Austrian bookmaker SKS365 Group is turning independent Italian data transmission centres – so-called CTDs – into nationally licensed betting shops for its brand planetwin365.
SKS365 Group had been engaged in legal disputes with the Italian authorities over the past few years. The company’s move towards legal certainty follows Italy’s new Stability Law, which offers immediate betting shop licences and the opportunity to compete for fresh licensing tenders in 2016.
The Austrian bookmaker has now been granted 1,001 licences for betting shops from the Italian authorities and so becomes the operator with the highest number of directly connected sports betting shops in Italy.
Thomas Smallwood, CEO of SKS365 Group, explained: “We see these new circumstances as a big opportunity for Italy and for us as a company. We have now finally been given a framework that makes it possible for us to serve Italian customers in a nationally regulated way. It is obviously a major investment from our side, which we believe is worthwhile seeing the great popularity of our product in Italy.
“Now the challenge is to continue bringing our unrivalled sportsbook and maximising customer value within the Italian regulations. We are confident that the known quality and variety of our product and the dominant brand position of planetwin365 is the perfect base to succeed in this new era.”
SKS365 Group will also aim to provide a .it online sports betting website to replace its .com offer.
Last week, the company launched new proprietary betting terminals with presentations at the ICE Totally Gaming exhibition in London. The bookmaker in December also applied for online betting and gaming licences in Spain.
