Unibet.com
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- This article is about the online gambling operator http://www.unibet.com. For the cycling team it sponsors, see Unibet.com Cycling Team.
Unibet is one of the largest online gambling operators in the European market with over 1.3 million customers worldwide.
Unibet offers a comprehensive range of online gambling products, such as sports betting, live betting, online casino, online poker, lotteries, bingo and soft games through the group's web site, www.unibet.com
The customer base spans more than 150 countries. Unibet Group plc is a company incorporated in Malta with registered number C 39017. Unibet is certified by G4, Global Gaming Guidance Group, complying with their Code of Practice in relation to responsible gambling. Unibet is a member of European Betting Association.
Unibet was founded 1997 and is since June 2004, Unibet is listed on Swedish Stockholmsbörsen.
[edit] Business concept and strategy
Unibet’s business concept is to be a reliable provider operating in the online gambling market, building value by delivering entertaining gambling products with an excellent service.
[edit] Aims
Unibet’s business aim is to become one of the major players in the European market for online gambling. The financial aim is for gambling profits to increase by at least the same rate as market growth for online gambling and for at least 50 per cent of this increase to directly improve the operating result.
[edit] Strategies
Unibet has a leading position in the European market for online gambling. Unibet’s strategies to expand activities and achieve the business and financial aims are:
• Enter into more markets within Europe, historically characterised by monopolies and a strong gambling culture, where there is also high internet penetration.
• Create a strong position in the market for sport betting by offering better odds on major events, particularly within domestic sports.
• Offer a wide range of new gambling products, for example casino and poker, to existing and new customers, reducing dependence on sports betting.
• Develop new distribution methods, for example mobile applications.
• Prioritise organic growth.
[edit] Responsible Gaming
Socially responsible enterprise is about finding ways to offer a safe playing field for all Unibet gamblers. A lot of emphasis is placed on the safety and privacy of its customers. The company applies a strict age limit and accepts no customers under the age of 18. Unibet is certified by G4, Global Gaming Guidance Group, complying with their Code of Practice in relation to responsible gambling. G4 was created by a group of international gaming experts with the aim of establishing an industry standard for responsible gaming.
[edit] EBA
Unibet is also a member of the European Betting Association (EBA), which brings together 12 of the leading gaming companies in Europe. The Association’s statute specifies how the member companies should deal with issues such as gambling addiction, illegal gambling by minors, gambler privacy and money laundering.
[edit] Unibet's markets
Unibet’s key markets are the Nordic countries as well as certain European markets with gambling monopolies. The main reason for selecting these markets has been a strong gambling culture in those countries coupled with high Internet penetration.
[edit] The Nordic region
Each of the Nordic countries has a similar gambling market. The market is dominated by a state monopoly, which also drives the development of the industry.
[edit] France and BeNeLux
Through the acquisition of MrBookmaker.com in August 2005, Unibet has gained access to the French and the BeNeLux markets.
[edit] Other European countries
Further deregulation and new channels provided by the Internet, mobile phones and digital TV will drive continued growth in the European market. However, as each European country has developed its own attitudes, preferences and regulatory framework regarding gambling, the region cannot be viewed as homogenous.
[edit] Sport betting
Sports betting Unibet offers a comprehensive range of odds on a variety of international and local sporting events, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Bets are placed via Unibet’s website, www.unibet.com and via mobile phone.
[edit] Sports odds
On any given day, customers will find odds on around 500 different events, covering many different sports. The most popular sports are football, ice hockey, trotting and tennis. In many sports Unibet offers multiple forms of betting on the same match or event. This business is largely dependent on the seasons for key sports, such as the major soccer leagues in Europe, major golf and tennis tournaments, and the Nordic ice hockey leagues. Unibet offers a very competitive payout ratio to its customers. For the major sports leagues it is normally around 90-95 per cent, depending on the type of game.
[edit] Live betting
The live element is very important when selecting and scheduling events for customers. Part of the excitement involved in betting is being able to place a bet on a particular game or event and then watch that game or event live on television. This ensures a high entertainment value for live betting. Unibet takes bets and offers odds on ongoing matches, i.e. customers can watch the match and place bets even as the match is going on. The odds change as the match progresses, but customers keep the odds which applied at the time when the bet was made. There is no limit to the number of bets a punter may make. Customers betting on football, for instance, can play the usual 1X2 or place bets such as over or under a certain number of goals, next goal, next corner, etc. It is an exciting and fast-paced form of gambling where odds may change rapidly. Unibet also offers a unique cash-in function which enables customers to sell their bet before the conclusion of a match or event or even change their mind if it looks as if they are going to lose their bet. Live betting creates new opportunities for Unibet’s customers to take positions, e.g. home win or away win, or even change their position from home to away during the course of the match.
