Unibet to take European approach into Australia
Revenue from re-regulated European markets rises in line with dot.com business as operator sets its sights on new markets
Unibet is planning a push into the Australian market in the latter half of this year after strong growth from re-regulated Europe in the first three months of 2014.
The group saw operating profit jump 33% year-on-year as several other KPIs recorded all-time highs, and Unibet’s transition from an operator predominantly focused on Nordic markets to one with a more balanced geographical spread continued to show strong momentum.
Unibet CEO Henrik Tjärnström said the proportion of its total gross gaming revenue from the Nordics had dipped below 50% for the first time in Q1 2014 while Western Europe had increased to 39% of total revenue.
Revenue from the Nordic region was up 10% year-on-year in local currency, but revenue from Western Europe grew by 33% in the same period and Central, Eastern and Southern Europe grew by 31%.
The prospect of a regulated Dutch market will only boost this growth further. Tjärnström revealed that Holland “ a “significant market” for the operator “ would take the revenue percentage from re-regulated markets from the current 29% to more than 50% when the country’s doors open next year.
Unibet didn’t report directly on its Australian business, but Tjärnström referenced the good work that had been put into driving down the oft-maligned CPAs in the country.
William Hill has previously bemoaned customer acquisition prices in the country, while critics have argued that Ladbrokes paid a very high price for customers of Australian bookmaker Eskander’s Betstar when it acquired the firm for £11m earlier this month.
The operator is now planning a push in the country for later this year, with marketing expected to ramp-up this during this summer with the football World Cup expected to provide a boost to revenues. Tjärnström also confirmed that it was to launch Unibet’s platform in the country in the second half of the year.