Betsson has retired the betFIRST brand in Belgium and moved its local customers onto Betsson, a little over three years after the Swedish group bought the operator in a deal worth up to €120 million.
Betsson said the Belgian operation continues under its existing licence, so the change is to the brand and product, not the regulatory status. The group did not disclose what the rebrand cost.
Betsson.sport, the sports infotainment brand the group runs in Belgium, is not part of the change and stays a separate brand.
Why Betsson is dropping a 15-year-old local name
betFIRST launched in 2011 and grew into one of the better-known online brands in Belgium, competing with names including Star Casino, bwin and Unibet. Betsson is now replacing it with the group’s own name across the Belgian business.
According to Betsson, the move gives Belgian customers the group’s wider technology, its casino content and its international marketing network. Customers are being moved onto refreshed apps and an upgraded platform, with Betsson-branded live casino tables, exclusive games and access to the group’s international partnerships.
Jesper Svensson, CEO of Betsson Operations, described the change as the next step after the acquisition.
“This rebrand is a natural next step in our journey. By aligning our presence under the Betsson brand, we can unlock broader marketing synergies, strengthen our global identity, and continue delivering the high-quality experience that our customers know and trust.”
Betsson has kept other regional brands. The group still runs Betsafe, Nordicbet and Rizk as separate brands alongside the Betsson name in its other markets.
What Betsson paid in 2023
Betsson announced the acquisition of 100% of betFIRST Group on 15 June 2023, with completion expected on or around 5 July that year. The group paid €117 million upfront on a cash and debt-free basis, with an earn-out of up to €3 million tied to financial targets, for a maximum of €120 million.
At the time, Betsson said the price equalled 10x betFIRST’s estimated 2023 EBITDA. betFIRST reported net gaming revenue (NGR) of €51.2 million and adjusted EBITDA of €10 million for 2022. The business also included around 450 retail points of sale and a gaming arcade.
The deal was announced alongside a partnership with Groupe Partouche, which holds a land-based casino licence in Belgium that can be extended online. The two companies set it up to offer online casino in regulated markets, starting with Belgium, subject to regulatory approval.
Belgium’s advertising rules shape the brand question
The rebrand lands in one of Europe’s most restrictive markets for gambling marketing. A Royal Decree of 27 February 2023 limited gambling advertising to a narrow set of permitted forms from 1 July 2023, four days before Betsson’s acquisition was due to complete.
Sports sponsorship has been phased out in stages. Since 1 January 2025, gambling brand names and logos can no longer appear in sponsorship messages broadcast during Belgian sports competitions. Limited logo placement on kit remains allowed until the end of 2027, and from 1 January 2028 all gambling sponsorship in professional sport is banned.
The rules limit the channels any operator can use to build awareness for a new name in Belgium, which leaves a rebrand reliant on existing customers and the product itself.
The Club Brugge deal sits with Betsson.sport
Betsson.sport holds a three-year sponsorship agreement with Club Brugge that started in June 2025 and runs through 2028. The partnership is held by the infotainment brand, which Betsson keeps separate from the gambling brand that has now replaced betFIRST.
What to watch
The test for Betsson is whether betFIRST’s customers stay once the familiar name disappears, and whether the platform and content changes are enough to hold them without the marketing routes available in other markets.
The first indication will come in Betsson’s Q4 2026 report, the first full quarter under the new brand. Further out, the full ban on gambling sponsorship in professional sport takes effect on 1 January 2028, the final year of the Betsson.sport agreement with Club Brugge.
Source: Betsson
