Part 4: The current market shape
I still think we’re only sort
of scraping the surface
but it’s a good market
for us… Sportingbet is
certainly the biggest
for sports betting and
probably the biggest
full stop
Kenny Alexander, GVC Holdings
18
SportingQuiz, for instance,
is a football prediction game
where prizes can be won, while
Sportingbet.tv is a sports statistics
and results website.
“Advertising focuses on these free
services and the brand in general,
indirectly raising awareness of
Sportingbet’s gambling site,” the
Morgan Stanley team writes. “This
strategy has clearly been effective,
but we expect marketing would be
much more efficient in a regulated
environment, where Sportingbet
could directly market to Brazilian
residents, bringing potential
benefits for growth and margin
that could offset the introduction
of duty payments.”
This free-to-play effort was
mentioned by GVC chief executive
Kenny Alexander in the company’s
previous results statements. Back in
March 2018, he pointed out that the
Sportingbet brand was on TV “most
nights, free-to-play”.
“We have been in that market for
quite a long time now,” he added.
“We’ve got a lot of expertise in that
BRAZIL The regulated opportunity in Latam’s largest market
market [and] I still think there’s a
long, long way to go. I still think
we’re only sort of scraping the
surface but it’s a good market for us…
Sportingbet is certainly the biggest
for sports betting and probably the
biggest full stop.”
Betboo
GVC also operates Betboo, which
it acquired back in 2009, but the
company has previously said it is
by some distance the second of its
Brazilian-facing brands, with the
“vast majority” of its expenditure in
Brazil going towards Sportingbet.
Bet365
Clearly Bet365 would be a very
strong competitor in any regulated
sports betting market in Brazil.
The Blueclaw data suggests its site
receives 700,000 visits a month.
PokerStars
The anomalous position of poker
has left Stars with an opportunity
for brand positioning in Brazil and,
as mentioned earlier, the company