“A perfect product to capture and create a new generation of bettors with is eSports”

What was the outcome of the 2016 ICE?

As ICE is the unmissable show for us every year, it gives us the perfect space in which to initiate or close the majority of our deals. More than that, it is a great opportunity to meet a lot of operators in a short timeframe and talk to them one on one, present our products in detail and let them know about new innovations and solutions. The feedback we got throughout the entire show and afterwards was overwhelmingly positive, with great feedback on our stand, the specialists we brought on site and our peerless product portfolio. Our 360° approach, as perfectly encapsulated in our Managed Trading Services offering, was particularly well received and we have been receiving follow ups on our MTS discussions throughout February. At Betradar, we pride ourselves on being on the front line, so our market-leading Betting Solutions, Content Solutions, Gaming Solutions, the Live Channels, eSports Solutions have all generated their fair shares of interest and we look forward to converting that interest into collaborations and partnerships.

Apart from a strong presence of both eSports and omni-channel gaming, what were the highlights of the show?

Today’s environment requires operators to ensure they have the best sportsbook products possible. The pressure is on operators to simplify and manage their daily operations in a fast, efficient and cost-effective manner while at the same time balancing this objective with the need to lower their operational costs, retain their customers in the face of intensifying competition, adapt so they can take advantage of new ways to exploit the massive growth in mobile betting and gaming. It is a tough proposition by any definition.

A new and very exciting product which fulfils these demands is our afore-mentioned Managed Trading Services. This service puts our experts in global betting markets to work for our clients and enables them to completely or partly outsource their trading. Betradar‘s highly experienced and committed trading analysts can administer the entire process, providing our clients with the largest and most competitive sports betting offer for both pre-match and live betting. Various configuration options enable operators to be as competitive as they wish to be right through to the most granular of detail. All bets are validated in real-time for acceptance/rejection based on a series of validation and risk criteria ensuring that operators only accept bets that should be taken. This, in combination with our flexible and performance based price models, enables clients to minimise their financial risks while increasing turnover and profitability. It really is a game changer for operators who can free up their in-house resources to focus on other key parts of the operations or business.

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A target audience group like the so called millennials offer an opportunity to expand businesses’ reach beyond traditional punters who are inclined to continue betting on traditional sports

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Millennials have been a hot topic for quite some time. Why is attracting and engaging younger audiences more of a challenge for the gambling industry?

A target audience group like the so called millennials offer an opportunity to expand businesses’ reach beyond traditional punters who are inclined to continue betting on traditional sports. Millennials have sat at the vanguard of numerous major technological revolutions. As they are the first generation to have grown up in the era of “internet everywhere”, millennials are always connected, technologically advanced and globally conscious. This has an impact on how they consume live sports.

The challenge is to connect with them in a tailored and engaging way. How millennials communicate, how they consume content has to all be considered. In addition to that, authenticity as well as keeping it short and simple are important considerations.

The millennial audience is familiar with the products that have evolved out of the technological revolution and so can be targeted across these platforms. A perfect product to capture and create a new generation of bettors with is eSports. Given that 99% of all eSports consumption is online (mostly via mobile devices), betting houses can increase their revenue without increasing their brick and mortar footprint. At the end of the day, the generation that lives online is the savvy operator’s current and future customer.

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Speed is something the future player cares about

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How would you describe the player of the future?

Making predictions of future developments is always a tricky task, especially in such a dynamic and fast-moving industry. Most likely there won’t be that “one” player type in the future, but several different types with different needs. But the connection between all of these players is the technology they are using. On the one hand, this can be the technology they hold in their hands like mobile devices, on the other hand that can be the technology which gets the data to the user like automated feeds or fully managed platforms.

The future player will be somebody who is more likely to be involved in mobile betting and is drawn to the in-play betting with short time intervals. Speed is something the future player cares about. He/she wants immediate and accurate information and he/she wants to place bets from any location at any time. This player demands the most from the dynamic growth of in-play betting possibilities for all types of sports as well as from new sports appearing on the scene like eSports.

What are your main areas of focus?

Our focus is on strengthening our position as the industry’s unique 360° ‘one-stop-shop’ provider. This can only be achieved by anticipating the demands and trends of the betting and gaming sector. This means that we’re not simply focusing on one market, but we are uniquely placed to deliver a range of bespoke and holistic packages that suits the needs of all clients, regardless of their size, location or existing capabilities.

One major emerging market with enormous potential is the eSports sector. Without a doubt, eSports is the fastest growing sport globally across all measurables: prize money, fan viewership, sponsorship revenue and more. Today, eSports enjoys 188 million viewers and around US$ 750 Million in revenues every year and that statistic will be outdated within months. The share of eSports betting & fantasy is already US$ 56 Million. Research in the gaming industry expects the global revenue generated from eSports games, events and advertising to reach US$1.9 billion by 2018. This market has received multimillion-dollar investments and is a sector that no serious betting operator can ignore. Thanks to our recently signed partnership with the Electronic Sports League (ESL), we are already in a unique position, able to provide our clients with a full-service package, delivering the highest quality data feeds available to those looking to offer eSports.