Sportsbet Brings BetEasy Under Own Brand as TSG/Flutter Merge

Reneging on a decision to run a dual branding strategy, The Stars Group and Flutter Entertainment are bringing the BetEasy brand, Flutter’s Australia-facing sportsbook, under Sportsbet’s banner to boost the entities competitiveness and take on Tabcorp, their main rival in the Australian market.

Sportsbet to Overtake BetEasy as TSG/Flutter New Branding Strategy Unfolds

Sportsbet’s will overtake BetEasy, a competitor sportsbook in Australia as part of the merger between The Stars Group and Flutter Entertainment. The move comes after a previous announcement that TSG and Flutter Entertainment would try to run a two-track brand strategy, opting to merge their brands instead.

In light of this change of plans, BetEasy and Sportsbet will now re-emerge as a single entity, part of the $12 billion tie-up that will lead to a new giant in the gambling market. Sportsbet’s operates under Flutter and specifically targets the Australian market.

The companies are hoping to take on Sportsbet’s biggest competitors – Tabcorp, a company that may be facing its own set of troubles amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, Tabcorp released an add that appealed to Australians’ patriotism asking punters to choose Tabcorp as their go-to betting platform.

BetEasy – now known as CrownBet – was rebranded back in 2015 as it became a part of Crown Resorts. However, in 2018, The Stars Group acquired an 80% stake in CrownBet, effectively bringing it under its own banner – and the original name.

Following that move, TSG rebranded the company as BetEasy in the summer the same year. At the end of 2019, The Stars Group secured the remainder 20% stake it hadn’t owned.

All Systems Go for the Merger, After Regulators Give Green Light

The Stars Group and Flutter Entertainment are on a path to complete their merger, with some now pointing to June, 2020 as the most likely date of completion. The coronavirus has slowed down regulatory work, meaning last-minute clearances cannot be issued as quickly.

Yet, this hasn’t stopped Flutter and The Stars Group to prepare in full, garnering the support of shareholders and receiving the approval of both the UK Competition and Markets Authority as well as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Both markets are some of the hardest to break into, but the company successfully past that hurdle. What’s left is to ratify the merger and witness the birth of a new gaming behemoth.

Commenting on recent developments, a Sportsbet representative said that the brands had decided to pool their efforts in light of the new risks brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, and other uncertainties in the region.

More importantly, the spokesperson noted is the fact that with the two giants’ efforts combined, they would be able to bring customers the “best possible experience”.