Sky Bet's tech revolution transformed Leeds and iGaming
The story of Leeds’ technological transformation and its impact on the global iGaming industry has an undisputed protagonist: Sky Betting and Gaming (SBG, Sky Bet). Fifteen years ago, the company made a strategic decision that not only changed its destiny but also laid the foundations for the development of a vibrant tech ecosystem that today benefits companies like Flutter, Fanatics, and Evoke.
In 2010, Sky Bet moved its headquarters from a small office in Harrogate to the dynamic center of Leeds. Although the move was partly motivated by a dispute with the landlord, it represented a unique opportunity to integrate into an already flourishing tech community in Yorkshire. Andy Burton, former CTO of SBG, recalls: “We moved to Leeds in 2010 and that, without a doubt, transformed the company. It had to be no more than 10 minutes from the train station to leverage the talent of those who could commute.” Thus, SBG settled in Wellington Place, in the heart of the city.
At that time, SBG relied on OpenBet for the development of its platform, both front-end and back-end. However, Burton identified the need to control product development internally. The SBG tech team was then small and focused on infrastructure and service management, with no development experience, so everything was outsourced. To reverse this situation, Burton turned to product specialists he had worked with at Orange, the French mobile phone provider, between 2004 and 2008. “We started with half a dozen really excellent technologists, engineers, and architects. We didn’t call them product owners, but business owners,” he explains.
The philosophy was clear: “We don’t need many people, just very good people and let them do their job.” Interestingly, they didn’t hire anyone with prior experience in betting or gaming. “We knew smart people would learn by working closely with the trading or gaming operations teams,” Burton points out. In the early stages, the focus was on building a scalable internal platform for the prediction game Super 6, which became a huge success thanks to its partnership with Sky Sports. Every Saturday, improvements and new features were added, which drove SBG’s growth.
The next step was migrating the main products of Sky Vegas and sports betting to their own platform. According to Burton, SBG was the first operator to fully control its front-end. In this process, Conor Grant played a key role by understanding the value of owning the front-end. Grant, one of the few with prior industry experience, joined in 2010 as head of sportsbook product management after his time at Boyle Sports. Grant recalls: “We didn’t see ourselves as a betting or gaming company, but as a tech company. That allowed us to attract the best technologists from northern England.” This tech culture was inspired by innovative working models like Spotify’s, adopting the “tribes” model to empower teams and maintain agility during rapid growth.
In 2020, Sky Bet made about 30,000 product updates. The acquisition of SBG by CVC Capital Partners in 2014, for £800 million, allowed the expansion of product and back-end teams. However, SBG’s ability to pivot and lead in key areas, such as responsible gaming, was crucial to maintaining its reputation and growth.
At the time of its sale to Stars Group, SBG’s tech team had grown to about 800 people in nine years. The Sky Bet model became a benchmark for the sector. When the United States opened the online sports betting market in 2018, many tried to replicate Sky Bet’s integration with Sky Sports, but without success. Examples like Fox Bet and Barstool Sports failed to capture the American sports audience.
In the UK, the focus was on imitating SBG’s technical strategy, considered the key to its dominance. In June, it was reported that Flutter would risk more than 200 jobs in its UK operations, many from the tech and product team at Wellington Place, Leeds, following SBG’s migration to the central Flutter Edge platform. This marked the end of an era for SBG’s original platform. However, the talent departure from Flutter has been seized by other operators.
Conor Grant, now president of gaming at Fanatics Betting and Gaming (FBG), is expanding his team in Leeds’ tech hub, aiming to increase staff by 10% and move to new offices at Richmond House. Grant highlights: “There is an enormous amount of talent in northern England, with specific sector knowledge. Technologists want dynamic and challenging environments, and we offer that.” Grant acknowledges that Sky Bet laid the foundations of sector talent in Leeds, although the city’s digital transformation already had precedents with companies like Orange and the NHS. “Sky Bet played a big role in raising the city’s profile. Many people who went through Sky Bet then expanded to other projects,” he adds.
SBG’s legacy is evident: former tech leaders now head teams at Evoke, Flutter, and consultancies like Infinity Works, acquired by Accenture in 2021. As Burton concludes: “It’s a cycle that repeats. Now, with the talent leaving Flutter, there’s a new opportunity to hire great technologists in Leeds.” Sky Bet’s experience shows how a technological vision, combined with a talent strategy and organizational culture, can transform not only a company but an entire city and sector.
For Latin America, where iGaming is rapidly expanding, the case of Leeds and Sky Bet offers valuable lessons on the importance of investing in local talent, innovation, and agile working models to build sustainable and competitive ecosystems.
Tags: UK, United Kingdom, SkyBet, Sky Betting and Gaming, SBG