DAZN BET soft launches in the UK ahead of rollout in Europe and Canada
Challenger brand takes first steps as an operational online bookmaker as it names ex-Entain head George Powell as new global head of acquisition
DAZN BET has unveiled a beta version of its new online sports betting product in the UK ahead of an anticipated international expansion push later in the year.
The challenger brand – powered by Pragmatic Solutions and headed up by former BoyleSports CEO Mark Kemp – is part of OTT sports streaming platform DAZN’s strategy to become a “one-stop shop” for sports fans alongside sports content, e-commerce, free-to-play games and NFTs.
DAZN BET is set to expand into Spain, other unnamed European markets and the Canadian province of Ontario later this year as part of its initial rollout.
The plan is to release DAZN BET as a minimum viable product (MVP) and iterate over time, with the integration of betting with DAZN’s streaming capabilities expected some time next year.
The project, which was kickstarted by the appointment of former Entain CEO Shay Segev as co-CEO of DAZN (now sole CEO), has seen several industry experts and veterans onboarded as the brand looks to make a splash.
Joining Segev and Kemp are former Betdaq MD Shane McLaughlin as MD for UK and Ontario, ex-William Hill director Simon Gatenby as chief marketing officer and Flutter Entertainment exec Matt Hartington as its director of legal.
Eventually, more than 100 staff will be based out of DAZN BET’s headquarters in Gibraltar covering compliance, marketing and customer services. There will also be offices in Malta and the autonomous Spanish city of Ceuta on the north coast of Africa.
Kemp said: “The initial launch of DAZN BET is the start of an exciting journey across media and sports betting and further delivers on commitments we have made to revitalise sports viewing for fans.
“We are on a mission to create a richer entertainment product that over time is integrated into DAZN’s daily destination sports business, where possible.
“Whilst this market entry will be a learning phase, our goal is to provide sports fans with a fantastic recreational sports betting product for DAZN’s global sports fans community. It is a journey, and we begin it now,” he added.
Elsewhere, DAZN BET has appointed former Kindred Group and ex-Entain head George Powell as the operator’s new global head of acquisition.
Powell joins the challenger brand from Kindred, where he served as a senior digital acquisition manager from September 2021.
Prior to joining the Stockholm-listed firm, Powell spent more than two years with Entain as a PPC manager across Ladbrokes and Coral while based in Gibraltar.
Powell’s first taste of the industry came in September 2018 when he joined BetVictor as a senior PPC executive.
Speaking on his appointment, Powell said: “It was a tough decision four months ago to consider leaving Kindred, a group that has been incredibly supportive with an excellent work environment, but when a rare opportunity like this comes along sometimes you’ve got to make that leap.
“I give thanks to all those at BetVictor, Entain and Kindred who have helped guide and develop me in the right way over the years in preparation for such a huge role,” he added.
Earlier this month, DAZN BET named Neil Bancroft as the platform’s new head of gaming as the operator continues to bolster its team.