With so many bookmakers sharing the same owner, it’s worth paying attention to the bookmaker ownership structure in Australia. A number of bookmakers feature identical odds and markets, leaving weekly promotions as the only point of difference. This reduces the benefits of holding a membership with each of them.
To assist with bookmaker membership selections, below is the current ownership structure of the leading Australian-licensed bookmakers. Some owners place more emphasis on their leading brands, so where applicable the primary brand for each owner is highlighted.
Bet 365 Group Limited
Private company, headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Employs over 2,100 staff. Learn more.
BlueBet Pty Ltd
NSW company founded in 2015 by Michael Sullivan, the former CEO of Sportingbet and Centrebet.
BoomBet Pty Ltd
The service was originally founded as Sportsbetting.com.au back in 1998 before the bookmaker was re-branded as BoomBet in late 2021. The registered office is in Brighton, Victoria.
Moneyball Australia Pty Ltd
Moneyball was created in 2014 and launched in 2015 as a daily fantasy sports contests provider. The business switched gears to become a Northern Territory-licensed bookmaker in 2021. The registered head office is in Barangaroo.
O’Shea Bookmaking Pty Ltd
Terry (Tex) O’Shea commenced bookmaking at the local dog track in 1973. His son Wade has taken the reins as licensee. The company is 100% Australian-owned.
PlayUp Interactive Pty Ltd
PlayUp Interactive Pty Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of PlayUp Limited and is a licensed gambling operator in Australia. PlayUp operates fantasy sports, sports betting and online gaming platforms. As of April 2018 it had approximately 400,000 registered users and 27 full-time employees. PlayUp has offices in Sydney (HQ), Melbourne, Darwin and Hong Kong (source). PlayUp merged ClassicBet and Mad Bookie into the PlayUp brand in October 2019 and has plans to merge TopBetta as well.
Draftstars – licensed in the Northern Territory (review)
PlayUp – licensed in the Northern Territory (review)
Puntaa Pty Ltd
QLD company founded in 2014 by CEO Nick Heaney and Damon Oudejans.
Unibet Group plc
Founded in 1997. Was originally based in the UK but is now headquartered in Malta. The parent company is listed on the Nordic stock exchange and holds licences in France, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Australia and the UK. They boast over 9.5 million customers in over 100 countries. Learn more.