A look at this month’s online casino news

Over recent months it appears that all our casino news has been focused on the fortunes of two of our leading bookmakers, William Hill and Ladbrokes. Not that many years ago these two betting giants were vying with each other for top spot in the world of sports gambling, with Ladbrokes perhaps marginally ahead of their main rival, but the advance of digital technology and the introduction of online sports gambling and online casinos appears to have changed the balance considerably. Ralph Topping, chief executive of William Hill even went so far as to say earlier this year that Ladbrokes were no longer their main rival. Clearly such a statement was designed to have a dig at Ladbrokes management, but there is some truth in what he said. There is no doubt that while William Hill in partnership with Playtech, now considered to be the leading online casino software supplier have successfully embraced the online gambling market, Ladbrokes by their own admission have struggled in this area of the betting business. Shareholders in Ladbrokes have however generally been loyal to the company and there are signs that the management may finally be about to turn the corner. Now also using Playtech to develop their online casino and sports betting sites, Ladbrokes are also about to introduce an online betting exchange service to run in conjunction with their main website facilities at Ladbrokes.com. This facility will allow punters to bet against each other rather than being restricted to the fixed odds gambling against the bookmaker and represents a significant change in direction for the company. We will keep a close eye on the progress of this innovation from Ladbrokes, and wish them well in their continuing attempts to catch up with their online rivals. We also hope to see the influence of Playtech coming through in their casino games range at their online casino site.