I reported back in May that Paddy Power had bought a major stake in Australian bookmakers Sportsbet with a view to expanding operations Down Under over the coming years. So did we expect those nice welcoming Aussies to sit back, shrug their shoulders and treat the news with general indifference? Not really – and, of course, they haven’t! Enter Centrebet, the first licensed Southern Hemisphere sports bookmaker to offer online betting and gaming. The Australian concern, which has its main offices in New South Wales and Alice Springs, appears to be making a concerted effort to establish itself in the European market this year with a call centre in the UK and language services now available in Greek and Finnish among others. Centrebet, who have only been around since 1992 and trading on the internet since 1996, has a reputation for accomodating big-hitters so may be prepared to take on some of the more established names in this country on that score though results, of course, will dictate how brave the new boys will be prepared to be in the long term. Given the Aussie penchant for self-promotion would they, for example, have paid out on a 7-0 NatWest series whitewash prior to last Sunday’s finale a la betfred – or perhaps have guaranteed the best odds on some of the Aussie flying machines that regularly raid Royal Ascot? Some marketing ideas there for you Centrebet – free of charge. In the meantime, punters can get themselves a free bet of up to £20 if they open an account, though that does rather pale into insignificance alongside some of the other opening offers available and rather hints at an initial ‘test the water’ policy until their brand becomes more recognisable.
