Ladbrokes bets on online revamp
Ladbrokes is rumoured to have opened negotiations with Irish billionaire Dermot Desmond, owner of Betdaq, as part of efforts to revamp its online business.
The move is seen as a bid by the High Street bookmaker to buy in the pricing and trading expertise of Betdaq to bolster its own betting arm.
Desmond, a Ladbrokes shareholder, set up Betdaq in 2000 but has struggled to make it competitive in the face of industry leader Betfair.
Any deal is thought likely to be related to technology only and not a full buy out, as a Ladbrokes spokesman explained: "It's only a discussion about technology supply," he said. "Exchanges have good up-to-the-minute pricing technology."