Ladbrokes Moves into Italian Market
29th November, 2007
Ladbrokes has revealed that it has opened its doors to the Italian market, after recently being awarded Italian gaming licenses. Mattia Nicelli, Ladbrokes' head of Italian business, said the site now had between 700-800 people from the country betting on it.
Nicelli also said that Ladbrokes was considering using some of the betting shops’ expansive floor space to open amusement arcades, to "make the most of the floor space in its shops".
The bookmakers’ recent reports have shown that €100million has been set aside to spend on expansion into the Italian market. Ladbrokes has already planned 62 shops in the country, offering both sports and horse racing betting, along with another 51 kiosks that will provide betting in places like bars and cafes. Ladbrokes is looking to complete much of the work in time for next year’s Euro 2008 finals, a typically good time for bookmakers.
Incredibly, 95% of all bets in Italy are placed on football. The Italian government has gradually opened up the gambling market, now allowing fixed-odds betting on things like football matches and horse racing. Coral are set to follow suit, also in the process of opening shops in Italy.
