GVC Holdings

Founded in 2004 GVC Holdings plc is a publicly listed company that operates in the gaming sector. They own twelve different online sports betting brands as well as 13 different online gaming providers. Today, their most notable holdings include Gala Bingo, Coral Bingo, Ladbrokes, Foxy Bingo, and bwin. On the land-based side of things, they provide gaming for MGM Resorts International.

In 2004, GVC Holdings broke onto the scene by acquiring CasinoClub. This German-facing online casino was their flagship brand until around 2012. From 2012 onward, GVC Holdings underwent a very aggressive acquisition streak. GVC Holdings collaborated with William Hill to purchase Sportingbet Australia. They marched onward acquiring bwin-Party in 2016, giving them bwin, Party Poker, and Foxy Bingo to add to their portfolio.

In 2017, GVC Holdings entered a gigantic merger with Ladbrokes. This merger took place just after Ladbrokes merged with Gala-Coral. The series of acquisitions resulted in GVC Holdings hitting the top of the table in terms of their size and reach. Today, GVC Holdings generates over £6 billion in net gaming revenue and processes over £10 billion in sport wagers.

Controversy

GVC’s aggressive business model did not go without controversy. Under their watch, many affiliate-marketing agreements were ended with little notice and despite a lifetime revenue sharing agreement. This held especially true with Foxy Bingo. This brand was built on the back of online affiliate marketing and without remorse; GVC Holdings simply put an end to the “lifetime” aspect of the deal.

In addition to pulling the rug out from underneath affiliates with Foxy Bingo, GVC Holdings went through a purge of sorts within their Ladbrokes brand. They quickly moved to close affiliate accounts in the name of “compliance checks” as well as “quota misses” despite quotas not being part of the original affiliate agreements.

While the company has not been terribly affiliate friendly in recent times, GVC Holdings has a history of treating their players and customers quite well. They are generally responsible with their player terms and they are known to pay out winnings quickly and fairly.

GVC Holdings Licence Information

GVC Holdings registered address is as follows:

32 Athol Street
Douglas
Isle of Man
IM1 1JB

They hold online gaming licences in the UK under the name LC International Limited (licence number 54743), as well as ElectraWorks Limited (licence number 39011), which licences their Foxy Bingo and Party Bingo brands as well as a number of white label sub-brands.

ElectraWorks Limited was cited in 2018 by the UKGC and fined for having a misleading bonus structure. The details of their warning and £350K fine can be found here.

Our Verdict on GVC Holdings

GVC Holdings have always treated us well as an affiliate and as players. However, the treatment of our colleagues and friends in the industry cannot be overlooked. We award GVC Holdings a character rating of B and we continue to watch them closely.