Stan James
Encyclopedia
Stan James is a British bookmaker
established in 1973, and trades online under the name StanJames.com. The company is based in Marina Bay, Gibraltar
with offices in Abingdon, Oxfordshire
. The companies which operate Stan James, Stan James (Gibraltar) Limited and Stan James (Abingdon) Limited, are privately-held companies. Their operations are primarily online and over the telephone with a small number (65) of betting shops in the UK. They are considered pioneers of in-play 'live' betting. The company was founded by Steve Fisher and James Holder, and is now owned by Fisher and his wife Anne. The company was named Stan James from taking the first two letters of Steve and Anne (Stan) and from James. Stan James opened their first shop in Compton, Berkshire
in 1973. Peter and Diane Fisher, Steve and Anne's children, remain on the board of StanJames.com and are part of a joint ownership. Denis Kelly is the current CEO with Bijan Kherzi sitting as chairman of the board.
The company have sponsored numerous major sports such as the World Matchplay (since 2000) and horse racing events such as the 2,000 Guineas Stakes and King George VI Chase
. In 2009 they signed a three-year partnership with Queen's Park Rangers F.C. to introduce betting kiosks to Loftus Road
.
Stan James currently sponsor the Road To Cheltenham, a series of National Hunt hurdles races which consists of the StanJames.com Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, the StanJames.com International Hurdle at Cheltenham, the StanJames.com Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock, and the Stan James Champions Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Other business partners include men's magazine FHM
.
In December 2007 they bought the Betdirect bookmaking company, which was established in 1998, from 32Red
for £5.75 million. The Betdirect operation was merged with Stan James in February 2009.In 2008, they bought the online betting business betterbet.com from London bookmaker Better. In 2009 Stan James started a cooperation with the austrian BETKICK Sportwettenservice GmbH, together they found the brand SJBET and SJBET24.com (Internet betting) especially for betting shops in austria, germany and europe. In May 2010 they bought 27 branches of regional bookmaker Pagebet after the company went bankrupt.
A October 2009 report said that StanJames.com had become the third-most popular bookmaker on odds-comparison website oddschecker.com, behind Betfair
and bet365
. A website performance test in 2010 on online bookmakers found that their website had the second-highest performance levels, behind Paddy Power
.
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
established in 1973, and trades online under the name StanJames.com. The company is based in Marina Bay, Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
with offices in Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
. The companies which operate Stan James, Stan James (Gibraltar) Limited and Stan James (Abingdon) Limited, are privately-held companies. Their operations are primarily online and over the telephone with a small number (65) of betting shops in the UK. They are considered pioneers of in-play 'live' betting. The company was founded by Steve Fisher and James Holder, and is now owned by Fisher and his wife Anne. The company was named Stan James from taking the first two letters of Steve and Anne (Stan) and from James. Stan James opened their first shop in Compton, Berkshire
Compton, Berkshire
Compton is a village and civil parish in the River Pang valley in the Berkshire Downs about south of Didcot. It has a population of 1,521. The Pang flows through the village as a winter bourne, a stream that only flows after periods of unusually high rainfall.-Parish church:The bell tower of the...
in 1973. Peter and Diane Fisher, Steve and Anne's children, remain on the board of StanJames.com and are part of a joint ownership. Denis Kelly is the current CEO with Bijan Kherzi sitting as chairman of the board.
The company have sponsored numerous major sports such as the World Matchplay (since 2000) and horse racing events such as the 2,000 Guineas Stakes and King George VI Chase
King George VI Chase
The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of about 3 miles , and during its running there are eighteen fences to be jumped...
. In 2009 they signed a three-year partnership with Queen's Park Rangers F.C. to introduce betting kiosks to Loftus Road
Loftus Road
Loftus Road is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, London. It is home to the English football team Queens Park Rangers of the Premier League and has a capacity of around 18,500. The four stands are called the Loftus Road End , Ellerslie Road Stand, South Africa Road Stand and the School End,...
.
Stan James currently sponsor the Road To Cheltenham, a series of National Hunt hurdles races which consists of the StanJames.com Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, the StanJames.com International Hurdle at Cheltenham, the StanJames.com Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock, and the Stan James Champions Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Other business partners include men's magazine FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...
.
In December 2007 they bought the Betdirect bookmaking company, which was established in 1998, from 32Red
32Red
32Red is a British company. The online casino is licensed in Gibraltar . The business is registered on the Alternative Investment Market, a section of the London Stock Exchange, with the code TTR....
for £5.75 million. The Betdirect operation was merged with Stan James in February 2009.In 2008, they bought the online betting business betterbet.com from London bookmaker Better. In 2009 Stan James started a cooperation with the austrian BETKICK Sportwettenservice GmbH, together they found the brand SJBET and SJBET24.com (Internet betting) especially for betting shops in austria, germany and europe. In May 2010 they bought 27 branches of regional bookmaker Pagebet after the company went bankrupt.
A October 2009 report said that StanJames.com had become the third-most popular bookmaker on odds-comparison website oddschecker.com, behind Betfair
Betfair
Betfair is the world's largest Internet betting exchange. The company is based in Hammersmith in West London, England. Since Betfair was launched in June 2000 it has become the largest online betting company in the UK and the largest betting exchange in the world. Betfair claim to have over 3...
and bet365
Bet365
bet365 Group Limited, is a United Kingdom based gambling company. bet365 is one of the world’s leading online gambling groups with over 6 million customers in 200 different countries...
. A website performance test in 2010 on online bookmakers found that their website had the second-highest performance levels, behind Paddy Power
Paddy Power
Paddy Power is Ireland’s largest bookmaker. Offline it conducts business through a chain of licensed betting offices and by operating Ireland's largest telephone betting service. Online it offers sports betting, online poker, online bingo, online casino games and spread betting...
.