Online Sports Betting Field Facing Changes

British bookmaking giant Ladbrokes has revealed a massive hand to the world with the news that it is making an attempt to takeover fellow online sportsbook operator Sportingbet.

£462m investment

Ladbrokes's bid is estimated at some GBP 462 million, according to reports, and follows several months of takeover and merger talks with internet gaming firm 888 and online gaming software giant Playtech that didn't lead anywhere.

But this latest move shows that Ladbrokes still believes very much that it will need to make a landmark acquisition to boost its internet business, as it competes with major rivals like William Hill and Betfair for a share of the internet betting and gambling markets.

What would Sportingbet bring?

The obvious answer to this question is that it would pave the way for Ladbrokes into some critical international markets such as Spain and Greece where it does not currently have such a major presence.

Even more notably, it would also bring into the fold Australian betting firm Centrebet, which ironically was purchased by Sportingbet for GBP 119 million after Ladbrokes itself chose not to pay that sum for the business. It will be interesting to see what unfolds from this latest round of talks and speculation.