The 2009 eGaming Review Power 50: 50-11

THE REGULATORY wave that has swept some countries is reflected in the eGaming Review 2009 Power 50 ranking of the world’s leading operators, as new monopolies and media companes make their way on to the list.

With regulation likely to spread to other countries, this trend will surely gather momentum in years to come, while the major operators will have to find a way of addressing each market individually.

Positions 50-11are listed below (with explanatory links as appropriate) – or click here to read the Power 50 top 10.

The number in brackets represents each operator’s position in last year’s list – but as you’ll see, this year’s Power 50 has a host of new entrants…

For more on the this year’s ranking, see the eGaming Review Power 50 main feature and the Power 50 letter from editor Jake Pollard.

50 Crown Bingo (N/A)

Small online bingo operator with smart egaming chief executive Joe Saumarez Smith at the helm.

49 Leisure and Gaming (50)

Italian-focused operator looking to expand product and regional focus and hoping to settle with the US authorities in the near future.

48 King.com (44)

Probably the biggest skill gaming site in the world, the company set up by Toby Rowland and Riccardo Zacconi generates revenues of around US$30m.

47 Chili Gaming (N/A)

Small online poker operator with plans for a major push in France once regulation is up and running next year.

46 Gaming Media Group (N/A)

Parent company to the Poker Channel Europe and Poker Heaven, has managed to leverage TV and the web effectively.

45 Webis (45)

Isle of Man-based pari mutuel operator that has enjoyed a 35% rise in turnover and has been marketing heavily in the UK and for football.

44 Bonnier Gaming (N/A)

Gaming arm of major Swedish publisher with big plans for B2C and B2B online bingo push across Europe.

43 IG Index (44)

Major financial betting company with revenues up 40% and pre-tax profits up 29% to £125m.

42 Sporting Index (42)

Leading sports spread betting operator looking to expand its business-to-business client base.

41 Asian Logic (34)

The company delisted from Aim this year and is hoping for a change of fortune with Asian Poker Tour push.

40 Rank (24)

Online sports division Blue Square revenues dropped 8% although Mecca Bingo online revenues were up 12%.

39 Svenska Spel(22)

The Swedish monopoly operator is as active as ever in its home country but is facing constant pressure from private operators.

38 Tombola (NA )

Low profile online bingo operator and white label provider that has become one of the top five operators in the space.

37 NetPlay (43)

The company will hope its deal with Playtech means more distribution for its content and more exposure for TV gaming.

36 Gala Coral (11)

Struggling land-based operator with bingo badly hit by UK smoking ban. Online arm Eurobet is doing OK in Italy.

35 Nordicbet (N/A)

Strong at localisation, Nordicbet was unlucky not to be acquired by Mangas Gaming when it went for Expekt instead.

34 SPS Betting (N/A)

Eurosport’s egaming division has major plans and enjoys strong backing from major French media and corporate backers.

33 32Red (41)

Chief executive Ed Ware said other companies might not have survived the Betdirect scenario it suffered a couple of years ago. 32Red has regrouped and refocused.

32 Gamesys (28)

Jackpot Joy parent company strong on side games and white labelling, with Sun Bingo as one of its clients.

31 Centrebet (27)

Strong Australian bookmaker, tried to acquire Sportsbet to head off Paddy Power entry down under.

30 Stan James (15)

Chief executive Peter Fisher is not the most responsive to press but his firm is one of the pioneers of in running betting.

29 Victor Chandler (12)

The first bookmaker to move wholesale to Gibraltar is as involved as ever in the business but would no doubt welcome an exit.

28 Winamax (N/A)

The largest poker site in France has gross gaming revenues of around €35m and is fronted by well known French singer and actor Patrick Bruel.

27 Gioco Digitale (N/A)

The company was one of the early movers in Italian online poker and has managed to hold its own against major networks like Playtech.

26 SBO Bet(N/A)

SBO is one of the biggest Asian sports betting operators and its entrance in Europe has not gone unnoticed.

25 118 Bet (N/A)

118 Bet has been even more active than SBO in marketing its name, with numerous football sponsorship and betting partnership deals.

24 Camelot (29)

UK lottery operator is not higher in the list due to its single product offering. The company remains focused on corporate and social responsibility.

23 Everest Gaming (18)

Parent company Giga Media has been trying to sell flagship poker site Everest Poker for some time, recent update showed first quarter revenues had dropped by half.

22 Sisal (N/A)

Historic Italian lottery operator, the company joined Playtech’s poker network but doesn’t have any sports reach.

21 TAB Corp (N/A)

Although technically not a monopoly anymore, Australia’s major betting and gaming operator still has huge reach down under. Its exclusive licence to operate gaming machines in the state of Victoria will soon be running out.

20 Sky Bet (23)

Sky’s egaming arm saw full year revenues rise 9% and has enhanced its product range. Its UK focus is well known, it would be nice to see try to expand elsewhere.

19 Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment(N/A)

The US casino giant has hired former PartyGaming boss Mitch Garber to head up its egaming division. In time, HIE will surely be one of the major players in the US and Europe.

18 PKR (33)

The poker site has continued to build on its 3D selling points and recently re-launched its dot com site. How far can it go and is there any exit planned for the founders?

17 Gaming VC (26)

Clever acquisition of south American firm Betboo and product diversification mean sports turnover is added to gaming.

16 Snai (N/A)

Another historic Italian operator with the largest sports betting reach in Italy and a good poker offering.

15 Lottomatica (N/A)

Lottery operator and systems provider that owns GTech, which owns Finsoft, Boss Media and St Minver. How well the integration of those three entities goes will determine its success.

14 Pari Mutuel Urbain (20)

Largest tote in Europe has major plans in France in 2010, with fixed odds products ready for the World Cup.

13 Française des Jeux (N/A)

The other French monopoly also has major plans for when the market opens up to competition. It might enter even into real competition with PMU.

12 888 (2)

As covered in the feature, 888 has not had a good time of it recently. Hopefully the consumer-facing side will improve.

11 Betsson (10)

The Swedish operator is out of the Top 10 through no fault of its own. It reported a 30% rise in six monthly revenues and is continuing to do well.

This article first appeared in the September issue of eGaming Review. To read the Power 50 top 10 click here

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