UK: Founder of airline easyJet takes punt on gambling with launch of EasyBet

Sunday, October 27, 2024 9:18 AM
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  • Rob Davies, The Guardian

Stelios Haji-Ioannou has stamped the Easy brand on everything from aeroplanes to pizza joints, with varying degrees of success.

Now the billionaire entrepreneur is taking a punt on online sports betting, the Guardian has learned, through a partnership with an offshore gambling firm that is on the comeback trail after having its license suspended in 2020.

EasyBet is a joint-venture with Matchbook, a trading name of Triplebet, which is based on the Channel island of Alderney.

The Guardian understands that Triplebet is owned by Zeljko Ranogajec, an Australian-born multimillionaire who has been described as the world’s most successful gambler and by the nicknames of the “Loch Ness monster”, because he is rarely spotted, and “The Joker”.