Bet365 £18m loss compounded by Copa del Rey final

British gambling giant Bet365 confirmed a significant £18 million ($24.15m) payout to bettors due to its new Sub On Play On feature, with Saturday’s clash between Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid and Barcelona responsible for much of the loss. 

Sub On Play On was launched on 11 March. The feature for soccer games sees a wager on a player roll over to another player they are substituted for, during a particular game, similar to the Super Sub and Impact Sub markets introduced by Paddy Power and William Hill, respectively. 

The feature is another form of bet builder, increasingly popular in the United Kingdom, which sees bettors able to customise their bets with stakes placed on specific outcomes or events during a game. 

Bet365 confirmed over £18m has been paid out to customers in the first month of operation for Sub On Play On, culminating last weekend with the Copa del Rey, the Spanish cup final. 

Steve Freeth, a Sports and Trading Expert at bet365, stated: “The Copa del Rey final was brutal, so much so it’s the most we’ve lost on Bet Builders since the 2022 World Cup Final!”

Barcelona’s 3-2 victory at the Estadio La Cartuja in Seville produced 15 shots on target, 15 corners, six bookings, and four goals in normal time, before further action and the winning goal unfolded in extra time.

Freeth continued, “This was enough to do the damage with all the big guns except Rodrygo having shots on target, so step forward his half-time replacement, Kylian Mbappe, to not only hit the target but also to score as punters profited from our Sub On Play On concession.”

As explained, all qualifying bets placed on Real Madrid’s Rodrygo were ‘played on’ through the French superstar Kylian Mbappe, who got on the scoresheet in the 70th minute.

Last month, Bet365 confirmed its departure from the Chinese gambling market.

SCENES. pic.twitter.com/JLmmlUQOwb

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 27, 2025

Despite leading 2-1, Real could not capitalize on the momentum as the Catalan giants prevailed once again. 

Barcelona have beaten Real in all three encounters so far this season, including a 5-2 thrashing in the Spanish Super Cup in January, and a 4-0 victory at the Bernabeu Stadium in October. 

The final meeting of the campaign will take place at Barcelona’s Camp Nou on Sunday, 11 May, with the hosts four points ahead in the title race with five games to go.

Bet builders appear to now be a permanent fixture in British sportsbooks, with Sub On Play On representing an enhancement to the offering. 

Bet365 has immediately introduced the new feature across 20 different countries and the most popular soccer competition markets, including the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and the Champions League.

Image credit: Grok/X

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