Category: UK Sports Betting News

Sky Bet speeds up its withdrawal times

Post author By Alex Brown
Post date 17. November 2017

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Sky Bet speeds up its withdrawal times for UK punters

Sky Bet is a name which will be instantly familiar to all UK sports fans. The leading broadcaster of sports events in the United Kingdom is also one of the leading online bookies. SkyBet actively sponsors sporting events, showcases those events and allows you to bet on them. In fact, as far as UK sportsbooks go, the satellite broadcaster couldn’t possibly be any fonder in UK bettors’ hearts, could they? This week, Sky Bet decided that they would speed up the withdrawals times for all their UK punters, something which could give them an edge in the UK sports betting market.

The current system at Sky Bet

The current system generally sees players at UK sportsbooks waiting between 2-5 days to cash out their withdrawals. Ladbrokes, Bet365, William Hill and other leading sportsbooks can offer faster withdrawal times if you choose to take out your winnings via e-wallets such as Skrill or Neteller, but most players prefer credit card withdrawals. What to do about that tedious 2-5 day wait then? Sky Bet has the answer.

Speedy withdrawals for sports fans

SkyBet has now become the very first UK bookmaker to pay out winnings directly into people’s bank accounts. The new system is known as Fast Withdrawals, with the money hitting bank accounts within a matter of seconds. By initialising this new feature, players are, in theory, capable of picking up their winnings even quicker than they would be able to if they went down to their local high-street bookies.

Sky Bet has taken onboard what many customers have complained about, and they now aim to put that right. How well the system works, and if it is available to all UK punters at Sky Bet remains to be seen. If it proves successful, don’t be surprised to see other leading UK sportsbooks offer something similar.

Bet on sports with Sky Bet

If you fancy trying your luck with SkyBet, why not join the fun today? The popular UK online sportsbook offers a free £5 bet every week when you spend £25 on stakes. The offer is open to all Sky Bet players, not just newbies, so hurry along to get yours today.

Tags Bonus UK Free Bets, Sky Casino, SkyBet, SkyBet Bonus, UK Free Bonus Betting, UK Sportsbook Sky

UK Sports Betting News

Bet365 announces record revenue

Post author By Alex Brown
Post date 11. November 2017

Bet365 announces record revenue of £2 billion

Bet365 has announced that has broken all previous records for revenue for an online sportsbook, by bringing in over £2 billion in revenue over the course of the year. After filing the corporate accounts for 2016/2017, the UK sportsbook announced that is has surpassed its previous record of £1.6 billion for 2015/2016. Based in Stoke-on-Trent, Bet365 is considered by many to be the leading sportsbook not just in the UK but the world, and figures like these will surely back up that claim.

The European Championship plays its part

One of the biggest sources of revenue for the UK sportsbook over the last year has been the European Championship. UEFA Euro 2016 was a stuttering disappointment for the England football team, but it was an exciting time for the bookie, who managed to pull hundreds of millions of pounds in bets. In fact, the current figures record that betting figures topped £46 billion over 2016/2017, although they do admit that the drop in the value of the pound certainly helped.

Expansion likely to follow

Following the rather impressive performance over the year, Bet365 is likely to expand its business even further. The empire they are building knows no bounds, and Bet365 has already approved construction of am £8m Etruria Valley Training Centre, where it aims to train employees to work in its companies. Bet365 have also invested in their Manchester Spring Gardens Centre, which focuses on tech development and engineering, in a bid to snap up the hottest young talents and minds in the gambling sector.

Joint the rising empire that is Bet365

With an empire growing as rapidly and as impressively as this, every punter is going to want to join the action. Bet365 Sports willing accepts new players, and they are prepared to offer you sizable bonuses for joining them, too. Registering as a new player over at Bet365 today can see you claim £100 in free credits once you deposit and start playing as a newbie, not to mention countless other special promos on football, cricket, rugby, tennis, F1, and all your other favorite sports.

