Johannesburg — INTERNATIONAL betting group Victor Chandler is to set up shop in SA early next year after the Western Cape Gambling and Betting Board granted it a licence.

This will allow the group to take advantage of next year's Soccer World Cup, which CEO Michael Carlton believes will give the company a huge boost. "During the 2006 World Cup in Germany we turned over a nine-figure sum in pounds sterling and we expect the interest in this World Cup to be even greater," Carlton said yesterday.

"The Victor Chandler brand fits perfectly with the South African market.

"Alongside offering a South African-specific website to customers, we will also be creating numerous employment opportunities. We are really proud to be involved in a country where sport is so entrenched in its culture. We will be investing locally over the next few months, to launch our full range sports betting service in time for the World Cup."

Family-owned Victor Chandler is in the process of setting up a local office in Cape Town and is expected to employ 12 people initially. "No doubt as we expand our offerings we will be employing more people," said Carlton.

The betting company hopes to have a soft opening in February and fully operational by April.

The group has 500000 customers in 160 countries offering a wide range of online and telephone sports betting and gaming services. For now Victor Chandler will focus on sports betting particularly horse racing and soccer.

While Carlton concedes that the limited broadband access in SA is an obstacle in catering to the mass market online, it believes that with the wide use of cellphones there will be huge demand for its mobile betting service.