Brit AOL users to get sports wagering facility

[jetset]

AOL UK TEAMS WITH JAXX TO OFFER SPORTS BETTING

British subsidiary of German sportsbetting group will take bets from August

In an unusal business combination, the UK branch of America Online (AOL) and the British subsidiary of a major German betting group, JAXX UK Limited will be offering sportsbetting facilities to UK AOL members in the near future.

JAXX is a British subsidiary of the German group FLUXX, and will enable British punters who are AOL members to place bets on international horse races and a range of sporting events.

The London team at JAXX UK’s offices will set the odds and provide relevant editorial content, and there are plans for the partners to team up on other as yet undisclosed services in the future.

The head of AOL Europe interactive marketing, Michael Steckler says the company has big ambitions in Europe and is considering a number of partnerships designed to boost market share in the region.

FLUXX AG spokesman Rainer Jacken feels that the British market is both significant and therefore attractive, and estimates betting volumes around Euro 70 billion despite the fact that the online market is still relatively undeveloped. Working with AOL, his company plans to tap into that potential.

AOL has worked with JAXX in Germany before, running a lottery service since 2003 that is apparently one of Germany's top e-commerce ventures.

[tristan727]

Am I missing something, were we Brits, or were AOL users unable to gamble before, hence we're grateful for the chance to use JAXX's website, a basic, poorly designed one, rather than say Ladbroke's?