With so many bookmakers sharing the same owner, it’s worth paying attention to the bookmaker ownership structure in Australia. A number of bookmakers feature identical odds and markets, leaving weekly promotions as the only point of difference. This reduces the benefits of holding a membership with each of them.
To assist with bookmaker membership selections, below is the current ownership structure of the leading Australian-licensed bookmakers. Some owners place more emphasis on their leading brands, so where applicable the primary brand for each owner is highlighted.
Bet365 Group Ltd
Private company, headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent, England. The group employed over 4,000 people as of 2020. Learn more about bet365.
Crown Resorts Limited
Australia’s largest gaming and entertainment group. Owns and operates Crown Melbourne, Crown Perth and Crown Sydney. It was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange until purchased by the US-based Blackstone Inc. in 2022. Learn more about Crown Resorts.
- Betfair Australia – licensed in the Northern Territory (review)
BetTube Corporation Pty Limited
Sydney-based company founded by Anthony Waller, formerly of Sportingbet.
BlueBet Pty Ltd
NSW company founded in 2015 by Michael Sullivan, the former CEO of Sportingbet and Centrebet. Merged with betr in 2024. betr was launched in 2022 by Sportsbet and BetEasy founder Matt Tripp.
BoomBet Pty Ltd
The service was originally founded as Sportsbetting.com.au back in 1998 before the bookmaker was re-branded as BoomBet in late 2021. The registered office is in Brighton, Victoria.
Ryman Racing Pty Ltd
The owning company was founded in 2020 and is based at Randwick racecourse.
- Colossalbet – licensed in New South Wales (review)
Dabble Sports Pty Ltd
The owning company was founded in 2020. In October 2022 it sold a 20% stake in Dabble to Tabcorp. In February 2023 Dabble acquired rival bookmaking app Moneyball.
PlayUp Interactive Pty Ltd
PlayUp Interactive Pty Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of PlayUp Limited and is a licensed gambling operator in Australia. PlayUp operates fantasy sports, sports betting and online gaming platforms. As of April 2018 it had approximately 400,000 registered users and 27 full-time employees. PlayUp has offices in Sydney (HQ), Melbourne, Darwin and Hong Kong (source). PlayUp merged ClassicBet and Mad Bookie into the PlayUp brand in October 2019 and has plans to merge TopBetta as well.
- Draftstars – licensed in the Northern Territory (review)
- PlayUp – licensed in the Northern Territory (review)
Puntaa Pty Ltd
QLD company founded in 2014 by CEO Nick Heaney and Damon Oudejans.
SportChamps Australia Pty Ltd
Founded in 2017 by well-known bookmaker Alan Eskander – the former founder of Betstar.
- Sportchamps – betting competition and racebook licensed in the Northern Territory (review)
Unibet Group plc
Founded in 1997. Was originally based in the UK but is now headquartered in Malta. The parent company is listed on the Nordic stock exchange and holds licences in France, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Australia and the UK. They boast over 9.5 million customers in over 100 countries. Learn more.