Scot to debut online betting firm in Europe after Asian success

The Scottish boss of a multi-million dollar Asia-based gaming company is aiming to next year launch a new related business targeting Europe, including the UK.

Paul Fox (left) and Javier Zanetti, former Inter Milan player and now vice-president at the Italian club. Picture: Claudio Villa.

Paul Fox is the chief executive of Philipines-based LeTou, which has been operating for about 13 years and now has some 100 staff across offices that encompass Taiwan and (soon) California.

The business specialises in online gambling, primarily sports betting and casino activity – and boasts that it has a “quite substantial” customer base across its core Asian market.

Fox, from Ayrshire, has spent his career in the gaming and entertainment industry, having grown up in a bookmaking family.

When he saw the industry becoming increasingly digital, he moved to Guernsey to join Sportingbet, now part of Ladbrokes and Coral owner GVC – which is led by fellow-Scot Kenny Alexander.

After a few months of Fox’s arrival, Sportingbet opened an office in Manila. He moved over ten years ago, and has remained there ever since.

He was appointed to his current role in 2017, has overseen LeTou’s sponsorships of former Premier League football club Swansea City and Italian giants Inter Milan, and is now looking to realise long-held aspirations of targeting Europe.

That will done via an entirely new business based in Malta called Ibet, which he will lead – and is expected to reach 50 staff in the first couple of years.

It will initially target Germany and then broaden to the likes of Norway and the UK. “I do see a lot of opportunity in certain countries in Europe,” Fox said.