NEWS ANALYSIS
GROWING PAINS
IT’S BOOM TIME FOR AUSTRALIA’S MAJOR ONLINE BOOKIES, BUT A
HIKE IN PRODUCT FEES AND A GROWING OFFSHORE MARKET ARE
JUST TWO THREATS TO THE LUCRATIVE STATUS QUO
TOM WASHINGTON REPORTS
R
esults posted at the end of
2014 by the country’s major
sportsbook firms, many of
which are European-owned,
confirmed the Australian
online gambling market is enjoying a
boom time. But underneath the top
line numbers, there are some troubling
warning signs ahead for the industry
Down Under.
William Hill Australia – incorporating
the Sportingbet, Centrebet and Tom
Waterhouse brands – posted a 199%
year-on-year rise in quarterly operating
profit. Paddy Power-owned Sportsbet
has produced set after set of impressive
financials, and market leader Tabcorp
experienced unprecedented growth in
digital turnover of 21% in the secon B