"G2E is perfect for Sportsradar to showcase our betting data, technology, media and integrity services"

Could you describe in advance Sportradar's presence at G2E 2018? What will be the premieres, main novelties, innovations and other differences compared to previous editions? How will your strategies to approach the market will be reflected during the event?

Sportradar will once again have a stand at G2E, but this year it will be bigger and better. It’s always a great opportunity for us, especially our betting arm, Betradar, to showcase our 360-degree portfolio of innovative products and services that offer clients, large and small, everything they need to establish and run their own sports betting business.
We will have a number of expert representatives at the event, which attendees can speak to, as well as a number of interactive live demonstrations at our stand to explore our range of solutions across our betting data, technology, media and integrity services. So G2E is the perfect event for us to showcase our entire offering across these areas.
We are also official sponsors of the Sports Betting Symposium, where our Director of Legal, Jake Williams will be speaking on a panel about official and unofficial data, sharing our knowledge of and quality approaches to procurement through years of experience and established partnerships.

Are there any key expectations for the show, regarding volume of visits, new deals, networking, partnerships, etc.? Which are the main topics or upcoming trends of the industry you think will or should prevail during the event?

Obviously, there will be a number of individuals and companies looking to discuss and explore the range of opportunities that the new US betting markets will offer. Many have already reiterated that the US market has a billion-dollar potential. Data is also huge from a consumer and entertainment perspective. Luckily, we have been operating within the sports data and betting industries for years, with a number of firmly established clients and partners with some of America’s, and the world’s, most renowned sports leagues and associated organisations. How companies and leagues process data and present it, using innovative technology and fan engagement, will be a hot topic as regulated betting adds a further dimension to US sports in terms of entertainment.

What does G2E mean for you as a company this year in particular? What are the areas you are looking to strengthen and obtain greater competitiveness there?

Now that sports betting in the US has been legislated and markets continue to open, G2E Vegas is even more important from our perspective. We occupy a unique position at the intersection of the sports, media and betting industries.
Our solutions aren’t just limited to data and betting solutions though. Currently, they span across three main areas, strategic services for data, digital and broadcast, sports betting services including data and bookmaker digital products and media and consumer content powered by deep analytics. We also partner with professional leagues across the world to offer integrity services, using human and technological resources to monitor betting patterns for potential match-fixing. In light of the new US market, we want to strengthen awareness of our presence across such areas.

Could you detail the main features that make Sportradar different among a growing and trendy market such as sports betting, with a great number of competitors?

We have grown beyond our foundation as a premier betting and data services supplier to become a sports insight powerhouse. We provide end-to-end solutions for bookmakers, while serving leagues with data partnerships. We also have the ability to guide clients in terms of risk management and best practise through or integrity solutions and approach to quality. What sets us apart is the fact that our expertise and innovative technology all together can ultimately help shape the ecosystem of the new US betting economy.

Do you have products specifically designed for the United States? Which criteria or trendy technologies do you adopt in that sense?
 
US sport is extremely popular across the world, in terms of viewership, entertainment, interactivity and betting. The US market seems to set the trends, therefore, in terms of fan engagement and cutting-edge sports technology. So as a big stakeholder and partner in this space, it’s important for us to remain at the forefront of these continuously growing industries. This year, for example, we have continued to develop innovative media and consumer content to meet the demands of today’s fans. This includes our newly launched Game Stream product, an advanced research tool that offers 3D visualisation of key plays in matches, APIplus, which empowers AI tools such as Alexa or OK Google to go beyond just game scores, and our OTT solutions, which deliver insights to some of the world’s biggest fan bases.

Which new demands you identify from operators and players, and how do you approach them?

We are dedicated to maintaining ongoing dialogue with our clients to continue to understand their needs and industry trends. It’s part of our customer care program. Technology has driven changes in personal and market behaviour across the sports industry, and almost every organisation has had to find the means to adapt. As such there is a demand for quality solutions and quality data fast. We have always maintained our focus on quality as well as speed. This is something that is present across our entire offering, from our betting products to our integrated platform solutions and our data collection processes. We work with our clients to ensure our entire suite of products and solutions can be integrated seamlessly, whilst leveraging marketing and revenue opportunities for them too.

Could you detail your current presence in the United States (in terms of installations, partners, etc.), and your prospects for the country?

Our extensive data coverage includes over 40 sports, 800 leagues and 400,000 annual events. We entered the US market in 2013 and have since become the official data provider of the NBA, NFL, NHL and NASCAR, as well as the official partner to FIFA and UEFA. With these relationships our CEO and US management team have spent a significant amount of time this year advising leagues and regulators on best practices in data procurement, based on nearly two decades of cause and effect analysis of match fixing in Europe and Asia.
We already provide our services to many operators in states like New Jersey, Nevada and Mississippi. We can’t predict how the market will continue to open in the US but we have been preparing for it for a number of years so are ready to offer our solutions to operators as states continue to open.

What has changed for your business areas after the Supreme Court's ruling against PASPA? Can we have your balance so far, and further prospects, on the markets' response and regulations for sports betting in the country? What are your specific strategies to capitalise these new opportunities?

Since the US betting legislation decision, we have continued to expand our partnerships across the industry with the likes of BetChicago, Sportech and AmTote International. We are also doing a lot more work using our expertise to inform sports leagues, media companies, and federations specifically on what works and what doesn’t in terms of the betting industry as well as protecting integrity and setting up legislation from a collaborative standpoint to achieve a safely regulated market as a whole.
Whilst there will be associated challenges and, as we have already seen, some complexities in terms of business mergers, we are very optimistic about the US betting market. Again, it is predicted to be one of the largest betting markets in the world, and with that comes so much opportunity for technology, innovation, data, sports and entertainment industries worldwide. It will be exciting to see how it continues to unfold.