DIMOCO Carrier Billing is sponsoring Betting on Football 2017, the fourth edition of the largest international football and betting trade conference at Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge.
Ahead of the 3-5 May event, we spoke to DIMOCO Head of Corporate Communications Charlotte Newby about why football is such an attractive sport for betting, how the market is changing from a consumer perspective and how betting and football stakeholders can work more effectively together.
SBC: Why is football such an attractive sport for betting?
CN: Football is an emotional topic, a sport that most have grown up with, often follow on a day-to-day basis and discuss with friends and colleagues. Football, for many, is an everyday touchpoint. Often these stakeholders have the feeling of a deep understanding of the sport, wanting to prove their expertise and demonstrate so by placing a bet.
As well, sometimes the daily routine can be little dull and drab. Football and football betting bring a spark of competitiveness, a drop of excitement, a rush of adrenaline to a monotonous every day, especially when it comes to live betting.
SBC: From a consumer perspective, how is football betting changing?
CN: Players are shifting to an increasingly mobile world, consuming a wide range of digital services, such as mobile in-game betting on a mobile device, a tablet or even a connected TV, rather than physically walking down the road to place a wager at their local betting shop.
In 2015, the sales value of mobile and online physical, virtualised and digital goods in Europe passed the €500 billion mark for the first time, reaching €570 billion. Overwhelmingly, the momentum for growth comes from the mobile sphere with these devices becoming primary mechanisms for the access, payment and the delivery of services.
The iGaming world is no different, with the solutions on mobile platforms already being in place. The pure mobile payment methods will complement and complete the value chain.
SBC: How can betting & football stakeholders work better and more effectively together?
CN: By making the checkout process of placing a bet user-friendly, quick and easy. The name of the game is to boost conversion rates, make the process headache and struggle-free for the consumer. Moreover, for everybody. The mass market of course, but not forgetting those less tech-savvy consumer, those perhaps time-poor or those who don’t own a suitable payment method.
The mobile phone penetration exceeds the 100 percent mark in almost all European markets. Whilst In the UK for example, the credit card penetration ranges at only 59.5 percent. This means that direct carrier billing is a payment method everybody literally already holds in hand and does not exclude the ‘unbanked’.
SBC: What new technology do you feel will have the biggest impact on football betting?
CN: Unarguably direct carrier billing of course! The pure telco payment method of direct carrier billing is one key reason why the iGaming sector will keep growing and play a major role in the development of the football betting sector for years to come.
The payment option offers an unmatched convenience and customer satisfaction compared to traditional payment methods, such as credit or debit cards. The result is a significant increase in customer retention and conversion rates for providers.
Consumers are likely to be already familiar with the concept of direct carrier billing, as it is one of the top three payment methods at Facebook, providing the recognition factor with a large swathe of any football betting operator’s potential audience.
What key agenda, debate or discussion do you want to hear at BOFCON 2017?
CN: We aim to promote and spread direct carrier billing for iGaming in the regulated European markets.
Earlier this year, DIMOCO announced a cooperation with our inaugural partner, a serious international iGaming operator. The move kick-started the initiative to provide the vast iGaming sector the same easy payment opportunity that many other digital entertainment industries already thrive on.
DIMOCO holds an EU/EEA-wide payment service licence issued by the Austrian Financial Market Authority and we provide the link that allows payment between the consumer and the commercial operator.
