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The Australian wing of online gambling group Betfair has engaged M&C Saatchi Melbourne to handle its creative advertising account following a three-way competitive pitch.

The agency won the business after a review involving two other, unnamed, Melbourne-based agencies, reports B&T Marketing.

M&C Saatchi will be the first Australian ad agency for Betfair, which was granted a license to operate from its Tasmania location in January 2006. The betting exchange, which allows in-game or in-race betting as well as the ability for users to set odds against each other, is already an established brand in several overseas markets, including the UK.

The speculation is that Betfair is about to significantly ramp up its marketing spend following the relaxation of rules on gaming advertising. The Australian betting market is becoming increasingly competitive, with a growing list of active betting organisations such as Centrebet, Sportingbet and Paddy Power.

In November last year, Betfair struck a three-year sponsorship deal with Melbourne’s Sandown Racecourse, which was renamed Betfair Park.

“We’re excited about winning the pitch and are very pleased about partnering with a great company like Betfair,” said Dave Brown, md of M&C Saatchi Melbourne. “They are a great cultural fit with us - young, dynamic, and with a great product.

“Since advertising restrictions were lifted on the wagering online casinos industry last year, Betfair has been looking to expand its customer base and further its reach in the Australian marketplace.”

The Leisure and Gaming plc group has joined other Internet gambling companies in opening negotiations with the US Department of Justice in a bid to clean its pre-UIGEA slate prior to the possible legalisation of online gambling in the United States.

CEO Richard Creed said he was cautiously optimistic about the prospects of a successful outcome to talks with United States officials. L&G grew out of the US-facing VIP Internet sportsbetting group on the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006 and has been operating in Europe with a London listing.

“We actually sustained a cash loss on our US activities because the price paid for VIP at float was a lot higher than it sold for after UIGEA passed,” Creed said this week. “So we are in a very different situation to other former US-facing operators.”

Subject to a satisfactory outcome to the negotiations, Creed said the company hoped to play a role in industry consolidation, either as a buyer or seller. He said the decision to open talks had been a difficult one because L&G had not been in contact with the American authorities since the UIGEA passed three years ago. “But I am here to build up the company, to assess any offers that come in for L&G or acquire other companies if the right opportunity occurs,” he explained.

The group’s second quarter results for the period ending 31 June show revenues up at Euro 28.4 million, but net margin down by 13.5 percent. The company recently signed a sponsorship agreement with the football club Palermo in Italy, where it is especially active.

Unconfirmed, and as yet undetailed reports were coming through as InfoPowa went to press that a $997 740 jackpot had been hit on the Vegas Technologies-powered Red, White and Win slot at an as yet unidentified online casino. It is understood to be the first major hit on the game in recent months.