Founder of easyJet takes punt on gambling with launch of EasyBet

Stelios Haji-Ioannou has stamped the Easy brand on everything from aeroplanes to pizza joints, with varying degrees of success. Now the billionaire entrepreneur is taking a punt on online sports betting, the Guardian has learned, through a partnership with an offshore gambling firm that is on the comeback trail after having its licence suspended in 2020. EasyBet is a joint-venture with Matchbook, a trading name of Triplebet, which is based on the Channel island of Alderney. The Guardian understands that Triplebet is owned by Zeljko Ranogajec, an Australian-born multimillionaire who has been described as the world’s most successful gambler and by the nicknames of the “Loch Ness monster”, because he is rarely spotted, and “The Joker”. The Gambling Commission, which regulates the betting and gaming industry, suspended Triplebet’s gambling licence for six months in 2020 and fined the company £740,000, citing failings on player protection and anti-money laundering controls. Its compliance systems have since been overhauled. At the time, Triplebet’s majority shareholder is understood to have been Matthew Benham, a gambling entrepreneur who also owns Brentford FC. Benham continues to hold a minority stake in the business. Triplebet, which Ranogajec owns via an Isle of Man-based entity called Newfoundland Limited, has a “white label” deal with EasyBet.<br/>