Inside Asian Gaming

IAG NOV 2021年11月 亞博匯 99 26-50 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Sportsbet 行政總裁 CLAIMS TO FAME 名成事跡 POWER SCORE 權能指數: 744 POSITION LAST YEAR 去年排名: Nil 無 Former marketing executive at UK betting giant Paddy Power Has positioned Sportsbet as clear No 2 behind Tabcorp in Australia’s competitive sports betting landscape • • • • 英國博彩巨擘Paddy Power的前營銷主管 令Sportsbet成為澳洲競技體育博彩領域中的第二名，僅次於Tabcorp 33 BARNI EVANS IT’S BEEN A PRODUCTIVE FEW YEARS for Barni Evans and Sportsbet, which has emerged from the highly competitive pack of Australian corporate bookmakers to become the country’s clear No 1. In fact, so dramatic has Sportsbet’s rise been in recent times that it has even supplanted Tabcorp, for so many years a dominant market leader, in top spot. The company’s rise has been largely driven by the 2020 merger of Flutter Entertainment, owner of the Sportsbet brand, and The Stars Group, owner of BetEasy, which saw the two sportsbooks combined into one with the clear goal of closing the Tabcorp gap. It has certainly paid dividends. From revenue of US$618 million in 2019, Sportsbet reported a better than 100% increase in 2020 to US$1.48 billion, rising again to US$811 million in the first six months of 2021 alone. Market share, estimated at a combined 26% between Sportsbet and BetEasy when last year’s merger was completed, has grown to 47%, bringing Tabcorp back from more than 50% to just 39%, according to Credit Suisse. Overseeing it all has been Evans, who moved to Australia in 2011 after Sportsbet was acquired by UK gaming giant Paddy Power. Originally Sportsbet’s Marketing Director, he was appointed Chief Commercial Officer in October 2016 and CEO in March 2018. Evans brings vast experience to the Australian sports betting scene, having worked as a graduate strategic planner with the UK arm of global media giant News Corp, rising through the ranks to become online marketing director and then spending a decade with Paddy Power as Director of Marketing. 對於BARNI EVANS 和Sportsbet來說，這幾年收穫頗豐。這家公司從競 爭激烈的澳洲公司博彩公司中脫穎而出，成為該國頭號博彩企業。事實 上，Sportsbet近期的崛起十分引人注目，甚至取代了多年來一直佔據 市場主導地位的Tabcorp，坐上了頭把交椅。 該公司的崛起很大程度是由於2020年Sportsbet的品牌所有者Flutter Entertainment，與BetEasy所有者The Stars Group合併所致。兩家體育 博彩公司合二為一，目的就是為了縮小與Tabcorp的差距。 此舉已經獲得了回報。據Sportsbet報告，2019年的收入為6.18億美 元，但2020年收入翻了一番達到14.8億美元，而2021年僅在前六個月就已 經達到了8.11億美元。根據瑞士信貸的數據，去年合併完成時，Sportsbet 和BetEasy的市場份額估計為26%，現已增長至47%，使Tabcorp從逾 50%的份額回落至僅39%。 Evans是這一切的負責人。2011年在Sportsbet被英國遊戲巨頭Paddy Power收購後，他移居了澳洲。最初擔任Sportsbet的營銷總監，於2016 年10月被任命為首席商務官，後於 2018年3月被任命為首席執行官。 Evans將其豐富的經驗帶至澳洲體育博彩行業。他畢業後曾在全球媒 體巨擘新聞集團的英國子公司擔任戰略策劃師，後一路晉升為網絡營銷總 監，之後在Paddy Power擔任營銷總監十年之久。