Q & A / T I TA N B E T. C O . U K / R U S S E L L Y E R S H O N
Q
A
What do you see as being the biggest risks and
opportunities post-PoC in the UK? How do you expect
the market to change once the new regimes go live?
There is a risk that the well-known brands will get bigger
and the smaller fish will struggle to survive. That will
mean less variety for the consumer in a less competitive
market. As a result, marketing spend could go down and
there will be fewer new sportsbooks emerging.
You recently announced a deal with The Sun newspaper
which will give the brand greater exposure and access
to the newspaper’s online subscribers. Is there much more
left in the marketing budget for similar deals in the near
future? How important will marketing be in the early stages
of post-PoC Britain?
We’re always looking to invest, but we’ll do that with
due diligence and only if the opportunity is the right one.
Our marketing is very important, particularly in the early
stages of the post-POC landscape. As well as looking after
our existing customers, we need to acquire new ones. We
are keen to invest further in horseracing sponsorship as
we believe this product can deliver us growth. We’re also
hoping signing John Barnes as a brand ambassador will help
us with acquisitions, particularly when it comes to football.
Social media will help us to stand out too, using Facebook,
Twitter and engaging video content.
Q
A
“WE ARE KEEN TO INVEST FURTHER IN HORSERACING
SPONSORSHIP AS WE BELIEVE THIS PRODUCT CAN
DELIVER US GROWTH. WE’RE ALSO HOPING SIGNING
JOHN BARNES WILL HELP US WITH ACQUISITIONS,
PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO FOOTBALL”
t RUSSELL YERSHON
t TITANBET.CO.UK
Q
A
How important has the UK side of the business been
historically to Titanbet and how does it plan to stand out
in the UK market?
The UK is the oldest and most established betting market
in the world. Now we are in a strong position to grow our
base. It will be a big challenge for us but one we’re ready
to meet head on. Having customers as brand ambassadors
will help us stand out. They will contribute to our social
engagement if we give them space to share their views
and tips. The Sun deal will be a big gateway for this.
Q
A
How much of a focus will the company have on abovethe-line and TV marketing and how much of the focus
will remain on affiliate and online marketing?
Affiliate marketing is the bread and butter for a business
like ours. We have strong expertise and relationships in
this field and it will be key to our growth. It’s essential this
part of the business delivers us an ROI. Above-the-line and
TV ar e where we see we can increase market share. But in
an ultra-competitive market place, we must invest wisely
and not just jump at advertising because it’s available. With
mobile being vital to the future, we are looking at driving
accounts through this channel.
Q
78
Will you be making changes to bonusing and free bets
post PoC? Will these be reined in once the tax bites?
A
We always analyse the bonuses and free bets we offer
our customers and we aim to be competitive. We realise
the post-POC era will mean we need to focus on this area
even harder, but retaining our customers is key for us, so
maintaining the bonuses we offer them is a must. Also we
have to have a strong offering for new players otherwise
these players will go elsewhere.
Q
What’s the ambition for Titanbet? Is it a case of winning
a modest share of the market or do you plan to mount
a challenge to the top four or five brands? Have you set
yourself any targets?
The ambition is threefold: to grow market share, raise
awareness in the UK, and drive good ROI from our
marketing activity. Mounting a challenge to the top four
or five brands is not on the radar at this stage. We have
a long way to go before we can compete with these
better-established sportsbooks. But we have set ourselves
manageable targets as we look to grow in the short term
and we will hit those along the way.
A
Q
A
How important is poker to the business? Do you think
the poker market is in terminal decline?
Poker is and will always be an important product. We
don’t think it is in terminal decline and will continue to
promote and encourage poker to more players along with
other Titanbet products and offerings.
Q
A
Where do you see further growth coming from?
Is it sports-driven growth and will that be primarily
mobile or another channel?
Sports is where the growth will come from and mobile
is the primary channel for us to achieve this. We are
investing in upgrading our mobile product all the time
as we compete with the quality of the product that our
competitors have.
Q
A
What does the Titanbet brand stand for? How does
Titanbet differentiate itself from its rivals – particularly
those that are also on the Playtech platform?
Titanbet stands for honesty and trust. It also offers
customers a wide range of pre- and in-play markets, as
well as an excellent desktop and mobile product. We’re
different from our rivals as we have a smaller base, meaning
every customer is important to us. We can run promotions
that our customers really want.
Q
A
How important is mobile to the business right now?
What percentage of revenues are derived through handheld devices? How do you see this changing?
Mobile is very important and will continue to be so for a
long while yet. We are seeing mobile turnover heading
towards half of our sports turnover. It will only grow as more
and more people switch to hand-held devices, to the point
where it will quickly outstrip desktop.
Q
A
What are the most important keys to succeeding in
mobile gaming?
They are the same as it is in any other type of gaming – in
essence: having a good quality product with good traffic
sources to drive the business. In practical terms, being
visible on the app stores is important too. There is far less
real estate on mobile devices and consumers need to be
convinced to download the app. Then the product has to
be spot on or it will not compete.
W W W. E G R M A G A Z I N E . C O M