7. Sky Betting & Gaming (2017)
Welcome to the EGR Power 50 rankings of the online gambling industry’s most powerful operators
Like fellow online-only firm Kindred Group, Leeds-based Sky Betting & Gaming (SB&G) is unfortunate to have just missed out on climbing the rankings after another strong 12 months for the business. And yet again it is the operator’s lack of geographic reach which has hindered its chances of moving up the leaderboard, despite finally making its international debut since last year’s Power 50.
In late 2016, SB&G completed its long-awaited real-money launch in the regulated Italian online gambling market. However, 12 months on since its debut in Italy, SB&G has so far been unable to grab a substantial part of the market.
Rome wasn’t built in a day however, and it’s clearly still early days for the CVC-owned company’s international business, but it will likely become an increasingly important part of its strategy going forward as growth in the UK inevitably slows down.
But for the time being, SB&G continues to enjoy strong growth in the UK where it is believed to be outperforming nearly all of its competitors and taking market share. This double-digit growth is not only coming from its flagship Sky Bet business, it is also coming from its gaming arm too. Both parts of the business have benefited substantially from investment the operator has made in its technology platforms over recent months.
This investment has been particularly notable in sports betting – a vertical in which the firm continues to lead the way with regards to innovation. New products rolled out over the last 12 months include Cash Out Boost and its RequestABet feature, which has taken the industry by storm and been replicated by nearly all its competitors. But as the old saying goes: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.