The website and apps will be promoted to the public from Saturday, August 6, in time for the Premier League kick-off the following week.
The launch is backed by a multi-million pound marketing campaign across print, digital, radio and TV, say the publishers. Former Arsenal and England star Ian Wright and racing guru Matt Chapman have signed up as ambassadors to promote the brand and give their expert insight for customers.
Sun Bets is the latest addition to The Sun's stable of sport and entertainment products including The Sun newspaper and website, Dream Team fantasy football game and Sun Bingo.
It will also complement News UK's Premier League and Scottish Premier League highlight video rights and the company's proposed acquisition of TalkSPORT radio.
Sun Bets has been developed in partnership with Australia's Tabcorp, one of the world's largest wagering operators.
Rebekah Brooks, CEO, News UK said: “This is a hugely significant juncture for News UK and The Sun, marking the start of an era where new brands and revenue generating streams are being created on the back of the strength and much sought-after reach of The Sun. Sun Bets is set to be a game-changer in the online betting world and to those asking if it will be a success, the simple answer is YouBetcha.”
“We are excited about the size of the opportunity that Sun Bets presents,” said Tabcorp’s Managing Director and CEO, David Attenborough. “The Sun has exceptional reach and is the right brand to partner with in taking our wagering capability to the UK.”
The UK online betting and gaming market is highly competitive and last year over £73 billion was wagered across the marketplace. With 50 per cent of the UK betting audience being Sun readers, says News UK, the Sun Bets team is fully focussed on engaging these readers.
The marketing campaign goes live this Saturday to coincide with the Charity Shield and the start of the 2016/17 Premier League. The above and below the line campaign will see a variety of activity including a TV advert to kickstart the new Premier League season, in-play deal with Sky starting 13th August, homepage takeovers and digital displays across Sun brands including Sun Online, Sun football, The Favourite and Dream Team. Promotions to kick start the launch include double winnings on any Premier League outright and ‘£1000 per day give away’ where £1000 will be dropped into a customer’s account every day throughout August, says The Sun.
