The new normal that we find ourselves in following the pandemic has stressed the importance of innovative products and alternative solutions in order to attract and retain customers – according to Blaz Zitnik, Head of BET at Sportradar.
Speaking to SBC ahead of the ongoing Betting on Sports Europe – Digital 220, which Sportradar are a sponsor, Blaz Zitnik discussed how the Sportradar stand will be promoting stimulated content, something which he also plans to focus on during his panel session.
What are you looking forward to at Betting on Sports Europe – Digital 2020?
Betting on Sports Europe is always a great chance for the industry to come together. At a time when networking and engaging with fellow stakeholders is crucial as a way to help the industry move forward together, this year’s event will be even more significant.
As a leader in the field, we have spent most of the year dedicated to developing a host of innovative solutions to help guide the industry through these uncharted times. From alternative sports content driven by technology, to the most comprehensive data and coverage in the market, combined with the additional entertainment features required to create a truly successful sportsbook, our diversified product portfolio provides many ways to overcome the challenges this year has presented.
As always, there is a huge line-up of speaking panels at the event too, which we are again a part of, offering key and timely insights across the industry worldwide that many will benefit and learn from too.
What would be your biggest bit of advice for betting and gaming businesses trying to mitigate the impact of COVID-19?
Covid 19 and the “new normal” that now exists has demonstrated the importance of innovative products and alternative solutions in order to attract customers, keep them on site and coming back. These days bettors want more than just a range of markets to bet on from live sports only. Increasingly betting and gaming businesses are investing in stimulated content to mitigate the ongoing impacts suffered during Covid.
Features of this include detailed statistics and live match trackers, which enhance the customer experience by enabling them to make more informed bets with insightful data and advanced visualisation tools right at their fingertips.
As such, these tools can have a huge influence on betting behaviour and lead to increased engagement levels and therefore increased revenue. Best of all, they can be used with both live and alternative sports content, including Virtual Sports and Simulated Reality, which, as we saw this year during Covid, has gained increased significance as part of a successful sportsbook offering.
What are you promoting at Betting on Sports Europe – Digital 2020?
Stimulated content has become a very important part of the product mix for operators, so it is a key element we will want to promote and discuss at this year’s Betting on Sports Europe. It is something I will be exploring further in my panel on ‘Offering a Compelling Digital Product’ on day one of the event too.
Those operators who have implemented stimulated content features as part of their offering have reported a rise in activity because of its ability to help customers make more informed betting decisions and enhance their experience. Sportradar has developed several tools and solutions to help clients achieve this. Our comprehensive historical and live data and Live Match Tracker, for example, enhance sports content in a way that makes betting more interactive and entertaining.
Sportradar’s range of stimulated betting tools can be seamlessly integrated and updated easily as part of any existing offering too, so we encourage operators to speak with one of our representatives if they want to find out more.
What industry innovation will capture the most attention in 2020?
As technology continues to develop, there is no doubt the tools to provide bettors with even more entertainment and information will advance. With innovation, more and more data and stats can be pulled out of sports, providing audiences with detail like never before. The possibilities for the betting and gaming industry are limitless.
Experimenting with new technologies, such as augmented and virtual reality, will provide even more ways to evolve and enhance the user journey. Stimulated content therefore has a huge potential in complementing these new realities and further driving their use within the betting sector.
Which parts of the conference agenda have caught your eye?
I’m always interested in seeing our clients and other experts in the industry sharing their knowledge. Again, it really is a good way for the industry right now to find ways forward together. In this respect, I am pleased to see the panels cover a variety of relevant areas including innovation, marketing and integrity, for example.
I am looking forward to exploring how sports betting companies can diversify and move towards more digital environments as a way of generating more revenue opportunities as part of the ‘Offering a Compelling Digital Product’ panel.
My colleague, Florian Geheeb will speak on the ‘Optimising player acquisition in the era of restricted marketing’ panel on day one too. This is also a very pertinent and timely subject for businesses who want to find out how they can truly stand out online.
Following this, another fellow colleague, David Lampitt, will provide the latest updates and insights on the ‘Assessing the impact of the tennis review on integrity’ panel on day two, which is always an interesting discussion around how data, technology and betting can be utilised in a way that both protects and enhances the sport.