Ladbrokes and Coral owner files copyright claim against matched betting rival firms
Entain, the owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, has filed an intellectual property lawsuit against two of the largest matched betting companies, OddsMonkey and Outplayed.
The claim, filed with the English High Court by law firm Wiggin, alleges unauthorised use of its brand logos and copyrighted materials, with Entain describing the matched betting business model as “a parasitic one.”
OddsMonkey and Outplayed are part of Gibraltar-based Liquidity Trading Limited and Liquidity PA, both founded by Samuel Stoffel, who is also named as a defendant in the claim. IP law firm Brandsmiths is named as the defendant’s legal representative.
Stoffel is noted to have started matched betting as a student in 2010 and used it to fund his way through university, earning over £20,000.
He sold the Outplayed business to the BetConnect Group around late 2024, and was formerly a director at Liquidity PA.
Entain stated that it sent a legal letter on 11 February to Liquidity Trading, outlining trademark infringement complaints and requesting a substantive response. However, the defendant denied infringement, and Entain stated it went on to launch the claim in August.
The matched betting firms are alleged to have infringed Entain’s UK trademarks, which include the bwin, Coral, Ladbrokes, Sportingbet, Foxy Bingo, Gala, and Party Casino trademarks, across their websites and marketing materials to sell their matched betting services to customers.
Matched betting fallout
The allegations against the owners of OddsMonkey and Outplayed also include unauthorised use of Entain’s logos and website extracts, which Entain’s press statement called “parasitic,” claiming it harms the brands’ reputation for safer gambling.
An Entain spokesperson stated that “matched betting is unregulated, and the defendants [Liquidity] promote the idea that gambling is a risk-free source of income.”
“The matched betting business model is a parasitic one. The defendants’ [Liquidity] unauthorised use of our brands and copyright undermines our efforts to encourage and promote responsible gambling practices,” the Entain spokesperson added.
The London-listed gambling giant stated that, “as a fully regulated and licensed operator, we dedicate significant energy and resources to player safety across all of our brands. We therefore take the protection of our brands very seriously and will always robustly safeguard them, our reputation, and our customers in all the markets within which we operate.”
The defendants’ defence is due to be filed with the High Court in October. OddsMonkey was contacted by Morning Wire for a comment.
This comes as five former Entain executives, along with six other individuals, are set to face a first hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday over several offences, including bribery and conspiracy to defraud, in connection with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) investigation into the group’s former Turkish business.
The London-listed group caused a media frenzy in November 2023 when the CPS entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the group to settle a HMRC investigation into its former Turkish business, which has resulted in several legal actions against the group.