Approaching Emerging Markets

Wednesday 2nd of October 2019

This year’s G2E Las Vegas event will be another chance for those interested in the US to gather and discuss the continued opening of the sports betting market, says Michael Maerz, managing director, Asia for Sportradar.

The process has certainly been an interesting one to watch, especially from an Asian point of view, as it too reaches the potential cusp of becoming an emerging market, and, like the US, a big one at that.

There are a number of factors the two continents share and, as such, for Asian operators wanting in on the opportunities a newly legalized betting market presents, these are something they should be learning about in preparation.

The speed at which technology is transforming sports betting and entertainment worldwide is astounding and is key to offering a fully functioning sportsbook.

This is one of the reasons why our entire 360-degree product and service offering is full backed by the latest cutting-edge innovations. Even at the most basic level, technology is required to ensure speed, security, and reliability when it comes to collecting data. From there, we use AI technology and machine learning to manage the billions of data points we ingest and make meaning from them by creating a variety of betting markets for bookmakers to enhance their offering. Such innovations are also used across our trading and risk management to supplement our expertise in being able to monitor markets for both pricing purposes and to identify and mitigate threats so bookmakers can protect their offering too.

Technology also helps to ensure bookmakers can integrate a range of offerings seamlessly and in the most flexible way possible. This is important across markets to ensure we can cater to a range of bookmakers, no matter what their size or at what stage of the business life cycle they are at. It also means they can pick and choose from our comprehensive portfolio to suit the range of internal and external factors that impact the type of sportsbook they want to run. Such factors include legislation and the audiences they want to target and retain. This will affect decisions related to whether online or mobile betting is included, what kind of betting simulation tools can be utilized to enhance an offering and what sports to feature to appeal to users. For those with their eyes on the US, this knowledge needs to be taken on board in order to get this mix right. Additionally, the measures to acquire a license in the US is a lengthy process and, as such, investment shouldn’t be taken lightly.

This is why we’ve ensured cohesion across all our products and services too. Our Unified Odds Feed, for example, enables operators to access all our data support via the one integration. It works in conjunction with the entire range of our existing betting products, including our Pre-Match Odds Service, Live Odds, Premium Cricket Service and Managed Trading Services (MTS). MTS is another example where clients can access everything from our award-winning odds to Betting Stimulation, including Virtual Sports, together with our expert risk management and trading, at whatever level required. For new markets this is a perfect solution as it can be used to develop a sportsbook from scratch. MTS’ Integrated Trading Solution, meanwhile, ensures larger bookmakers can benefit from the same services alongside their own trading to maintain complete control.

Regardless of whether you’re in the US or Asia, this kind of information and services are extremely useful when it comes to newly legalized betting markets. You may be looking to make your move now or in the future in either market, but what is key is being well-prepared and able to adapt to the ever-changing nature of these regions to stay ahead of the game. And in this regard, knowledge, in terms of being able to leverage from betting technology, tools, trends, and legislation, is power.