Ultraplay takes the risk to innovate

Wednesday 7th of October 2020

“Innovation is something you create before the need for it is born. That’s why it’s so risky in the beginning,” said Lyubomira Petrova, CMO at UltraPlay during the European Gaming Congress, which was held online in October.

“When UltraPlay started offering eSports back in 2014, it was perceived just as that - unreliable and risky, as we were the first in many ways. Now eSports is no longer perceived as a niche gambling vertical, and has shown the entire industry its great potential especially during COVID-19 and the lack of sports events over the past few months.”

Petrova was part of the panel discussion on the latest industry innovations and how the industry has adapted to current times, together with other professionals from the iGaming industry.

The panel highlighted product innovation and enhanced user experience and placed these two elements at the cornerstone of every business that wants to stay relevant and a few steps ahead of market demand.

In terms of innovations that have been key this year acquisition and retention wise, Petrova pointed to eSports as the main driving force for sportsbooks during these past few months.

Sports punters shifted quickly towards eSports - another testimonial for the great potential it holds. UltraPlay continues to record a great interest. For example, the company’s trading team is experiencing unprecedented levels of bets on the first to return live major tournament – League of Legends Worlds. This was the first big eSports live tournament to return in 6 months and the entire viewership as well as betting on it skyrocketed.

Esports betting continues to grow exponentially and does a perfect job in terms of player acquisition and retention. The key reason for that is its main audience – the new generation of bettors, who tend to prefer more skill or knowledge based-gambling.