[P R O D U C T
The signi?cant bonuses offered for successfully challenging another player’s wager add to the game’s longevity, while one of the biggest appeals to keep players returning to BetDash is the potential to win a large jackpot in the no-risk bonus round, which takes place once a player reaches £1m. Overall, the game is a fun way to make adventurous bets on almost any sport without losing any more money than the original amount staked before the start of the 10-day period. This format means that players looking for real-money prizes within minutes, rather than days, may want to look elsewhere – but it is this originality and the fact you can challenge your colleagues and friends that is BetDash’s unique selling point, all of which encouraged me to keep placing new bets every day in a bid to reach the £1m goal and beat my rivals.
REVIEW
]
WHAT THE PLAYERS SAY
Player 1: The range of bets available is good even on freeplay and it allows anyone to play by having challenges for different bankrolls, which means they won’t scare off beginners. Player 2: The challenges you can do are great and it really got me back into betting again. I haven’t tried the real-money version yet but if it’s as fun to play as the virtual game then I’m tempted to give it a go. Player 3: The idea and concept are along the right lines and, on the surface, appear to have been better executed than any other social sports betting site that has been designed by mainstream bookies such as Betfair. It’s simple, has many of the social networking elements I’m used to and works well.
1
Initial thoughts?
RANKING
USABILITY – 21/25 DESIGN – 20/25 ENGAGEMENT – 22/25 PLAYABILITY – 23/25
86/100
OVERALL
rather than spending five minutes looking at the odds and placing a bet there are far more features and elements with which to engage and experiment with. Player 3: The social side of the game is good with bonuses unlocked when you achieve various bets or different assizes of bets. I like the ‘laugh at’ button but it is the challenge section and button which struck a chord with me as I was able to challenge other users and not just the people I have in my group or my mates.
3
What needs to be improved?
Unique design: Betdash came out of beta in November 2012
Player 1: The easy accessibility of groups is nice, as even when your own bets don’t come in it allows you to have the consolation of watching your mates lose more. The live betting element is also unique to a social sports game. Player 2: The overall experience was fun, which is not something you get when on a cash bookmaker’s site. There the experience is short but not very sweet. Here
2
What works well?
Player 1: A few times, if the odds changed midbet, it wouldn’t let me make the bet and kept going back to the same screen. While I like the bonuses, it could do a better job of letting you know when you’ve activated them. Player 2: It has a way to go before it’s perfect, especially in its design and ‘glitchyness’ but it’s a great start and far more fun to use than any other sports betting website that I have been on before. Player 3: I found it quite slow and some of the look and feel still looks as though it is in beta. As soon as it becomes a smoother and better looking experience I could be back on this site every day.
RANKING
£1m in 10 days: real-money version offers a payout 25 times the size of the original stake USABILITY – 20/25 DESIGN – 18/25 ENGAGEMENT – 23/25 PLAYABILITY – 23/25
84/100
17
OVERALL
www.egrmagazine.com