“ Trust is always more important than a name . These are the basic things . It ’ s not some sort of chess game . They haven ’ t even won the checkers game they ’ re playing yet ”
“ It ’ s currently very competitive in the US with the top three operators having 85 % of the established markets in their hands ”
“ We aim to have our content available on as many sportsbooks as possible ,” Nowry says . “ We want to be everywhere and make it easier for players to have more content to bet on , no matter which sportsbook they are using .”
In essence , sports betting 2.0 will be fuelled by changes based on what particular markets allow .
Flexibility , in other words , is the name of the game . For services like WagerWire , SIS and SimpleBet , market saturation and competition can only be a good thing . For operators , it ’ s a unique challenge .
In any market , though , there will come a need for two important factors that can ’ t be provided by a third party or be innovated in-house .
TRUST AND RECOGNITION
WagerWire ’ s Geiger puts things in simple terms . “ I think that people don ’ t care what book they ’ re betting at , they just want it to work .
“ They don ’ t want to be limited and they don ’ t want to be jerked around . Now , between those three things , there are very few operators that can accomplish all of them .
“ Trust is always more important than a name . Sportsbooks can do more to
“ Trust is always more important than a name . These are the basic things . It ’ s not some sort of chess game . They haven ’ t even won the checkers game they ’ re playing yet ”
Travis Geiger , WagerWire
“ It ’ s currently very competitive in the US with the top three operators having 85 % of the established markets in their hands ”
Sam Depoortere , OpenBet engender trust with their customers . Even books with a big brand name can work harder to build that trust . Make it easy to deposit and place bets . These are the basic things . It ’ s not some sort of chess game . They haven ’ t even won the checkers game they ’ re playing yet .”
OpenBet ’ s Depoortere concurs . “ Name recognition is important , but having a proven track record is more important . You must prove to your customers that you can deliver time and again . We handle a massive load with zero downtime . Our stability is incredibly important ; our customers rely on us .”
However , Stevens puts more emphasis on name recognition . “ Nobody ’ s got much of a business if nobody knows who you are ,” he says .
Earning that reputation , though , is a tough task . “ Some brands , like the FanDuel and DraftKings types , they value being first to market . They spend a lot to acquire initial customers and they have lots of great features . I ’ m never going to say anything bad about another book ’ s model . Some operations suit different types of players .”
This competition , which yields different approaches to recognition , bodes well for players , according to Stevens . “ It ’ s good for everyone . The industry will grow and players will be happier .”
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
The lesson here is simple : sports betting grows more and more complex . Factors like regulation , trust and new ways to bet will continue to disrupt the industry and redefine what the next era of the industry looks like .
Sportsbooks must therefore strike a balance between building trust and trying new things , offering new products that will keep players engaged on their platform . Easier said than done , naturally , but the industry shows no signs of slowing down . Change is on the way .
ICE LONDON 2024 • ISSUE 135 • 51