“ I remember watching a game where Troy Aikman predicted an Amari Cooper touchdown for the upcoming play , and sure enough that is exactly what happened . Unfortunately , neither Troy nor the majority of viewers knew that you can actually make that exact bet in real time .”
— Mark Nerenberg , COO , Simplebet
Kambi has provided several facilitation levels for operators looking to power their own books or use Kambi to essentially run them . Here are some conceptual overviews the London-based company shared with GGB :
• The popularity of instant betting really took off in the United States and has become a key battleground for operators . Some of the most popular U . S . sports like football , basketball and baseball have a certain cadence to the flow of the game that makes instant-betting exciting for players .
• Bettors today look for immediate outcomes , and these fast-settling bets are perfect for player engagement . For these popular U . S . -facing sports , bettors can wager on the result of the next drive in a football game , the result of the next pitch in baseball being a ball or a strike , and the next basket made in a basketball game being a 2 or 3 pointer .
• A key contributing factor to growing in-play is the regulation of mobile betting . In states that have introduced mobile betting from the onset , as opposed to solely on-property , the rate of engagement with the in-play offering is understandably larger — with mobile being more conducive to in-play betting — and the split between pre-match and live is much closer on mobile than on-property .
Specific applications of those principles have unfolded with the rapid ascension of in-game betting .
The Kambi network shows that over the years , instant betting is growing at a faster pace than pre-game . In 2022 , the company saw a pre-game / live split of about 60 percent / 40 percent , proving that the demand for instant betting continues to be of high interest across the industry .
After initially offering instant betting for tennis with point winner breaks , it ’ s been able to expand these types of offerings across various sports over the last decade .
This includes a leading penalty shoot-out offer for soccer , which has yet to have been matched , and even wagers on how a particular penalty will be missed , officials say .
A perfect example of its popularity is from the World Cup match between Morocco and Spain , where Kambi expanded its offering into soccer with next throw-in . They later added it to American sports such as baseball with “ Will the batter record a hit or a walk ?”
It remains a core part of the live offering as instant betting is often in the top 10 most popular in-game markets . The major U . S . sports contain multiple discreet units , or individual data points around which betting markets can be created . As a result , they lend themselves well to an effectively deployed instant-betting ecosystem .
The company believes it cannot overstate the need for urgency in staying ahead of the game ’ s developments . The power and complexity required to present instant markets in a seamless , automated manner to the bettor , with low delays , is exceptionally significant . So is the expertise this requires in proprietary pricing .
The growing popularity of instant betting clearly illustrates the need for a best-in-class sportsbook , underpinned by proven , high-performance technology in meeting the demands of the modern player .
Through a blend of official data providers , sophisticated models and highly skilled traders , players can continue to enjoy wagering on an event long after the outcome has been decided .
Kambi research also showed that instant bettors are often more valuable than those who aren ’ t betting live . That ’ s because live in-game gamblers are engaged with the sportsbook through the entirety of a game , even if the outcome has already been decided . Players can still bet on the next pitch being a ball or strike in a 17-3 game in the eighth inning if they are so inclined .
Creating a compelling instant offer comes with its own challenges , however . It needs to be a friction-free user experience to avoid latency issues , or live delays , and needs to have accurate and fast settlements with fewer bet rejections . Having the technology in place and a strong core platform can present a huge range of instant markets in a seamless way , avoiding any delays .
The data received needs to be fast , accurate , and granular enough to offer these markets at the right time and settle them correctly , which also requires trading expertise .
Kambi has a huge richness of data across more than 40 partners around the world , which allows it to effectively manage price and risk . This allows operators to retain a reasonable profit margin , Kambi officials say .
Micro Managing Riches
Co-founded in 2018 by Chris Bevilacqua , Joey Levy and Scott Marshall , Simplebet is the technology company pioneering micro betting and fan engagement for U . S . sports .
What sets Simplebet apart is its singular focus on micro betting , the company indicates . This innovative approach to sports betting gives sports fans a path to engage with betting on a game the way it ’ s watched — mo-
APRIL 2023 www . ggbmagazine . com 41