Stan James

Stan James Plc
Plc
Industry Gambling
Founded 1973
Headquarters Marina Bay, Gibraltar
Key people
 Denis Kelly (CEO)
Products Bookmaking, online casino, online poker, betting shops, online gambling

Stan James is a British bookmaker established in 1973, and trades online under the name StanJames.com. The online company is based in Marina Bay, Gibraltar with the firm's head office in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. StanJames.com is the trading name of Stan James (Gibraltar) PLC, which is a remote gambling operator offering online, mobile and telephone sports betting, casino games and poker, while Stan James (Abingdon) Limited operate over 90 betting shops across the UK.

History

The Stan James brand began life in 1973 as a single betting shop in Wantage, Oxfordshire. The company was founded by Steve Fisher and James Holder, and is now owned wholly by the Fisher family. The company was named ‘Stan James’ by taking the first two letters of Steve and his wife, Anne (Stan), and from James. Nowadays, the Stan James operations are primarily online and on mobile though there is a shop estate of over 90 betting shops in the UK.[1] Stan James opened their first shop in Compton, Berkshire in 1973.[2]

StanJames.com is the trading name of Stan James PLC and is licensed and regulated by the Government of Gibraltar, where the Company's online gambling operations are located. The CEO of StanJames.com is Denis Kelly. The StanJames.com brand is available in markets across the world, with sports and casino customers from over 120 countries worldwide, but they focus in particular on the UK market and UK customers.

In December 2007, the firm bought the Betdirect bookmaking company, which was established in 1998, from 32Red for £5.75 million.[3] The Betdirect operation was merged with Stan James in February 2009.[4][5] In 2008, they bought the online betting business betterbet.com from the London bookmaker Better.[6][7] In 2009 Stan James started a cooperation with the Austrian BETKICK Sportwettenservice GmbH, together they found the brand SJBET and SJBET24.com (Internet betting) especially for betting shops in Austria, Germany, and Europe.[8] In May 2010 they bought 27 branches of regional bookmaker Pagebet after the company went bankrupt.[9][10]

Partnerships

StanJames.com are present in several emerging markets where they operate under alternative brands in partnership with local companies.[11] These include ‘Goldenpark.com’ in Spain, where StanJames.com partner with the Spanish land-based casino Group MGA; ‘Racing2Day’ in the USA, where they are part of a limited partnership licensed by the Oregon Racing Commission; and ‘Betpack’ in Ireland, which was created in 2009 to offer online betting and gaming to the betting shop network of the same name.

Sports sponsorships

StanJames.com have been involved in numerous marketing campaigns since the online business was conceived in the late 1990s. including the Stan James World Matchplay from 2000 to 2010, during which time the event grew in size and stature to become the second most important event in darts.

StanJames.com have been notable supporters of British horse racing. The company sponsored the ‘Stan James Guineas Festival’ at Newmarket Racecourse from 2006 to 2010, and the King George Chase at Kempton Park from 2005 to 2008. Presently, StanJames.com sponsor ‘Stan James Champion Hurdle’ at the Cheltenham Festival. The Stan James Champion Hurdle is the final race in the ‘Road To Cheltenham’ series of races, all of which are sponsored by StanJames.com and have been since 2010. Since the six-race sponsorship began, Cheltenham Racecourse footfall and television viewer ratings have increased year-on-year for the Stan James Champion Hurdle.

Marketing campaigns

In 2012, StanJames.com launched the ‘Who are you with?’ advertising campaign.[12] The campaign revolved around two characters called Stan and James who are best friends but completely opposite characters, notably when it comes to having a bet. The campaign’s strapline is ‘Who are you with?’, which is intended to provoke customers to align themselves with either Stan or James, as well as making the suggestion they should join StanJames.com.

References

  1. ↑ Scutts, Andrew (2 February 2011). "Reuben brothers confirmed as still in running for Tote". Racing Post (London). p. 5.
  2. ↑ Armytage, Marcus (20 December 2005). "Step forward the real Stan James". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  3. ↑ Chris Carter (2 November 2007). "Betdirect to Stan James". bettingpro.com. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  4. ↑ "Betdirect absorbed into Stan James core operations". reviewedcasions.com. 6 February 2009. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  5. ↑ Charlies McCann (5 February 2009). "Stan James announces betdirect merger". Stan James. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  6. ↑ "Stan James buys online bookmaker betterbet.com". Bookmakers Review. 21 July 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  7. ↑ "Stan James Steps Into Takeover BetterBet Sportsbook". gambling.co.uk. 7 August 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  8. ↑ "Cooperation SJBET". sjbet. 25 June 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  9. ↑ Karen Dent (21 May 2010). "Bookmaker Pagebet collapses - 120 jobs lost". nebusiness.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  10. ↑ "Uk Bookie 120 Pagebet jobs lost, but Stan James rescues others". recentpoker.com. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  11. ↑ Unknown author (October 2012). "'Brand Reach' campaign". Stan James. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  12. ↑ "'Who are you with?' campaign". Stan James. October 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2013.

External links