LeoVegas launches Nye Expekt sports betting brand in the Danish market

Online gaming group LeoVegas is launching its sports betting brand Nye Expekt - "the New Expekt" - in Demark, as part of its plans for international expansion. The move follows Expekt's successful launch in the Swedish market in 2021, where LeoVegas says it has rapidly grown to become one of the jurisdiction's leading brands.

Expekt's expansion to Denmark is technically a relaunch, as the brand was pulled from the Danish market about a decade ago, a time in which it was one of the region's oldest sports betting brands. It is now being launched once again by LeoVegas, which has deals with soccer teams Internazionale Milano and Manchester City, in an effort to further gain a position in the Nordic markets.

The Denmark launch comes as the group, typically focused on online casino products, seeks to further grow in the sports betting sector. Expekt was first relaunched in Sweden in 2021 and now eyes the Danish market as its second one, where customers will now benefit from an updated smartphone app, competitive odds and an enhanced iGaming section.

Gustaf Hagman, CEO at LeoVegas Group, said: "Expekt is one of the strongest brands in the Nordics, and we’re thrilled to be relaunching Nye Expekt in Denmark with a modern app and competitive odds. We have a clear strategy to expand by increasing the number of brands and markets where we’re present, and we see great potential for growth in sports betting."

LeoVegas bought the Expekt brand from the Betclic Group in March 2021 for €5 million ($6 million) and relaunched it in May 2021. At the time, Hagman said the launch was "incredibly exciting" for the firm.

"The launch of Nye Expekt will strengthen LeoVegas Group's position in Denmark, and is part of the Group’s strategy to increase its focus on sports betting," now said the firm in a statement. "In the past year, the group has also entered into strategic partnerships with top European football clubs Manchester City F.C and FC Internazionale Milano."

LeoVegas has been the target of corporate takeovers over the last few years, which concluded with the firm being bought out by US gambling giant MGM in the second half of the past year. Ahead of the $607 million acquisition, LeoVegas reported that sportsbook momentum for its  Expekt and BetUK brands remained strong in a trading update to its Nasdaq Stockholm investors.