O EasyGroup, a conglomerate that includes the low-cost airline easyJet among its businesses, has announced the launch of the new sportsbook brand easyBet. Developed in partnership with Matchbook, the website is now live and accepting bets on a variety of sports. Customers have access to multiple markets and types of bets in a betting exchange model.
EasyBet.net is accessible in the United Kingdom, but it is not clear exactly where the brand will be active. It is licensed by the Great Britain Gambling Commission and the Alderney Gambling Control Commission.
The launch follows easyGroup's historical pursuit of several trademark infringement cases around the "easy" brand. This includes taking action against the websites easyBet.com and easyBet.co.za aimed at South Africa.
By launching its official brand, easyGroup said this will ensure customers that it is a legitimate member of the "easy" family.
This venture marks the first time an "easy" brand has entered the sports betting sector. However, easyGroup stated that it is not the first major UK consumer brand to adopt its own betting brand, offering Virgin and Sky as examples. Matchbook will operate the brand, paying a licensing fee to easyGroup.
The betting launch is a "natural" move for easyGroup
Commenting on the launch, easyGroup founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou said it is a "natural" move for the conglomerate.
"We are very pleased to welcome easyBet.net to the 'easy' brand family", said Haji-Ioannou. "It is a natural new market to complement our other major consumer brands in the UK and Ireland.
"EasyBet offers peer-to-peer betting with the aim of giving customers fairer odds than traditional bookmakers. It allows you to bet on sports events. You can bet on what you think will win or bet on what you think will lose. We believe this model offers fairer odds to the consumer".
Matchbook CEO, Malcolm Graham, also spoke about the new venture: "The 'easy' brand is known for consistently providing quality and value to its customers. EasyBet.net offers its customers the best odds in the industry across a wide variety of sports and geographic markets, providing a top-tier user experience.
"We are also excited to support Stelios's philanthropic activities through the licensing fees paid to easyGroup".
Matchbook commits to "best in class" compliance and regulation
In announcing the launch, easyGroup also referred to Matchbook's commitment to the new brand.
The official announcement stated that Matchbook formed an "industry-leading management team" to oversee its activities. It also said that the company implemented the best compliance and regulation systems in the category.
Matchbook found itself in trouble with the Gambling Commission in 2020. This was in relation to its Triplebet brand, which is also named on the new easyBet site among the licensed platforms.
The Commission temporarily suspended Triplebet's license in February 2020 after a two-year review of the operation. The regulator revealed that this was due to serious failures regarding money laundering, due diligence checks on syndicates, and social responsibility protections. The business was also ordered to pay a fine of £740,000.
Following the review, Triplebet hired performance improvement consultancy Alvarez and Marsal to improve its systems, leading to improvements across the business.
Based on this, Matchbook had its license reinstated in August 2020.
Source: iGB
