing close-to-core international opportunities,” he added.
Last year eGaming Review reported a The Sun-branded sportsbook was in the pipeline, with parent company News UK having held discussions with a number of operators including BetVictor and Sky Betting & Gaming.
According to the UK’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO), News UK applied for four trademarks relating to the name Sun Bets at the end of February 2014, including two with the strapline ‘back yourself’ (pictured).
“This deal with Tabcorp marks a pivotal moment in the digital transformation of the company, creating a world-class online sportsbook that will engage and entertain the betting public in the inimitable style of The Sun,” Rebekah Brooks, News UK CEO, said.
“The two powerful brands of The Sun and our Dream Team fantasy football competition already have incredible reach and I have every confidence that this will be a rewarding partnership, which will see Sun Bets firmly established as a key player in the online betting business,” she added.
Tabcorp and News UK will be aiming to emulate the success of the newspaper’s Sun Bingo site which will see Playtech’s bingo arm Virtue Fusion replace Gamesys as supplier of online bingo brand next year.