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.
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)
Flutter Entertainment
Listed on the London Stock Exchange. It was created out of the merger of Paddy Power and Betfair, plus the acquisition of The Stars Group (which owned BetEasy).Learn more.
Pointsbet Australia Pty Ltd
Launched in early 2017 with a postal address in Melbourne. At this stage we know very little about the owners.
SportChamps Australia Pty. Ltd
Founded in 2017 by Alan Eskander, who sold Betstar to Ladbrokes in 2014. The company is based in Melbourne.
SportChamps – licensed in the Northern Territory (review)
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.
WinnersBet Pty Ltd
Founded in late 2020. All bets are accepted on behalf of the bookmaker Da He, trading as WinnersBet.
WinnersBet – licensed in Victoria (review)