David Attenborough, chief executive, Tabcorp
Attenborough speaks to EGR about the launch of Sun Bets and its position in the UK market
Two months ago, Australian operator Tabcorp made its first major push into the UK gambling market with the launch of Sun Bets, in partnership with News UK.
Despite some early hurdles, including some customers unhappy with the rigorous KYC controls, Tabcorp CEO David Attenborough is confident that the technical issues have been overcome and the brand is ready to flourish.
Sun Bets’ first TV ad is already doing the rounds, while Attenborough told EGR last week its app is due some major upgrades, including the integration of more The Sun editorial content.
EGR spoke to Attenborough to find out how Sun Bets will differentiate itself from established rivals, and whether Tabcorp has plans for more European expansion.
EGR: How will Sun Bets stand out in such a competitive UK betting market?
DA: I think The Sun brand and offering is quite powerful, as is its marketing and reach into the market. So I’m not too worried about getting out there and getting the customers coming in. What is key to us is that we actually get them to stay and build us into their monthly spend on wagering. That’s a habit thing and people will always have their favourite brands. Sun Bets is new so we’ve got to give them a reason to love it.
EGR: What is the idea behind Sun Bets’ marketing and brand positioning?
DA: It’s probably more of a question for Jamie Hart or even for some of the News UK guys. They’re passionate about it and the way the partnership works means they are driving the brand and marketing, while we are driving the back-end and the trading. Then together we create something we hope is pretty unique. But I think the marketing is slightly irreverent and a little bit cheeky â it’s The Sun and Sun Bets has to reflect that. But what they are trying to do is be a little bit different and you will see a developing campaign over the coming months as the English Premier League begins to accelerate.
EGR: How does the relationship work with Tabcorp on the other side of the world?
DA: That’s why you hire people like Jamie Hart and create an autonomous leadership team. Although we are leveraging a lot of the back-end expertise, ultimately you need to have some of your traders on the ground; you’ve got local quirks to the books and local relationships. We’ve really had the chance to take the pick of who’s available because it’s based out of London rather than Gibraltar and it’s a nice location. Plus Sun Bets is a challenger brand and it’s an exciting one to work for.
EGR: Do you see this as a stepping stone to branch out into the rest of Europe?
DA: We look at it in a number of ways. With News UK, we both know each other well and it was really about stretching and building something that could go into more than one country. So this isn’t going to be a small play in the UK with about 1.5% market share, this is very much about building something that is scalable, transferable and on our own software. And in a way we are building a new set of muscles, just like when you start going to the gym. Sun Bets is really about extending the organisation beyond its traditional boundaries and pushing our digital team in terms of how we build products and think about betting.