Those who speculated that U.K. casino operator Stanley Leisure would soon bring its Crockfords brand to the Internet via a new online casino were slightly off the mark. The company has indeed taken the plunge, but instead of starting from scratch, it purchased a pair of already established online casinos.
The company recently announced its purchase of Acropoliscasinos.com and Avaloncasinos.com, two sister casinos operated in the Dominican Republic, for a reported £8 million. The two sites will open under the Crockfords brand in approximately three months; that puts Crockfords in a race with several companies in Australia to become the second First World bricks-and-mortar casino to go online. Lasseters, an online casino based in Alice Springs, Australia, was the first.
Crockfords is best known for accommodating high rollers. The maximum stake currently allowed at the two sites is $1,000, however, that will likely change when the Crockfords site opens, according to an article in the Sunday Times.
Stanley will also set up an online sports betting service, with a particular focus on football. The Sunday Times reports that the group will try to bypass the U.K. betting tax by seeking a license in Malta.
Representatives from Stanley Leisure were unavailable for comment on the sale.