Tags Bet365, Bet365 Casino, Bet365 Sports, European Championship, leading sportsbook UK, Record revenue

UK Sports Betting News

Betsson unsatisfied with quarterly growth

Post author By Alex Brown
Post date 30. October 2017

Betsson remains unsatisfied with quarterly growth

Most major UK sports books who report over 10% growth would consider themselves having a rather good year – not Betsson, though! The top notch UK online bookie is not happy with quarterly growth, despite recording growth of 11% during that period. “It’s all NetPlay’s fault” According to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pontus Lindwall, the popular UK sports book’s 11% growth rate is “unsatisfactory”, and he knows well who to blame.

Betsson have thus far laid the blame at a lack of investment and development from NetPlay, the UK operator who acquired the sportsbook in April. This is something that NetPlay have denied, although both parties claim that they already have measures in place to develop the sportsbook further, thus rectifying the issue. That hasn’t stopped Betsson coming out on the attack, though.

The figures: At the same time as the 11% growth was reported, there is an apparent 21% decline in operating income. The drop in the pound sterling (no doubt due to Brexit) is thought to impact that, as have increased taxes for betting companies, and the lack of investment from NetPlay. Throughout other parts of Europe, the sports bookie managed to claim to 63% growth. The UK sector has seen as 16% increase in customer deposits, and a 31% rise in the number of UK players registering at the online sportsbook.

Betsson is a rising force in the UK

Betsson is aiming to ramp up its UK operators in time for the next FIFA World Cup, due to be held in Russia next summer. A new mobile sportsbook is planned for UK players, and it should first come online in the fourth quarter this week. New front-end framework for their online sportsbook and apps is also being planned.

Many UK players are now getting involved in wagering on their favorite sports at Betsson. If you want to join in the fun over at this rising star, then you need to play at Betsson and register as a newbie today. All new players who choose to make Betsson their home for online sports betting and deposit £25 into their accounts will get a free £50 bet right now.

Tags Betsson, Betsson Sports, Betsson UK Sports, FIA World Cup, Free UK Sportsbook, UK Sports Book

UK Sports Betting News

Paddy Power joins Brexit odds market

Post author By Alex Brown
Post date 22. October 2017

Paddy Power gets involved in Brexit odds market

Ever the one to get involved in touchy, political issues – one of the UK’s most popular online sportsbooks has been in the news again this week. Paddy Power are known for diving headfirst into the boiling pot when it comes to outrageous predictions and touchy bets, and this week they’ve excelled even themselves by wading into the Brexit debate.

Brexit background: UK sportsbook lost plenty of cash when the European Union Referendum returned a Leave vote in the final days of Cameron’s leadership, and since that day the United Kingdom has been tearing itself apart between “leavers” and “remainders”. In recent weeks, there has been cause for optimism, with Prime Minister Theresa May delivering a speech in Florence urging the EU and the UK to find common ground and authorize a deal between the countries. There is already a lot at stake, with the rights of expats (both abroad and at home), future trade deals, the Irish Border, and the fabled exit bill all at stake. Speaking of stakes, Paddy Power has an interesting take on what they believe will happen, too. Take it with a pinch of salt, though; after all, the bookies were wrong last time.

Brexit – according to Paddy Power

Paddy Power is currently offering evens on a no Brexit deal before the March 2019 deadline, whilst Theresa May is now just 2/1 to still be in power come that time. You can even get 4/11 that at least 2 (perhaps more) prime ministers will have held the post during the negotiation phase. Other nifty Brexit odds currently on the fly from the leading UK sportsbook include 9/4 on a new General Election being called in 2018, 4/1 that the UK will apply to re-join the EU within 10 years, and 7/1 that another EU referendum will be called before the end of next year.

Participate with Paddy Power

Brexit is such a divisive issue, but if you have a say, then why not put your money where your mouth is with Paddy Power? Join the popular UK sportsbook today and you can claim a free £10 risk-free bet when you deposit and stake a tenner on Brexit, sports or plenty of other betting markets, today.

