Betfair Online Sportsbook to Launch Ad Blitz in U.K., Europe

Despite its unwillingness to offer its online sportsbook in France due to gambling laws enacted in June, Betfair definitely has its sights set on Europe. Its latest push in the UK and other Western European markets that allow such advertising is based on a campaign called “Cut Out the Middleman.”

With the campaign, set for a European TV and Internet rollout on Saturday, August 21, Betfair hopes to position itself as “The World’s Biggest Betting Community” in pushing its proposition betting exchange. The point of the advertising blitz is simply that in exchange betting, Betfair promises better odds than you’d get at the standard online sportsbook in UK or European Union.

The Albion London agency designed the campaign and the television commercials will be show on stations like ESPN, Sky Sports, ITV and Channel 4 during sports events including Champions League football, Ryder Cup golf and horse racing. Albion also plans to use YouTube to increase awareness of the campaign.

One country Betfair won’t be targeted with “Cut Out the Middleman” is France, which in May the online sportsbook announced it would be leaving before the incoming French gambling laws would take effect. Said a representative at that time, “We hope that the review, scheduled 18 months from now, will amend the law to address these flaws” regarding “true competition from other operators.”