European leaders of in-play betting named

Britain’s biggest bookmaker William Hill plc and internet betting company bet365 are named as the leaders in the fast growing in-play sports betting market, reports the Reuters news agency, quoting a survey of Europe’s online betting firms by industry researcher Gambling Compliance.

In-play betting is driving revenue growth across the internet and mobile gambling industry, helping offset stagnant demand for traditional over-the-counter betting, the study found.

Bet365 offered the widest range of sports and events but William Hill offered more possible bets per event, according to the survey, which was conducted in November and December last year.

During the 14-day period of the survey, Bet365 offered in-play betting across 20 sports and 534 events, ahead of Sportingbet on 358, Bwin on 317, Ladbrokes on 313 and William Hill on 297.

However, William Hill was top of the pile in terms of possible bets per event, with an average of 53, well ahead of Ladbrokes on 30, Sportingbet on 25, Bet365 on 24 and Bwin on 23.

The survey showed football to be the most popular sport for in-play betting, accounting for over two-thirds of the sporting events on which in-play betting was offered.

Basketball was the second most popular, followed by tennis and volleyball.