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UK Sports Betting News

UK Court hears Ladbrokes Coral

Post author By Alex Brown
Post date 21. October 2017

UK Court of Appeal hears Ladbrokes Coral’s tax avoidance claim

Ladbrokes Coral is set to take their claim against a £70m tax avoidance dispute to the UK Court of Appeal. The Second highest UK court of law is set to receive the claim later this week, in the latest part of an ongoing saga which stems back to 2000. HMRC (UK Revenue and Customs) had previously charged Ladbrokes in 2008 with “exploiting a tax loophole relating to loans between corporations and third parties” in a bid to reduce the popular UK bookie’s tax bill over the course of the year.

It was a scheme put forward by Deloitte, the famous accountancy firm, who told their partners to create “transacting subsidiaries” to move corporate tax charges into a single loss generating figure. HMRC claims that Ladbrokes suffered no actual losses during the first period of 2008 and that they used a loophole to avoid paying corporate taxes. Ordinarily, this sort of thing may have been found in Ladbrokes favour, but HMRC is adamant that since 9 other businesses used the same loophole, and all have since pleaded guilty to the scheme, Ladbrokes will surely be no exception.

Defeat at the UK Tribunal Court

In February, Ladbrokes Coral took their 3-year appeal to the UK Tribunal Court, which agreed with HMRC, that Ladbrokes was using a legal loophole to bypass paying corporate tax. However, the UK Tribunal Court did give Ladbrokes Coral the right of appeal to the next highest UK court of law, a move which this week Ladbrokes Coral have said they are taking.

Ladbrokes claim that although they did indeed use a loophole to avoid paying corporate tax, its operations were legal in a court of law and that its operations did not breach any existing anti-avoidance rules or regulations. The case continues.

Love Ladbrokes Coral this Autumn

Since merging with Coral, Ladbrokes Coral (as they are now known) has gone to become one of the largest and most successful gambling enterprises in the UK. Join Ladbrokes today to claim a £20 in free bets when you deposit a fiver into your account as a new player.

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UK Sports Betting News

William Hill welcomes new Group CFO

Post author By Alex Brown
Post date 13. October 2017

William Hill headhunts

William Hill has announced that they have recruited a new CFO (Chief Financial Officer), as the spot was filled by the incoming Ruth Prior. Prior will start her task this week, despite initially being headhunted by the major UK sportsbook over six months ago. William Hill began their search for a new chief financial officer over a year ago, although in March the sportsbook and betting giant announced that it had successfully headhunted Prior from WorldPay. Whilst there, she was the Chief Operations Officer and Deputy Chief Financial Officer from 2013 until last week.

Who is Ruth Prior?

Ruth Prior joins the team with a wealth of experience and leadership skills behind her. She is widely regarded as an excellent finance executive in the entertainment and technology industry. Now she will be tested by being placed in charge of the betting company’s controller ship and treasury sectors. Prior’s immediate job will be to stabilize the position in the UK market, which has been in decline of late. She will also be tasked with turning around its international popularity and working with its Openbet platform.

A renaissance for William Hill

Prior’s main objectives will be to create something of a renaissance over at William Hill, with the high-street bookie only now just managing to turn around the bad run of form in their digital divisions. Prior to her arrival, William Hill announced an 11% decline in profits for the first period of 2017. The bookie has also hired a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in Philip Bowcock, to bring in further investors, and showcase what the company can offer in the online gambling industry. Things certainly seem to be changing over at William Hill sportsbook, but will filling the managerial posts be enough to see them climb back up the sportsbook pyramid? The future appears bright for now at least.

Join the sportsbook now

William Hill is still regarded as one of Britain’s leading high-street bookies and online sportsbooks. If you choose to sign up and play with the new-look William Hill today, you can claim a £30 free bet when you deposit and spend a tenner as a new player, today.