[edit] Supertoto
Supertoto is a pool betting product, using betting coupons with 14 football matches. It was launched in April 2004. Many European countries have mid-week coupons, and in November Unibet introduced Supertoto Extra with 10 football matches. The payout ratio for both types of coupon is 80 per cent, which is much higher than that offered by European monopoly operators on their supertoto or equivalent pool betting products. All matches are from the major European leagues and cups. Unibet has also introduced a unique form of supertoto for tennis, where punters bet on the outcome of 10 tennis matches.
[edit] Non-sports betting
Unibet’s non-sports betting consists of poker and different online casino products including table games such as Roulette, Black Jack, Caribbean Stud and Baccarat and a scratch card.
[edit] Casino
Unibet’s online casino consists of different products, including Roulette, Black Jack, Caribbean Stud Poker and Keno, as well as video poker and slot machines. The casino also organises tournaments in the various games. The activity on casino games is relatively stable over the year, which helps to smooth out the volatility in Unibet’s gross margin and the seasonal effect on turnover of sports betting. It can be argued that casino players are more susceptible to compulsive gambling and therefore, Unibet has introduced personal safety measures for customers. Customers can, for example, set a personal limit or request to have their account barred for online casino products for a certain period of time.
[edit] Poker
Online poker was launched in September 2004 and has been successful. Special tournaments, VIP scores and Bad Beat Jackpots are some of the key features used to increase the entertainment value for Unibet’s poker players. In Unibet’s poker lobby, customers can also view ranking lists of the best players. Unibet has 8 types of poker and each type offers a range of stakes to suit all players. All stakes are made in USD. In addition to the usual range of poker games, such as Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha High/Low, 7 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud High/Low, and Deuce to Seven Triple Draw, Unibet also offers two European variants, Five-Card Draw and Sökö. Unibet arranges monthly tournaments as well as a number of smaller tournaments.
[edit] Scratch card
Unibet launched a scratch card, Trixx, on 19 July 2005. The highest win possible is 100,000 EUR and the price of the scratch card is 2.5 EUR. Unibet offers a substantially higher payout on the scratch card than the monopolies do on their corresponding products. Unibet plans to launch additional scratch cards for all markets. Scratch cards are a strong product in many of Unibet’s key markets. Scratch cards complement the other Unibet products as they don’t require any skill and are a "bet small - possibility to win high" type of game.
[edit] Soft games
Unibet Games was launched in December 2005 and consists out of sport orientated games and entertainment games. The games are a softer version of the casino and rides on the popularity of lottery- and keno-based games, virtual sports and high/low games. The sport games are Virtual Horse Racing, Goalkeeper Champion and Boxing Champion; the entertainment games are High Low Extreme, Risk It! and Poker Dice.
[edit] Bingo
In August Unibet’s non-sports betting offering expanded with multiplayer Bingo. Unibet offers the 75-ball type Bingo together with a range of casino games attached to it. These casino games consist of multi-reel video slots, multi-hand video poker, black jack and roulette. Customers can enter the Bingo room, buy tickets to participate in the game and join the in-game chat room.
[edit] Unibet.com Cycling Team
In central and southern Europe cycling is the second most popular sport after football. In Autumn 2005, Unibet decided to take over the sponsorship of MrBookmaker.com’s cycling team, which as of 2006 is called the “Unibet cycling team”. The team comprises 24 professional cyclists and 16 amateur cyclists from nine different nationalities. Cycling enthusiasts can follow their progress in the many races in which the team will be competing at www.unibetcycling.com.
[edit] Moneytainment
Games and gambling have been around as a stimulating form of recreational activity for several thousand years. For the vast majority, gambling is about getting more out of other leisure-time activities, such as watching a football match on TV and betting on the result. The great majority of games involve small stakes and form part of the household entertainment budget. Unibet’s aim is to offer customers great Moneytainment.
[edit] History
1997 The first Unibet company was formed.
1998 Unibet was granted a licence in the UK to run a betting operation. Unibet established an office in London and commenced trading as a betting operator taking bets over the telephone.
1999 An internet web site in Swedish and English was launched.
2000 Unibet Group Plc. was incorporated. Unibet International was granted a licence and established an office in Malta.
2001 The second version of Unibet’s web site was launched and was translated into 12 languages. Customers in more than 50 countries.
2002 Nearly 200,000 registered customers in more than 80 countries.
2003 Release of updated web site and launch of new products including live betting and the on-line casino products. More than 256,000 registered customers in over 100 countries.
2004 Listing on Stockholmsbörsen. Launch of Supertoto and poker. More than 350,000 registered customers in over 150 countries.
2005 Launch of mobile platform, Trixx scratch card and TV-format “Pokermiljonen”. Acquired MrBookmaker.com
2006 Web site translated into 20 languages. Launch of Bingo.
[edit] Resources
1. Corporate site : http://www.unibetgroupplc.com
