LeoVegas to Close Sportsbook in Ireland
LeoVegas Set to Exit Irish Betting Market
The list of betting sites available to Irish residents is set to be cut once again, with the announcement that the Swedish online gambling company LeoVegas will close its sports betting brand and no longer operate in Ireland's betting market.
The LeoVegas IE sportsbook will officially shut down on 24th June and will no longer be available thereafter.
Its planned closure comes nine years after LeoVegas was granted an Irish gaming license to offer its award-winning sports product, which was well received both pre and post-launch.
New Casino Only Focus in Ireland
LeoVegas has cited 'the strategic decision to close its sportsbook vertical in the Irish market' and focus instead on optimising its casino and live casino products in the country.
So, while they're exiting the sports betting market, the brand will still have a presence in Ireland, which is good news for existing LeoVegas players.
LeoVegas stresses that its casino and live casino offerings will remain unaffected and operate as usual during the closure process.
There'll be eyebrows raised at the news of a big-name operator opting to leave the market at the same time as the GRAI rolls out its new gambling regulations. But the two aren't necessarily related.
While some operators may be looking at advertising restrictions in particular and weighing up whether the market is still viable, it's fair to say that Irish bettors have never fully taken to LeoVegas' sports offering.
The sportsbook was good for its market variety, especially for football betting, and boasted easy, intuitive navigation. But it lacked existing customer promotions, and certain features (such as live streaming) were quite limited.
And given the success of its casino, the decision to focus all efforts on a single vertical is not really surprising.
