Leading Australian sportsbook CrownBet may have to rethink a proposed name change after one of its main rivals, Sportsbet, won a temporary injunction preventing use of the name “Sportingbet”.
As reported by Inside Asian Gaming last month, CrownBet – which was recently purchased by Canadian online poker and gaming company The Stars Group – has filed an application to reserve the Sportingbet name with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
Sportingbet was one of the country’s leading online sportsbooks before being shut down in 2013 following its acquisition by William Hill, but CrownBet CEO Matthew Tripp – whose father Alan once owned the Sportingbet brand – wants to bring it back to life. Ironically, it was Matthew Tripp who launched the similarly named Sportsbet in 2005 before selling the company to Irish betting giant Paddy Power in 2011.
This week’s injunction comes after Sportsbet filed an application with the Federal Court to block the move on the grounds that the names are too similar and may cause confusion in the market. CrownBet has yet to comment on the injunction.
The Stars Group purchased a 62% stake in CrownBet in February, later increasing its stake to 80% after also beating out Sportsbet to acquire William Hill Australia Holdings Pty Ltd. Those acquisitions have seen CrownBet establish itself as a clear number three in the hyper-competitive Australian sports betting market behind Tabcorp and Sportsbet.
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