SATELLITE channel Eurosport is to launch an online betting service after being granted an Alderney e-gambling licence.

Eurosport has teamed up with Serendipity Investment to set up Eurosportbet.co.uk under the umbrella name of SPS – a firm based in Paris and Guernsey – after being awarded a licence by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission.

The new company, which follows in the footsteps of Sportingbet and Mecca Games, will now base its online operation in the northern isle ahead of the website’s launch scheduled for later this year.

Robin Le Prevost, Alderney’s head of e-commerce development, said: ‘We believe that Alderney is the home of e-gambling and we are absolutely thrilled to welcome Eurosport to our growing list of licensees.

Its name adds to an already stellar line-up of some of the most prestigious names in the industry.

‘SPS, having chosen to base its new online business in Alderney, speaks volumes about our regime, capabilities and serious business approach. We are pleased to have been chosen.’