SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Boylesports’ Founder and CEO John Boyle has detailed that his company are closely monitoring the merger of UK betting operators Ladbrokes and Gala Coral.
Irish Independent operator Boylesports has made no secret that it wishes to expand its services within the UK betting market, having declared that its operations have reached peak capacity within Ireland where the company operates 198 retail betting outlets.
The planned Ladbrokes and Coral merger could offer John Boyle and Boylesports the opportunity to expand services cheaply within the competitive UK market
At present the agreed £2.3 billion merger of Ladbrokes and Gala Coral awaits final approval from the UK Competition and Markets Authority, if approved the merger is expected to see hundreds of UK betting shops controlled by the operators placed up for sale, under competition regulations.
John Boyle commented on Boylesports UK plans
“We’ve never made any secret of our interest in entering the British market. For us it’s always been about the right opportunity, and this proposed merger may provide exactly that opportunity.
“We have considerable experience competing against the British operators in Ireland and we are quite confident we can compete against them in the UK market.”
In November 2014, Boyle stated to the media that he was seeking a CEO to oversee Boylesports planned UK expansion. In 2014 the operator moved its operational base to Gibraltar in order to target future UK growth.
