BetEasy (formerly known as CrownBet and BetEzy) was an Australian corporate bookmaker offering online sports and racing betting platforms. BetEasy is licensed in the Northern Territory and owned by

The Stars Group The Stars Group Inc. (formerly known as Amaya Inc., Amaya Gaming Group Inc. and Rational Group) was a Canadian gaming and online gambling company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its shares were traded on Nasdaq and the Toronto Stock Ex ...

. BetEasy was the official wagering partner of the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

and the only corporate bookmaker able to provide its customers with access to the popular

Sky Racing Sky Racing (previously Sky Channel) is an Australian broadcaster primarily telecasting live thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing. It is owned by Tabcorp and operates a number of television channels and a radio service. The broadcaster ...

channels directly through its betting applications.

History

The BetEasy brand first launched in the Australian market in 2014 following the purchase and immediate rebrand of the former BetEzy brand by Matthew Tripp. In December 2014,

Crown Resorts Crown Resorts Limited is Australia's largest gaming and entertainment group that owns and operates two of Australia's leading gambling and entertainment complexes, Crown Melbourne and Crown Perth. It was listed on the Australian Securities Exc ...

acquired a 66% shareholding and BetEasy transitioned to the CrownBet brand in March 2015. The deal offered a world-first integration of an online wagering operator with a land-based casino operation. In December 2017, Crown Resorts announced it would divest CrownBet as part of a string of asset sales that would raise nearly $700m.

acquired an 80% ownership interest in the combined companies through a series of transactions between February and April 2018. In August 2018, The Stars Group reinstated the BetEasy brand following the integration and migration of William Hill Australia with and into CrownBet. On 3 December 2019, The Stars Group announced it had acquired the remaining 20% in BetEasy. Tripp stood down as CEO and become non-executive president of BetEasy on 1 January 2020. BetEasy remained Australian-based with offices in Darwin, Melbourne and Sydney. On 8 September 2020, BetEasy merged into

Sportsbet Sportsbet, is an online gambling company owned by Flutter Entertainment, primarily targeting the Australian market. Sportsbet is licensed as a corporate bookmaker in the Northern Territory under the ''Racing and Betting Act 1993'' (NT). Sportsb ...

. As a result, BetEasy was disbanded.

Controversies

Illegal advertising

In April 2016, the company's joint venture with Matthew Tripp, CrownBet pleaded guilty to five counts of breaching laws by publishing illegal betting advertising that offered inducements for NSW residents to gamble. According to NSW Department of Justice, CrownBet "sought to have the matters finalised without conviction in

Downing Centre The Downing Centre is a major heritage-listed former department store and now courthouse complex in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It features state government courts, including the Local Court, the District Court, and a law library know ...

Local Court yesterday but Magistrate Joanne Keogh said convictions were necessary for general deterrence to others in the industry and to protect the vulnerable. CrownBet was convicted of the five offences and ordered to pay a total of $10,500 in fines and also ordered to pay

Liquor & Gaming NSW Liquor & Gaming NSW is an agency of the Government of New South Wales, that is part of the Customer Service cluster. Liquor and Gaming NSW is responsible for the development, implementation and integrity of the regulatory framework for liquor sale ...

legal costs of $10,000."

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official WebsiteThegioicacuocbongda
Companies based in Melbourne Gambling companies established in 2014 Online gambling companies of Australia Australian companies established in 2014 2020 mergers and acquisitions