SBC’s Year In Review: September’s big betting news
As 2019 comes to a close SBC looks through the year to highlight major news that you might have missed in the sports betting world.
This ninth edition looks at September and more specifically at how the right technology can boost a sportsbook offering, the rise of sports data partnerships, how sports betting is influencing affiliate marketing and a review of Sweden’s market re-regulation.
Alistair Boston-Smith, Bede Gaming: Working technology to boost sportsbook advantage
Operators are under more pressure than ever to spread their resources across, and deliver, within rapidly growing regulated markets. Alistair Boston-Smith, Chief Strategy Officer at Bede Gaming, explains how important it is for brands to select the right technology to get the most from their sports offering.
Let’s not beat around the bush, seeking geographical expansion or product diversification are increasingly on the horizon for operators. Yet, more often than not, it is easier to identify the end goal than it is to identify the process.
Whilst necessary to understand where you want to be, it is vital to understand the means in which to attain this. This is where a digital platform comes in.
The issue is that many brands don’t consider all the options before committing to such a significant project of finding a suitable platform. Selecting the right digital platform is one of the most important decisions an operator will make, as it is a crucial part to their success.
The data crunch: Battle lines being drawn over live sports data
The roster of major sports properties entering into official data partnerships to commercialise their live data has attracted plenty of attention in recent months, not least because of the arrival of the major US sports leagues into this arena writes David Lampitt, MD of Sports Partnerships at Sportradar.
These data deals have been growing in number, value and geographic reach, a process that has mirrored the rapid growth of Sportradar’s own business supplying this data to media companies and sports betting operators around the world in real-time. As the market for live betting data has expanded and matured, we’ve seen significant divergence in the approaches being adopted by both the data supply companies and the sports rights holders to the management of their data partnerships.
As a pioneer and market leader in this space, Sportradar takes its responsibilities seriously in trying to ensure that the market develops in a way that is healthy, safe and sustainable for all concerned. So, in sharing our views on the live data market for betting, we hope to debunk a few common myths and help further the understanding of this ecosystem that is often misunderstood.
How sports betting is influencing the tools of success in affiliate marketing
Few things inspire more passion from the masses than the draw of athletic competition, writes Erica Anderson, Marketing Director at Paysafe’s Income Access. It pushes athletes at all levels to live up to the motto: “higher, faster and stronger”.
It also entices fans to make pilgrimages that span thousands of miles, even crossing oceans, to support a beloved team. The voracious appetite for sport also challenges iGaming marketers, data scientists and platform developers, to name a few stakeholders, to design products, campaigns and incentives that will draw players to their online properties.
It’s arguable that the way in which sports betting is analysed, consumed and promoted is evolving at a faster pace than at any other time in recent memory. A chief catalyst for these heightened expectations, which apply to consumers, operators and affiliates alike, is the continued emergence of the US market.
Looking specifically at operators and affiliates, some key areas where US growth has and will continue to drive constant improvement, include technology, team expertise and education. Therefore, the question isn’t so much whether advancements will be made in these areas – it’s whether they will be sufficiently adopted by those who need them most.
Svenska Spel’s Fredrik Wastenson reviews Swedish market re-regulation
Sweden’s online gambling industry has endured a turbulent period since legislation to re-regulate the market came into force at the beginning of 2019. We spoke to Fredrik Wastenson, CEO Svenska Spel Sport & Casino, for his take on events.
Ahead of his appearance on the Nordics – Navigating Risky Waters in Uncertain Times panel at Betting on Sports 2019, the head of the state-owned operator shared his thoughts on the impact of the new regulatory regime, the role of Spelinspektionen and how Svenska Spel can compete against international operators now targeting the Swedish market.
Wastenson commented: “There were two key objectives with the re-regulation of the Swedish gambling market. First of all, the government wanted to regain control over consumer protection issues as there were too many non-regulated companies in the market with insufficient focus on responsible gaming issues. Secondly, the government wanted to force online operators to obtain a Swedish licence so that more than 90% of gambling is with a regulated business.”
Source: SBC News
