Online sportsbooks are experiencing unprecedented popularity these days. The bookmakers are springing up like mushrooms to satisfy the ever-increasing demand of betting enthusiasts. Many bookmakers come with ambitious goals, but only a few of them have managed to establish themselves in this shark tank. Some have become veritable corporations and are sometimes listed on the stock exchange.
Again and again, the question arises for the most renowned bookmaker. So who is the biggest bookmaker in the world?
Why online betting is so successful?
- 24 hours comfortably accessible
- No need to leave the house
- More comfortable than stationary reception points
- Low secondary costs (travel, food, drink)
- No crowds
- Higher privacy and anonymity
The largest bookmakers by Turnover & Profit
If you look at the corporate figures, you will notice that the bookmakers from the UK and Ireland are at the top. With Bet365, Paddy Power, William Hill and Betfair, four bookmakers from the island are at the top. The bookmaker Bwin, which dominates in German-speaking countries, will only be fifth. It is worth noting here that with Bet365, of all things, a family-owned company is by far the strongest selling group in this sector.
Paddy Power and William Hill are characterized by their “multichannel” strategy. While many bookmakers are now concentrating on the online business, William Hill draws almost half of the revenue from stationary betting shops. At Paddy Power, it’s still around 25%. Betfair has more in the industry than the Betting Exchange made a name for itself. Customers can still bet on betfair.com. In 2016, the company merged with Paddy Power. Despite the bundled forces, the two bookmakers can by no means harm the industry leader bet365 in terms of sales figures.
- Bet365: €25Bn turnover & 1.5 billion profit
- Paddy Power: €12Bn turnover & 880 million profit
- William Hill: €8.5Bn in sales & 712 million profit
- Betfair: €10Bn turnover & 660 million profit
- Bwin : €6Bn turnover & 610 million profit
The largest bookmakers by number of customers
A second common criterion to categorize the largest bookmakers is the number of customers. It usually also includes customers from both poker and casino verticals. This result in a significantly different result compared to the sales figures.
Applying the criterion of customer numbers, Bwin is the absolute market leader with around 20 million customers worldwide. Bet365 is again very well represented in this category and can boast about 14.5 million customers. Behind these, Bet-at-Home, a German-Austrian company. The German-speaking bookmaker can show a total of 3.3 million customers. The combination of betting exchange and classic bookmaker offer seems to be well received by Betfair customers. The British company can build on a customer base of 3 million users. In fifth place, another bookie from Great Britain. Since 1998, Sportingbet has been able to retain 2.7 million users.
- Bwin: 20 million customers
- Bet365: 14.5 million customers
- Bet-at-Home: 3.3 million customers
- Betfair: 3 million customers
- Sportingbet: 2.7 million customers
A bookmaker with a wide customer base across different countries is a clear suggestion that they are reliable and would offer good customer service to the players. If it were otherwise, the bookmaker would not be able to attract the attention of so many players.
No matter which criterion one uses, it becomes clear that Bet365 and Bwin belong to the absolute top worldwide. This can not only be proven by naked numbers, but also by the quality. In addition, the two bookmakers score especially well in terms of customer service. Plenty of reviews are available online but we particularly recommend the Bet365 Review to get an insight at how the operator deals with customers, bonuses and so on. In the end, no matter which bookmaker you choose, make sure it is regulated and have good customer ratings. In this way, you will never get wrong with the bookmaker.
