Flutter Entertainment has opened its tech centre at 4 Wellington Place in Leeds city centre, with plans for the new ‘landmark development’ to act as a ‘centre of innovation’ in key areas.

First announced in January of this year, focus areas of the £15 million development will include product development, software engineering, research and insights, whilst it will also employ a hybrid working policy.

Over 1,700 employees will work at the 136,000 square feet centre at Leeds Dock, including 800 technology professionals working in departments such as Digital Infrastructure, Platform Services, Information Security and the firm’s Global Sports Trading Platform. 

To promote its workplace policy, Flutter has dedicated the seventh and eighth floors to team social activities, invested £1 million in VC and AV equipment to promote inclusive meetings between remote and office workers and installed IT ‘vending machines’ for certain equipment with the goal of freeing up resources and time for IT employees.

Setting out its ambitions for the development to function as a ‘centre of excellence’ for digital and technological development, Flutter outlined that employees at the site will work to create ‘industry-leading digital products for consumers across the world’, with the added objective of investing in Leeds and the wider Yorkshire region.

An additional objective of the site has centred around environmental sustainability, with the MEPC-designed workplace having been constructed to the WELL building standard and achieving a BREEAM Excellent rating, and including features such as break-out furniture items made from recycled Coca-Cola bottles and six electric car charging points.

“Our new office in Leeds is our vision for the future of working and we are excited to welcome our colleagues to this modern, agile and flexible workspace,” said Conor Grant, Flutter Entertainment CEO.

“The entire Flutter Group has benefited greatly from the leading technology capabilities we have developed in Leeds through our talented and highly skilled workforce, and this investment demonstrates our ongoing commitment to both the city and our colleagues.”

Additionally, as the home to Sky Betting and Gaming’s ‘Skills Academy’, Flutter intends to leverage the site to provide early-career opportunities as well as establish its own self-funded version of the government’s Kickstart scheme for disadvantaged candidates.

The Skills Academy will offer selected graduates a fully funded MSC in Digital and Technology Solutions from Sheffield Hallam University, whilst the Kickstart programme will focus on creating 13 new job roles for young people at risk of long-term unemployment spread across marketing, finance, people, tech and design, among other business areas.

Grant added: “We will also continue to be a positive force in the communities we serve, with our Skills Academy and Kickstart scheme offering exciting opportunities for young people to develop their skills.”