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The online gaming industry in the UK is thriving. The UK was an early adopter to online gambling and has a fairly relaxed but regulated approach, along with plenty of advertising and a population with growing disposable incomes. A trip to the casino used to be seen as a Saturday night treat or a pastime of the rich and famous. Now we are gambling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from practically anywhere on our mobile phones. This insatiable appetite for gambling has seen some online gaming companies experience unprecedented success and we’ll be looking over the histories, current situation and future outlook of some of the biggest online gaming companies in the market.
Paddy Power Betfair PLC – share price 8,545.56GBX
After traditional Irish bookmaker Paddy Power and 17 year old online gambling giant Betfair merged in 2015, they have gone up against the established names like Ladbrokes and William Hill to become a dominant force. Listed on the FTSE100, the company posted revenue of $1.318 billion in 2015. Both brands of the organisation aren’t averse to controversy either. Betfair came under fire for charging winners a premium, which meant it was impossible to consistently beat the bookie. Paddy Power is known for its viral advertising which takes no prisoners. The ‘funny Irish banter’ possibly went over the line in 2008 when they offered odds on newly elected President Barack Obama not seeing out his full term, prompting many to question the ethics of gambling on a person being potentially assassinated.
Ladbrokes – share price126.81GBX
Traditional high street bookmaker and FTSE250 constituent Ladbrokes has developed from poky betting shop to modern gaming company. Appealing to young, mostly male sports fans, their advertising campaigns and trusted brand image helped the company to a $1.19 billion revenue in 2015. Despite lower than expected profits over the last couple of years due to a lacking online presence, Ladbrokes announced they would be looking for a new CEO in 2015 at the end of then incumbent Richard Glynn’s term to address this, with software engineering graduate and football fan Jim Mullen now in place. A merger with Coral in late 2016 meant that Ladbrokes is now the biggest bookmaker in Britain, but some 350-400 shops must be sold off under the ruling of the Competition and Markets Authority so that other local competition is not harmed.
888 Holdings – share price 239.00GBX
Founded in 1997 by Israeli entrepreneurs Avi and Aaron Shaked and Shay and Ron Ben-Yitzhak, 888 began life as Virtual Holdings Limited. The organisation consolidated several brands and subsidiaries into the ‘888’ brand and floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2005. After good performances year on year, 888 Holdings was elevated to the FTSE250 despite an online gambling ban in the US and repeated talks of mergers with Ladbrokes. 888 Holdings posted revenues of $508 million in 2015 and owns four of the five legal gambling websites in the U.S. 888 offers online casino, poker, sport and bingo gaming and has generated a solid reputation with both gamers and industry professionals, winning Best Digital Operator at the Global Gaming Awards in Las Vegas.
William Hill – share price 277.31GBX
William Hill was founded (illegally) in 1934 and has continued to cement itself as the premier turf accountant in the UK. William Hill has managed to jump to digital and offers online casino, poker and bingo alongside it’s traditional horse racing site and physical stores. The company announced revenues of £1.590billion in 2015 and are focusing on maintaining market share and customer loyalty.
This content was written by Ian Rushworth and is published in accordance with our disclosure policy on Advfn.com
