Sky Bet makes full international debut in Italy
Operator says it is confident of "bringing something different" to the market after rolling out SkyBet.it to all customers
Sky Betting & Gaming (SB&G) has made its full international debut with the launch of a real-money online sportsbook in Italy, EGR has learned.
SkyBet.it went live yesterday following a beta testing period for a select number of pre-registered sign-ups, and features betting markets for football, tennis and basketball.
Customers can personalise which markets appear on their home screen via a âCompetition filter’ feature, while a separate âOther sport’ tab says the operator will add more sports in the future.
A link at the bottom of the page also takes players to its real-money online casino site – casino.SkyBet.it – which is expected to go live in the coming weeks.
Speaking to EGR, Sky Bet Italia’s managing director, Giovanna D’ Esposito, said the operator was confident its brand and product expertise would see it stand out in the crowded Italian market.
“It’s definitely a competitive market, which took huge leaps in the last three to four years, especially with the arrival of international players,” she said.
“We feel that we’ll bring something different with our brand, free-to-play games and product expertise. We also have the ability to tailor our offer and communication to our target customers.”
Yesterday’s launch comes after the operator had previously made its debut in the Italian market during the summer with the release of its free-to-play Super 6 product.
The operator is also taking a similar approach in other international markets after it recently partnered with media giant Sky Deutschland to launch 6erPack (Super 6) in Germany ahead of a real-money debut.
Sky Bet has enjoyed great success in the UK using Super 6 as an effective real-money customer acquisition tool.
SB&G’s international expansion follows consistent strong growth in its core UK market, including a 51% rise in revenues to £376.3m for the year ended 30 June 2016.