Tags Free bet UK, Sportsbet Free, UK Sportsbook, William Hill, William Hill Free Bet, William Hill Sportsbook

UK Sports Betting News

It was a bad week for the bookies and football

Post author By Alex Brown
Post date 29. September 2017

Tough and bad as well – bookies and football

It is inevitable that at some point throughout the Premier League season that certain weeks will just be bad for the bookies. The first bad bookie weekend of the 2017/2018 Premier League season kicked off last weekend, with bookies reporting losses across the board. What constitutes a bad week for bookies? When all the bookies’ favourites face considerably lesser opposition and they all win, of course.

Game Week 6 kills the bookies

Game Week 6 took place from September 23-25 (Saturday to Monday), with Saturday seeing the favourites in 7 out of the 8 matches win their matches. Tottenham defeated West Ham 3-2, whilst Everton won 2-1 at home to Bournemouth, and Liverpool scraped a 2-3 victory away at Leicester. Manchester City thrashed Crystal Palace 5-0, Chelsea bagged a 4-0 away win over Stoke, whilst United struggled but ultimately lucked out in a 1-0 away win against Southampton. In fact, only Burnley and Huddersfield ended in a draw.

With a good number of punters slapping down accumulator bets, plenty in the UK bookmaker industry braced for a multi-million pay-out to players. Things got worse on Monday, as Arsenal beat West Brom 2-0, compounding more misery for bookies and joy for players with accumulators.

The next “bad weekend”

Of course, last weekend was no mere blip on the radar. “Bad Weekends” occur at several times throughout the season, although it is largely down to the random fixture lists as to whether you get a flurry of easy to predict matches multiple times per year. With few big clubs scheduled to meet in the immediate future, the UK’s biggest bookies could be set for a few more ups and down before October fades from view.

Play with the most famous bookies such as Bet365

Bet365 offers some wonderful accumulators, so if you fancy bagging a buck or two with accumulated bets on bad weekend footy matches, look no further than them. Bet365 is currently offering all newbies the chance to claim a £200 bonus when they decide to sign up and try their luck with them this month.

Tags Bet365, Footbal Bets, Premier League, Premier League betting, Sports Book Bonus, UK Sports

UK Sports Betting News

Paddy Power Betfair break ranks

Post author By Alex Brown
Post date 29. September 2017

Paddy Power Betfair joins the UK Government’s call

Until now, most UK bookmakers have been opposed to the UK Government’s plan to crack down on fixed odds betting terminals. One major UK bookie has decided to break ranks with the rest, and side with the government, though: Paddy Power Betfair!

The UK Government’s plans

The UK Government has long held plans to radically alter the fixed odds betting terminal industry in the UK. Anti-gamblers have referred to fixed odds betting terminals as the “crack cocaine of gambling”. The machines currently allow players to place maximum bets of £100 a pop, and the government wants to adjust that to £20 a game. Even then, most bookies have decided that £20 is too little to be worthwhile for them, and have estimated that as many as 9,000 bookies could be other leading UK bookies.

Paddy Power Betfair betrays the pack

Just because Paddy Power Betfair has decided to join the UK Government on the stance doesn’t make them betrayers of the pack. However, Paddy Power Betfair have urged the government to go further, and cap the maximum stake at £10 per game. Whilst it certainly makes Paddy Power Betfair sound noble, there is something players should know about their move.

Underneath it all, Paddy Power Betfair do not run any high-street bookies in the UK. The same cannot be said of Ladbrokes, Gala Coral and William Hill. By siding with the government, Paddy Power Betfair have nothing to lose, and would in fact gain from the other high street bookies have outlets closed. Suddenly Paddy Power Betfair’s motives seem far more selfish.

Play with Paddy Power Betfair

Of course, this despicable action is likely to infuriate players over at Ladbrokes and William Hill, but it may win over some fans who wish to see stricter regulations in the casino world. If you fancy joining the tearaway bookies, Paddy Power is offering all newbies the chance to claim a free £10 bet when they sign up at their domain, whilst Betfair is offering up to £100 for all newbies to come and join their sportsbook this autumn.

