Online-only bookies fare better than land-based rivals in UK public perception

Online-only bookmakers in the UK have a better brand perception than rivals with both online and land-based operations, according to a new survey.

UK-based online market research firm YouGov recently published new BrandIndex data, which ranked 10 UK-based betting operators in terms of favorable impression score. The survey, which didn’t deal with online casino or lottery brands, found all 10 brands generated a negative perception among respondents.

Of the 10 brands surveyed, the five worst-scoring brands were those with both online and land-based presence, while online-only bookies scored in the top five (of an admittedly awful result for the lot). YouGov CEO Stephan Shakespeare said the overall industry impression enjoyed a slight improvement since the last survey but the general negativity showed there is “still so much more to be done” to improve public perception.

Ladbrokes fared the worst, with a score of -19.1, followed by Paddy Power (-17.7), William Hill (-17.3), Betfred (-17.2) and Ladbrokes’ proposed merger partner Coral (-15). Among the online-only companies surveyed, 888 Holdings fared worst with a -13.2 score, followed by Bet365 (-12.6), Betfair (-12.3), SkyBet (-7.7) and BetVictor (-3.7).