Bet365 fends-off merging rivals to retain Power 50 top spot
Paddy Power Betfair takes second place in annual EGR operator rankings as Hills slides down the table
Bet365 has retained its place at the top of EGR‘s Power 50 list for a record seventh consecutive year after successfully fending-off stiff competition from a raft of merging rivals.
Paddy Power Betfair (PPB) provided the biggest threat to bet365’s number one position, however, the Stoke-headquartered operator’s continued ability to grow sportsbook from an already large base meant Breon Corcoran’s recently combined firm had to settle for second place.
“Sportsbook remains bet365’s bread and butter and its proprietary technology coupled with competitive margins means the firm continues to be the gold standard in this vertical, particularly in relation to in-play,” the Power 50 report noted.
Sports turnover of £37bn and total revenues of £1.5bn for the year to March meant bet365 had enough in the tank to remain ahead of the chasing pack, although PPB and GVC Holdings, which moved up from eighth to third place following the February addition of bwin.party, have narrowed the gap.
M&A, or the lack of it, was the biggest driver of movement within the top 10 with both Amaya and William Hill, who recently ended discussions over a potential merger, falling down the charts.
Amaya, which held second place last year, fell two spots to fourth, while William Hill dropped from third to joint-fifth place alongside Unibet, which nudged up from sixth in the 2015 rankings.
Despite a strong year, UK-focused Sky Betting & Gaming remained unchanged in seventh place, however, the firm is now on the coattails of those ahead and could well secure a higher spot next year should its transition to international markets go according to plan.
And although the merger of Ladbrokes and Gala Coral has yet to be finalised, the combined Ladbrokes Coral entity ranked in eight place, weighted down slightly by uncertainty related to the impending integration of the two rival firms.
888 and Betsson made up the remainder of the top 10 and the rest of the Power 50 will be available to view in edition 150 of EGR, which is out later this week.
EGR would like to thank our partner BDO for its hard work in helping us compile the 2016 Power 50. BDO is the world’s fifth largest accountancy and business advisory firm and one of the leading service providers to the egaming sector.