Laszlo Keczer, Head of NetEnt Live, talks CasinoBeats through the launch of the supplier’s Live Sports Roulette product ahead of this year’s World Cup in Russia

DURING the World Cup, which kicks off in Russia on Thursday, online roulette players will be able to keep up with live scores and real-time updates thanks to NetEnt’s Live Roulette table, with the live sports feed showing a summary of game statistics, group tables and scheduled games.

CasinoBeats spoke to Laszlo Keczer, Head of NetEnt Live, about the product and what makes it appealing to football fans – other than just the timing.

What is the thinking behind launching this product through Live Roulette?

LK: “The positive aspect of cross-selling between sportsbook and live casino has been a well-proven recipe among operators in the last decade. There will be a high volume of players on our popular Live Roulette tables, so this is the perfect vertical to place our live sports product.

“A single roulette table can service thousands of players simultaneously. It’s hard to find any other service where you can reach so many people, but that’s not the only reason. Players come across very similar odds to play on live sports betting and live roulette. Most customers select multipliers of two to three on their sports betting slip, which is like the odds for the outside bets offer on roulette.”

“The more engaging an atmosphere you can create… the more enjoyable a player’s experience will be.”

To what extent can this lead to greater customer retention and longer playing sessions during the tournament?

“This is the ideal solution for casino operators that want to maximise a player’s enjoyment of their Live Roulette game during the World Cup. You do not necessarily have to be the world’s biggest football fan to enjoy the World Cup either, as it appeals to a very large customer base.

“The more engaging an atmosphere you can create, including visual assets and dealer engagement with a World Cup game in progress, the more enjoyable a player’s experience will be.”

Many casino providers are seeking to boost engagement during the World Cup – how will NetEnt’s offering stand out?

“The World Cup is the world’s biggest sporting event, so it makes it such an exciting time for our industry and for players with all our partners. We of course expect other providers to showcase new and innovative features during the World Cup, but I would like to think the NetEnt Live World Cup table will be the best-in-class as it is built on a technology that adds additional engagement opportunities for players.

“We are proud of the digital streaming technology we developed over the years. Players will enjoy live updates from the games on our digital backgrounds, which will be complimented by the expert commentary of some of our best game presenters.”

How do you expect this product to be received by operators – how much interest have you seen in the product so far?

“All operators that have had the opportunity to view the product have been very impressed, and that gives us the confidence that we can go a long way with this product.

“We do not have to stop at the end of the World Cup, as our partners are already considering the idea of keeping a deal in place for the product beyond the end of the tournament, and we are excited to see where this will take us.”

What are the chances you could use similar products in the future to cross-sell throughout the football season or during other major sporting events?

“It is possible for this feature to be a success for us with any sporting event, but especially
the events that always draw a lot of eyeballs, such as major tennis tournaments or the US Masters in golf. So long as we can increase the players’ enjoyment of Live Roulette games and sporting events at the same time, this product can succeed.”

Can you give a breakdown of all the information from World Cup matches players will see while playing Live Roulette – will it include live and in-play odds?

“Players will be able to see and follow upcoming matches, point tables, match statistics and catch all the live actions, such as live scores, corners, attacks, cards etc. However, Live Sports Roulette doesn’t include in-play odds: for that we would need the operators’ sportsbook solution to be combined with our technology.”

“approximately 75 per cent of casino traffic originates from sports betting, so there will be a high crossover of players”

How similar are the sports betting and roulette player demographics? Roughly, what percentage of roulette players are also likely to bet on the World Cup?

“In general, approximately 75 per cent of all casino traffic originates from an operator’s sports betting offering, so there will definitely be a high crossover of players between the two verticals when you have an event like the World Cup.

“Live Sports Roulette allows the operator to bring the two platforms closer together and given that the average Live Roulette player is already likely to be a sports bettor, this is an excellent opportunity to give them something else that they can engage with while playing roulette.”