NEWS
SOURCE: Press Release
(London, England) — Betbrokers Ltd., the sports betting brokerage and sports risk management company (AIM: BETB) today announced the signing of the final contract to purchase the Nevada-based sports information and handicapping company Winning Edge founded by the Las Vegas sports television celebrity Wayne Allyn Root.
Betbrokers will acquire the assets and business operations of the parent company Global Sports Edge International, Inc. which trades as Winning Edge, for a consideration of US$6.5 million in Betbrokers shares at 5 pence per share.
The purchase of Winning Edge allows Betbrokers to offer its European customers U.S. real time sports information, extending their trading day.
Winning Edge’s highly regarded television show can now be viewed on Betbrokers new website (www.betbrokers.com) – which since its re-launch at the beginning of this month has received 243,343 hits representing an increase of 1200 per cent since the beginning of the year.
The Winning Edge acquisition gives Betbrokers a foothold in the U.S. and access to Winning Edge’s database of over 1 million American sports enthusiasts. Sports handicapping (known as tipping in the UK) is legal in the U.S. and it is widely expected that eventually the U.S. laws on gambling will be relaxed.
In the event this happened Betbrokers would be well positioned. In turn, Winning Edge’s U.S. operation gains access to European sports information as well as opportunities in other markets outside the U.S.
Talks are already underway to expand Winning Edge television broadcasts across Europe. Betbrokers will be able to offer UK sponsors - seeking to raise awareness of their brands in the U.S. – advertising slots on Winning Edge’s U.S. television broadcasts.
The Betbrokers-Winning Edge deal highlights the trend towards globalisation in the sports industry and the increasing popularity of U.S. sports outside the U.S.
David Beckham’s move to Galaxy; the NFL playing at Wembley on October 28 and Sky set to broadcast American football - are all good examples of this growing trend.
Betbrokers CEO Wayne Lochner said ,"We are thrilled to be able to offer our wholesale and retail customers unique access to U.S sports information through the purchase of Winning Edge and last weeks acquisition of The Gold Sheet."
"We are at the forefront of a new era as globalisation and information technologies combine to bring about unprecedented opportunities. This acquisition is part of Betbrokers vision to bring sports data and sophisticated trading techniques to sports wagers around the world."
Wayne Allyn Root, Chairman & CEO of Winning Edge said, "Since founding Winning Edge in 2000 we have achieved our ambition of becoming America’s premier handicapping service and TV handicapping show with a data base of over one million serious sports gamblers."
"We now aspire to becoming the global sports handicapping service and this acquisition by Betbrokers will allow us to complete this goal. The synergy is ideal. Adding our talents, experiences, resources and know-how will allow Betbrokers to dominate the global sports handicapping business."