StanleyBet International was established in 1997, and is Europe’s leading cross-border retail sports betting company with a total of over 1,400 outlets. They are licensed in the UK, Croatia, Romania and Malta and have created a unique cross-border business model which is compatible with European law. Stanleybet International continues to champion the right to free trade and campaigns for a regulated cross-border market which adheres to the principles of the European Union. Italy’s Abruzzo region was recently hit hard by a devastating earthquake leaving many people homeless and it's infrastructure in shambles. StanleyBet International has come to the region's rescue with a large donation of funds to enable the area to recover. This good will gesture is one the Italian people of the area are very thankful for. The earthquake that rocked the region last April was the worst experienced in thirty years. The British bookmaker StanleyBet will help victims of the earthquake by donating 1.3 million Euros that will go towards the construction of a new school in the village of Arista. This is the largest contribution made so far by a foreign company and will get the primary school reopened by the start of the new term in 2010. It will accommodate ninety students in thirteen classrooms and allow children in the area to resume their education after an eight month absence. The managing director for StanleyBet International, John Whittaker, commented on the donation, “We have very close links in Italy as well as employing a significant number of Italian nationals within our business. After such a tragic event, we felt it was incumbent on us to help in any way we could and, as a result, we decided to fund the rebuilding of the school.” Enzo Lucci, the Mayor for Arista, was pleased to comment on the charitable donation from StanleyBet, “We are very grateful to StanleyBet for its generous contribution and making the new school a reality – it means that our children will now have a building in which to learn.”