SBTech is sponsoring Betting on Sports 2018, the 3rd edition of the largest international sports and betting trade conference at Olympia London.
Ahead of the 18-21 September event, we asked the company’s Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Cochrane to disclose some of SBTech’s promotion plans for #boscon2018 and to pick out the sporting event he would most like to attend.
SBC: What are you looking forward to at Betting on Sports?
AC: On Tuesday, the ‘Betting on Americas’ track is of particular interest, due not only to the recent partnerships we’ve agreed in the States, but also because SBTech remains a core member of the American Gaming Association’s sports betting taskforce. We are committed to maintaining our advisory role as the sector evolves, and the afternoon session on M&A, scheduled to cover leadership and sustainability, will therefore be especially interesting.
I’m also looking forward to hearing the views of speakers throughout the day on the vital importance of R&D, and on how geolocation will be critical in ensuring compliance across state lines in what could become a patchwork of jurisdictions. The expansion of our activities in Latin America, another topic under discussion, is also a key component of SBTech’s strategy, with massive growth potential across the region and increasing convergence with the US landscape.
On Wednesday, the ‘Future of Betting’ track is sure to provide a wealth of insights, with the issues of multi-screen interaction and regulation high on the agenda. In-play mobile betting is central to the SBTech offering and omni-channel solution, and since the group is renowned for speed to market in newly regulated territories, our answers to these questions are essential to ensuring continued growth in the coming years.
SBC: What are you promoting at Betting on Sports?
AC: Over the past six months, SBTech has launched a range of unique betting features that we are very much looking forward to showcasing at Betting on Sports.
Pulse Bet is an industry first, enabling operators to offer players a jackpot-style experience when betting on when a goal will be scored in a live football match. Players see their payouts rise incrementally during the selected period, getting the chance to win the maximum if a team scores just before the time runs out.
Another exciting new option is YourBet, our fully automated feature offering same-game accumulators built by the player from a huge range of markets. With no need for trader approval and instant pricing, it’s already proving a big hit with several SBTech operators in the UK.
As we all know, mobile is of vital importance to every online operator. Both these features were launched exclusively on mobile, providing our partners with powerful new marketing tools to encourage mobile activity and attract the demographic that will be principally responsible for future growth.
Following the launch of our first mobile-only operator MoPlay.co.uk, I’m looking forward to meeting both existing clients and potential partners to discuss what’s next in the mobile arena and how SBTech will continue to be at the heart of defining the best user experience on all devices.
SBC: Which sports betting operator has impressed you the most in 2018?
AC: Nordic operator Bethard is a very impressive organization with an ambitious international expansion strategy encompassing the UK and Scandinavia, among other key markets.
The company has achieved stunning exponential growth, trebling turnover across its stable of brands. I’ve been especially taken with Bethard’s marketing efforts, built around the unique appeal of brand ambassador Zlatan Ibrahimović, including “The Zlatan Challenge”, a World Cup predictions tournament with a €200k prize pool that helped the operator to push NGR and active player count through the roof in June.
SBC: What sports betting partnership has stood out in the past 12 months?
AC: It has been a year of many new partnerships for SBTech. Our long-planned US entry has clearly been central to recent activities, with three key partnerships signed over the past few months. Our strategic partnership with Churchill Downs gives us access to the country’s largest and most prestigious horse racing operation, while agreements with Resorts Casino and Golden Nugget will enable us to introduce our sportsbook and flagship in-play product to fresh demographics with a real appetite for a standout sports betting experience.
Our partnership with Danish national lottery Danske Spil for the launch of their new challenger brand youbet.dk was another highlight of the past year. Alongside the likes of the Czech Republic’s SAZKA, lottery operators are now a cornerstone of our global partner portfolio, enabling us to take advantage of well-established retail networks, loyal customer bases and huge growth potential as we help lotteries grow their market share where existing platform solutions have struggled.
SBC: If you could attend one sporting event, what would it be?
AC: Few recent events have captured the imagination quite like last year’s Mayweather vs McGregor fight and we witnessed massive action right across the network in the lead-up. If a rematch ever takes place, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Whether it’s in the octagon or the ring, and however they decided to tweak the rules, it would be another huge payday for both legends.