February 5, 2009 (InfoPowa News) — Betdirect, which was acquired from 32Red by Stan James (Gibraltar) Limited in 2007, is being absorbed into the group's core operations, affecting streamlined overheads and extended customer service.
Established in 1998 by Littlewoods, Betdirect was bought by 32Red and then sold to Stan James in December 2007. Since that date it has been operated as a distinct brand with its own dedicated website, call center and mobile application. That changed on February 4th 2009, when the brand was merged into the Stan James core operations.
Peter Fisher, CEO of Stan James, commented: "One of our strategic objectives is to promote and develop our single core brand of Stan James. The merger of the betdirect business is a positive step towards achieving that objective.
"In December 2007 we made a decision to operate betdirect as a distinct brand for no more than 15 months in order to maximize customer retention following the acquisition from 32Red.
"Both Stan James and Betdirect have gone from strength to strength and we believe that the time is right to merge the brands. The merger enables us to streamline overheads and is a fantastic opportunity to extend our industry leading service to our betdirect customers. betdirect customers have been made aware of the plans and can continue to access a full range of sportsbook and e-gaming products via the internet, telephone and mobile channels.”
Stan James is one of the biggest and most trusted brands in bookmaking. The company has been at the forefront of sports betting for many years and is synonymous with betting in-running.