The Italy-facing Betsson will feature an online casino offering including slots, table games and live casino. Players will also have access to sports betting on the new website.
The group has been active in Italy for more than a decade via its StarCasinò. This brand will continue to operate alongside the new Betsson website.
Betsson said the launch forms part of its ongoing strategy to expand its flagship offering into new markets. This includes expansion in Latin America, where it holds licences in Argentina and Colombia, with plans in place to build on this.
“Italy has grown significantly in importance for Betsson,” chief commercial officer Ronni Hartvig said. “We believe this is an opportune moment to introduce our flagship brand, Betsson, to the market.
“By consolidating our operations under the unified Betsson brand, we aim to harness the power of scalability. And together with our extensive experience in the region, we aim to position the brand as a leading sports betting operator in the market.”
Record 2023 for Betsson
The launch comes after Betsson last month posted record results for its 2023 financial year.
Stand-out figures for the year include revenue rising 22% to €948.2m (£810.3m/$1.04bn) and EBITDA 52% to €262.7m. Betsson also recorded operating income of €210.5m, up 60% year-on-year, with an increased margin of 22.2%.
In reference to Italy, revenue from Western Europe was up 61.8% to €41.7m. Betsson put this down in part to strong growth in both Italy and Belgium.
As for further growth plans, Betsson secured new licences in several European markets in 2023. These include an online casino licence in Serbia and an online sports betting licence in France.
In February the company also announced it was entering the Netherlands following the €27.5m acquisition of Holland Gaming Technology – a gaming operator with a Netherlands licence, as well as local game studio Holland Power Gaming
CEO Pontus Lindwall spoke more about Betsson and its growth plans in a focused article with iGB last month.