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UK Sports Betting News

Betfred disappears from horse racing

Post author By Alex Brown
Post date 29. September 2017

Betfred disappears from the horse racing industry

One of the United Kingdom’s most famous bookmakers is set to remove itself from the horse-racing industry, following a series of rows. Celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year, it seemed impossible early in the spring that Betfred would part ways with an industry that has helped it make its name, but that appears to be the case just six months later, as we move into autumn.

How the mighty have fallen

Betfred will effectively end all forms of sponsorship with the horse racing industry, as well as close its trackside betting windows. The move comes after the founder Fred Done said that the company would pull their association with horse racing, due to it being broken. Their current deal is scheduled to end in July 2018, and Betfred has no plans to renew it. As many as 49 out of 51 trackside betting shops will cease to operate, and Betfred will pull out of sponsorship deals for over 600 races, worth £6 million. The company will continue to sponsor Ascot (a new deal was signed just this year) and Chelmsford, as the latter is owned by the company.

Whinging and whining

The radical move comes following a breakdown between UK racing stakeholders and UK bookmakers. Betfred won the rights to offer tote betting back in 2011, but the rapid deterioration of relations, and the UK racing stakeholders decision to host their own totes have been the final straw. Financial arguments over racing levies, larger shares of revenue return and a UK Government imposed 10% charge on race betting revenue are also believed to have played a part.

Enjoy other sports with Betfred! Not to worry, though. Betfred will still be offering top deals on all your favorite sports and horse races online. If you aren’t yet a member, you can join today. The online sportsbook is offering all players the chance to sign up and play with them. In so doing, players can claim a £200 welcome bonus on the very first deposit they make as a new player.

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UK Sports Betting News

Paddy Power get serious this week

Post author By Alex Brown
Post date 25. September 2017

Betting world got serious, particularly Paddy Power Sportbook

This week, the online sports betting world got serious, particularly where the UK is concerned. Some of the leading UK betting companies have joined forces to put together a package worth £8 million which they hope will be used to highlight the dangers of problem gambling. At the same time, Paddy Power sportsbook have decided to toughen their rules regarding affiliates, so that false advertising is whittled out of the industry.

£8 million to highlight problem betting

The new fund from a host of the UK’s biggest sportsbooks has been made by Remote Gambling Organisation, a trade body of betting companies, who work with the Advertising Association to ensure that gambling advertising focuses on problem gambling as well as adverts to appeal to players with big bonuses galore.

There have been growing calls from Tom Watson – Labour Party deputy leader – to ban sportsbook sponsorship in football, to restrict fixed odds betting terminals in UK high-street bookies, and to highlight problem gambling. The move may be a way of appeasing some of those hard-line strategies to regulate UK sports betting.

Paddy Power gets tough on affiliates

At the same time, one of the UK’s leading sportsbooks, Paddy Power, has made a move which should aim to end false advertising in the UK. Paddy Power Betfair have decided that the affiliate market needs closer regulation, particularly when it comes to dubious promotions. The sportsbook giant has now placed into effect a series of rules and regulations which will see affiliates face a one-strike rule, should they false advertise or promote the sportsbook in a dubious manner. Sky Betting and Gaming had earlier made similar moves, although in their case they completely axed their affiliate program. In the UK, the UK Gambling Commission considers operators responsible for the work by affiliates, so Paddy Power Betfair seems to be taking this problem very seriously.

Joining Paddy Power or Betfair are still top dogs

Of course, none of these issues should put you off playing at Paddy Power, Betfair or other leading UK sportsbooks. If you are safe, control your gambling, and don’t mind dropping a few quid on your favourite sporting events, UK sportsbooks like Paddy Power and Betfair are perfectly safe places to place bets.

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