Expekt, one of the oldest online sportsbooks in Europe, has announced that it will be closing its virtual doors to gamblers from the United Kingdom at the end of this month.

The news was revealed in an email sent to UK customers by the Betclic Everest Group subsidiary. This player communication confirmed the company’s withdrawal from the market on October 31, 2019. Expekt has set December 6, 2019 as the deadline for funds to be withdrawn from accounts

UK customers can no longer fund their Expekt accounts, but they can continue to place bets until the deadline. When the deadline arrives, players will still be able to access their account settings through the ‘My Account’ section. This will allow UK customers to remove all funds from their accounts.

Expekt has set December 6, 2019 as the deadline for funds to be withdrawn from accounts. UK customers will be unable to access their accounts after this date.

The legacy of Expekt

Expekt has been a key part of the European online market since it was founded back in 1999 by a couple of Swedish entrepreneurs.

It was one of the first multi-language betting platforms that catered for a large number of different countries in Europe. The platform offered sports betting, casino games, live casino, and poker to its UK customers for many years.

At the height of the platform’s popularity, Expekt had 1.8 million registered users and catered for 23 different languages. This led to the company being acquired by Mangas Gaming Group, a French online gambling firm, in 2008 for €125m ($139m).

French bookmaker Betclic and Eastern European-focused bet-at-home are two of the most popular gaming operators that are part of the Mangas Gaming Group. The company also holds a majority in Everest Poker.

Future plans

Going forward, Expekt will continue to focus on the Polish and Swedish betting markets under the management of Betclic Everest.

It was only on Monday that Expekt announced a content deal with renowned online casino game developer, EGT Interactive. Online slots like The Story of Alexander, 40 Super Hot, and Shining Crown have since been added to the ever-growing Expekt portfolio.

This deal marks the first time that EGT Interactive has partnered with a platform operating in the newly regulated Swedish online gambling market.