Ladbrokes owner, Entain, has announced that The Star in Seven Hills, part of the Momento Hospitality Group, will be the home of the first Ladbrokes Lounge in NSW.
Entain and the Australian Hotels Association NSW (AHA NSW) partnered in October in a move that allows the Ladbrokes and Neds owner to promote its brands in Australian pubs and clubs.
Momento’s new hotel is the first licensed venue partner for Entain Australia in NSW, and both Entain and the Closimo family, owners of Momento, are delighted with the deal.
More than 800 NSW Hotels Reached Out to Entain
Mark Sturdy, Entain’s Retail GM, was excited that it was Momento that was their first licensed venue partner. He said that the Colosimo family were “legends” in the hospitality sector and “proven innovators in the space,” so it was great that Entain was opening its first-ever Ladbrokes Lounge in The Star in Seven Hills.
Sturdy added that the move was a game changer for them as it allowed Ladbrokes to advertise the brand to betting enthusiasts in venue. He hoped the partnership was the first of many.
Momento owner Leon Colosimo was also happy that the group was the first Entain partner in NSW. Colosimo said that the Ladbrokes Lounge would be “a fantastic addition” to The Star Hotel & Stadium.
He noted that the group’s ambition was to attain “a new level of sports interaction” and to provide customers with the best experience possible, so they looked forward to launching the first-ever Ladbrokes Lounge together with the Entain team.
AHA NSW CEO John Whelan was delighted that Entain and the AHA kicked off their partnership only two months after signing the deal. He said that in the past two months more than 800 hotels with wagering (of the 1,050 in NSW) reached out to Entain.
He added that Momento Hospitality was one of the leading hotel groups in Australia and that it was fitting they were the first one to make the “significant step” for AHA NSW.
Traditional Cash Wagering Can Co-Exist with Online Betting
When Entain and AHA NSW announce their partnership two months ago, Entain Australia CEO Dean Shannon spoke about the evolution of sports betting in Australia and that Australian bettors no longer place their bets like they used to.
Back then Shannon said that they applauded the hotel association for signing the deal and commended their vision that turned the partnership into a reality.
The Entain Australia chief pointed out that even though there was still some value in traditional cash wagering, sports betting has evolved, and punters wanted to be engaged in different ways.
He said that bettors still liked going down to the local pub with mates, but that how they place their wagers has evolved. And that is what the partnership recognized and focused on.
Shannon was sure that traditional sports betting and new digital wagering trends that Ladbrokes and Neds promote can co-exist, adding that NSW hotels offered the perfect environment for that co-existence.
