Poll results: Mullen trading comments divide opinion
Respondents to this week's poll are split on whether bookies have been trading too aggressively
Ladbrokes CEO Jim Mullen (pictured) managed to divide opinion this week following his comments that some of the operator’s rivals had “abandoned bookmaking principles” during last month’s Cheltenham Festival.
Mullen described the Festival as “the most competitive and aggressive” he had ever witnessed, a sentiment which was shared by GVC chief executive Kenny Alexander when he spoke with EGR earlier this week.
However, respondents to this week’s poll were less sure. When asked whether bookmakers had been trading too aggressively in the pursuit of greater market share, readers were broadly split.
The offers available to punters during the Festival were vast – from enhanced multiples, to money back if second, to money back for losers in selected races.
And 52% of respondents said the generosity of the offers went a step too far, trading and marketing teams were being too aggressive and that the practise was unsustainable and should be curtailed.
Meanwhile, the remaining 48% saw the inducements as a long-term investment, with the offers likely to result in new customer sign-ups and create a greater sense of brand loyalty.