Sky Betting & Gaming

Sky Bet

Sky Bet is the sports betting division of Sky Betting & Gaming, with the majority of its operations run from Leeds.

History

Sky Bet's origins lie in BSkyB's acquisition of Sports Internet Group in July 2000, which included the small telephone and online sports betting-based company Surrey Sports, alongside two other companies: Planet Football and Opta Index. Surrey Sports was rebranded in July 2002 to create Sky Bet. The company grew in December 2006 when established online betting companies Total Bet and UK Betting were consolidated into Sky Bet after BSkyB's purchase of 365 Media Group.

Sky Vegas

Sky Vegas is the company's primary online casino division.

Sky Vegas is licensed and regulated by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) (GCB).

Until 12 April 2011, Sky Vegas had a dedicated TV channel of the same name on Sky channel 864 (which was formerly called 'Sky Vegas Live'), when it was rebranded for Sky Bet.

History

'Sky Bet Vegas' was created in March 2003, initially with only 3 fixed odds casino-style games called 'Juicy Jackpot', 'Top Spin' and 'Super Keno'.

Fines and regulatory sanctions

On 9 March 2022, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) fined Bonne Terre Limited, trading as Sky Betting and Gaming, £1.17m for breaching the Social Responsibility Code of Practice (SRCP 3.5.3(2) and SRCP 5.1.11) and a licensing condition according to section 82(1) of the Gambling Act 2005. The regulator carried out an investigation that found that on 2 November 2021, the operator sent out a promotional email for its Sky Vegas brand to 41,395 players who had self-excluded and 249,159 customers who had opted out of email marketing. The Commission notes that the licensee took immediate remedial reaction and that they had cooperated throughout the investigation.

After a complaint by the group Clean Up Gambling, in 2024, Sky Betting & Gaming was reprimanded by the UK Information Commissioner's Office for unlawful use of advertising cookies. In 2025, a high court judge in Britain found that Sky Betting & Gaming had improperly used customers data, and had improperly targeted marketing at a customer with a gambling addiction. Flutter said it was considering an appeal.

Notes

References

1. (19 March 2015). "Sky completes sale of Sky Bet to CVC Capital Partners". Sky plc.
2. (4 December 2014). "Sky sells majority stake in Sky Bet". BBC News.
3. Lee Mottershead. (21 April 2018). "Sky Bet snapped up by Canadian betting giant Stars Group in £3.4bn mega deal". [[Racing Post]].
4. "An introduction to Sky Bet".
5. "VNUNet: Sky gambles on 365 Media Group".
6. "Media247: New interactive Sky betting service".
7. (9 March 2022). "Sky Betting and Gaming Fined for Self-Exclusion Failings".
8. (9 March 2022). "£1.17m fine for marketing to vulnerable consumers".
9. (22 February 2022). "Regulatory sanctions – Bonne Terre Limited – Gambling Commission".
10. [https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/sep/17/sky-betting-and-gaming-users-data-ico-online-gambling] - ''The Guardian'' (17 Sep 2024)
11. [https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366618479/High-Court-Sky-Betting-parasitic-in-targeting-problem-gambler] - ''Computer Weekly'' (24 Jan 2025)
12. [https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/feb/01/uk-betting-giants-under-fire-for-ads-targeting-at-risk-gamblers] - ''The Guardian'' (1 Feb 2025)
13. [https://www.gamblinginsider.com/news/28139/high-court-rules-against-sky-betting-gaming-in-case-related-to-customer-data] - Gambling Insider (24 Jan 2025)