William Hill & CrownBet Merger to Be Branded BetEasy

CrownBet has made an announcement that they will be rebranding and will be named BetEasy. The Stars Group, a Canadian gambling company, bought shares in CrownBet, therefore, prompting a rebrand. The company also took over William Hill in Australia. However, the rebrand didn’t go as planned initially.

The decision to change to BetEasy comes after the sports betting operator lost a case against Sportsbet. They were planning to change their name to Sportingbet, which according to Sportsbet was too similar to their name.

BetEasy is not a new idea from CrownBet. Back in 2014 Matt Tripp bought Betezy and decide to change the brand to BetEasy which changed again after a year to CrownBet. You could say that now the sports betting branding going back to its roots.

BetEasy Planned Relaunch

Matt Tripp has said that the formal launch of the brand will be happening mid-August. However, there was not a specific date announced. He announced on Tuesday saying the new name will resonate with their players.

When put together, William Hill and CrownBet will become the third largest sports betting company in Australia. Tabcorp and Sportsbet being the top contenders in the industry.

The relaunch of BetEasy comes at a time when operators that are licensed in Australia are facing challenges such as the restrictions on advertisements and newly introduced taxes. However, Mr Tripp has said that he understands and supports these measures because they are made to protect punters. He does admit that it will be a more significant challenge than ever before for sports betting operators.

Acquisitions and Deals

James Packer had decided to focus his business only on Crown Resorts and therefore decide to sell the company shares in CrownBet. The Stars Group bought the 62% shares. Soon after the deal, CrownBet won the bit to take over William Hill’s Australian business. Both these deals amounted to over $300 million.