Need to know, 30 October: the luck of the Irish?
How Paddy Power and Chilipoker get noticed, how Bet365 is trying and why Betfair is Water-cooler than thou...
Even for a panel as dedicated as ours, judging the torrent of entries to this year’s EGR Awards is a daunting prospect. So all credit to Paddy Power for spicing up its UK Sportsbetting Operator of the Year entry with a healthy dose of the bookmaker’s trademark sense of silliness.
Paddy Power faces Betfair, Ladbrokes and William Hill on the shortlist for the UK Sportsbetting award on the back of an entry that includes lines such as the company having “leapfrogged Coral so well it would make Kermit proud. [Paddy Power is] a bit like Man City, but without the vast reserves of oil.”
The Irish bookmaker was the first sportsbook to offer guaranteed prices across all UK and Ireland horse and greyhound racing, the entry revealed. “Competitors declared we were mad, waited for our imminent sectioning and then eventually followed suit when the penny dropped that our customers realised the value on offer.”
Paddy Power innovated in creating customer loyalty by offering punters refunds on “refereeing decisions more suspect than a Tour de France competitor.
And to drive punters to its LBOs, “our novel approach was to fill the shops with staff who can communicate beyond a grunt. Call us maverick but we think it works”.
But then what should have expected from the people behind the Eggycam?
Staff at UK Sportsbetting Operator 2009 rival Betfair, meanwhile, were busy high-fiving each other after the exchange was shortlisted for the coveted Operator of the Year trophy, joining Betclick, Bwin, PartyGaming, William Hill and 888.
Along with the other trophies, the EGR Award of EGR Awards will be presented at a gala dinner on the first night of EGR Live, our free to attend conference and exhibition in London next month with representatives of 700 “ that’s right, 700 “ different egaming companies already registered to attend. (Best game your name on the list).
Also on the Operator of the Year shortlist is Stoke’s Bet365, one of a number of new entrants to the awards this year along with National Lottery operator Camelot, which is shortlisted for Socially Responsible Operator 2009 along with five other big names. We reckon they have Arthur chance for the title…
Sorry. Moving on, most of bingo’s big boys will also be there on the night, presumably including Cashcade and Tombola, shortlisted for Bingo Operator of the Year alongside rivals Gamesys, Hills, Lads and Wink. We’ll see you there.
In other news this week: Betfair somehow found time amidst the awards madness to invest $5.5m in US fan-community business business Watercooler (named after the place where office-bound Americans talk sports); while Tain launched a sportsbook; the government of Australia told itself to legalise online gambling and France’s Chilipoker revealed it is to sponsor entire aeroplanes. That’s right, whole planes. Never do things by half.
Happy Halloween.