easyJet founder says easyBet online betting brand is a “natural new market”

easyBet has licences from the British Gambling Commission and Alderney Gambling Control Commission.

UK.- The owner of the low-cost airline easyJet has announced an expansion into the gambling sector with the launch of easyBet.net – yes, really. easyGroup has obtained gambling licences from the British Gambling Commission and Alderney Gambling Control Commission. It’s licensing the ‘easy’ name to Matchbook, which will run the betting offering.

While the expansion might seem an unusual move for a conglomerate that’s best known for its airline, EasyGroup has previously sued gambling brands for copyright infringement, including EasyBet.com and EasyBet.co.za. It seems that this may have inspired it to launch its own offering under the name.

EasyGroup currently lists more than 200 easy-branded businesses in its portfolio, although the best-known mainly revolve around transport, including easyCar and easyBus and – erm – easyDogwalker. It also runs easyGym, but several of its more apparently random brands, including easyInternetcafé, easyCinema and easyPizza have ceased operating.

The new venture will be its first in gambling, although it’s not unprecedented for a major consumer brand in the UK to expand into the sector. Virgin and Sky are obvious examples. It appears the easyBet will offer sports betting only. It isn’t immediately clear if there are plans to operate in markets other than Britain.

EasyGroup founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou said: “We are delighted to welcome EasyBet.net to the ‘Easy’ family of brands, It is a natural new market to complement our other large consumer brands in the UK and Ireland.

“EasyBet offers peer-to-peer betting with the aim of giving customers fairer odds than traditional bookmakers. It allows you to bet on sports events. You can back what you think will win or lay what you think will lose. We believe this model offers fairer odds to the consumer.”

As for Matchbook, it was the subject of a Gambling Commission investigation that led to the temporary suspension of its licence for Triplebet back in February 2020 due to anti-money laundering, due diligence and social responsibility failings. It was fined £740,000 but had its licence reinstated in August 2020. It brought in the consultancy Alvarez and Marsal to enhance its systems.

Matchbook CEO Malcolm Graham said: “The ‘Easy’ brand is renowned for consistently supplying quality and value to its customers. EasyBet.net offers its customers industry-leading odds across a wide range of sports and geographic markets, offering a top-tier user experience. We’re also thrilled we will be supporting Stelios’ philanthropic activities via the licence fees being paid to EasyGroup.”