iGaming Business magazine iGB 111 July/Aug | Page 51

Sports Betting Focus 2018
FORWARD PRODUCT:

Staying ahead
of the
curve
Product development and innovation have been key in enabling SBTech to become the leading
provider of betting and gaming solutions in the sector, according to Ian Bradley. He explains
how his team organises its work and anticipates market trends to remain out in front
The SBTech Product team has been nothing short of prolific in
2018. Numerous innovations have been introduced this year, with
groundbreaking sportsbook features like Pulse Bet and Create
Your Bet going live across our global partner network, alongside a
revamped responsive front end and cutting-edge casino hub.
SBTech’s quickfire launches have had a major impact on the
industry, propelling the company to the fore in numerous key markets.
It has also been fascinating to observe how players in certain markets
have taken to specific products, such as Pulse Bet with its rising
payouts for in-play on football, or bet suggestion tool Action Betting,
which powers the fastest bet placement on the market.
This ability to bring such unique, high-quality features to market
within short timescales continues to differentiate SBTech and has led
to long-term deals with major operators like Sky Bet and Mansion, as
well as state lotteries in Denmark and the Czech Republic.
Powering personalisation
The new front end offers far more than a vastly improved look and
feel. Built on a single code base, it enhances delivery speed, support
and maintenance across all channels: mobile, tablet and web.
Personalisation of the user experience is also key. In June, we
added a ‘highlights block’, which automatically displays a list of
pre-live events based entirely on each player’s betting preferences.
Another recent focus has been automation, driven by new
technology including a Complex Event Processing engine
microservice. Initially used to streamline bonusing, it will also
be utilised for smart notifications and payments.
Future innovation
Moving forward, SBTech will ensure its products are flexible
enough to serve the evolving strategic demands of any operator,
from its trading needs to its front-end requirements.
This will be crucial in the US, where many new operators might
initially prefer to offer limited products before adding more markets
and features and employing their own trading teams.
Our APIs also allow us to offer a unique hybrid model whereby
operators take certain elements from SBTech while building
others independently.
US planning
The historic repeal of PASPA and current wave of regulation of sports
betting in the US marks a key point in the life of the sector stateside.
Ian Bradley is SBTech’s chief product officer
and has more than 10 years’ experience in the
igaming industry. He has worked with the leading
operators in the sector and is responsible for the
rollout of all new features and products across
the SBTech global partner network.
As ever, SBTech is proactive in agreeing new partnerships to
add to the existing ones we have with Churchill Downs and GAN.
This engagement also enables us to gauge the demand for new
features by working closely with operators to develop the right
products for key demographics. We will also take into account the
fact that US players will need to be educated about new markets
and betting options. Together with our partners we will decide
whether to introduce new features gradually or launch them early
in the life cycle of the offering.
In-play betting and options such as cash-out are likely to
become firm favourites of American players, especially on the
uniquely fast-paced NBA. We are also working on increasing
the scope of our loyalty scheme to add new levels of gamification
and challenge-based elements.
Cracking casino
While sportsbook is SBTech’s flagship product, our new
Casino Hub, which increases the speed with which we integrate
third party content, will also be crucial to success. Its other
key advantage is that it allows deeper integration of bonuses,
making each promotion more flexible and more relevant
for longer.
We are now working on further personalisation of the
casino front end, adding the option of specific game
ordering and o