In 2023, when Ladbrokes Belgium, a sports betting provider, decided to replace its thirty-year-old administrative and financial software, the requirements were clear: the new system needed to be modern and flexible, support the company’s growth, and allow for future expansions. They found this solid foundation in Oracle Fusion Cloud. With SiNube as their trusted Oracle Cloud Service Partner, Ladbrokes managed to complete the transition well within budget and ahead of schedule. The end result? A future-proof software system that the team now uses with confidence and ease.
The choice for Oracle Fusion Cloud
Although the Ladbrokes Group has been working with Oracle globally since 2020, the configuration of the international system did not fully meet Belgian requirements. The extensive network of sales points and specific VAT regulations required a tailored configuration for the Belgian market. ‘We were free to choose which system to work with, but Oracle quickly became the logical choice for us as well. It is very high-performing and up-to-date software,’ says Florian Marchal, Financial Director at Ladbrokes Belgium. ‘It gave us the foundation we were looking for with still enough flexibility to configure it according to our own needs. Managing sports bets is not ordinary accounting; we need to know the exact cash position at the end of each day, so all offices receive their cash status from the system daily.’
The switch to Oracle also meant saying goodbye to a custom-made but completely outdated mainframe infrastructure. ‘That, of course, always requires adjustment and came with some nervousness among our staff. However, for projects like this, you have to dare to change, take the plunge, switch systems, and not be afraid to alter processes. Indeed, you should use what the software offers to completely revise procedures,’ Florian continues.
‘Fortunately, SiNube expertly guided us through this. The previous, bespoke system had become super comfortable for us because it was completely tailored to our needs, but now we worked with Oracle’s modules and standard configuration. So we first looked at the software and then adapted our operations to it, with a few minor changes. Our team was quite stressed before we started, but now they are having fun getting used to it, even colleagues who have been here for many years.’
SiNube as key partner for quick and smooth implementation
With a tight deadline looming, a reliable implementation partner was crucial. ‘We chose SiNube because we were immediately convinced of their competencies; they really know the software inside out. They also gave us the confidence that the project would be completed on time and within budget. We needed a very high-performing partner who could complete the project in six months, with a hard deadline. We didn’t look at alternatives; it was clear that SiNube was competent, and meeting our deadline together was the most important aspect of choosing SiNube. We therefore didn’t compare prices in the market, but SiNube was transparent about pricing and set a maximum budget that they wouldn’t exceed. They kept their word, as the deadline was effortlessly met, and we stayed 30% under the set maximum budget.’
‘Despite the team’s anxiety about switching to Oracle, everyone quickly got used to the new system. Oracle is software that is ultimately very easy to adopt, user-friendly, with many users experiencing no difficulties transitioning from a system they’ve been using for many years to the new one. “We’ve never closed off so quickly,” I recently heard one of my staff say,’ Florian adds. Additional benefits include being free from the high maintenance costs of our old mainframe system and being able to integrate our own software tools into Oracle. ‘The entire project is certainly profitable because of this.’
More flexibility and a solid foundation for growth
With Oracle as the new backbone of administration and accounting, Ladbrokes Belgium is ready for the future. For 2025, the implementation of a purchase-to-pay module is planned, which will fully automate the processing of more than 10,000 supplier invoices per year. Florian: ‘The great thing about Oracle is that we can easily add new functionalities in the future. That was much more difficult with our old system. Oracle has allowed us to make significant strides in efficiency thanks to our transformation, and this will enable us to achieve even more efficiency gains with upcoming developments.’
Daring to innovate
‘The main lesson I take from this project is that you need to look at your current systems with an open mind and dare to change if you are convinced it will improve operations. We now have many more possibilities than before, and everyone is incredibly happy that we made the switch,’ concludes Florian happily.