The crest of the online wave brought about in 2020 has been rode by many throughout the industry, but for BetGames.TV this merely represented the latest stage in a consistent growth strategy that is seemingly showing no signs of slowing.

This was capped off earlier this month at the SBC Awards, as COO Aiste Garnevicience sealed a more than welcome one-two for the company, with her ‘Leader of the Year’ triumph added to as the live dealer betting games provider was also crowned ‘Live Casino Supplier’.

Here, Richard Hogg, CCO at BetGames.TV, touches upon standing out from the competition, and elaborates on shifting online trends and continuing the momentum into, and throughout, 2021 and beyond.

CasinoBeats: Congratulations on capping off the year with the ‘Live Casino Supplier’ award, what do you believe the judges saw to stand you out from the competition?

Richard Hogg: Thank you! We’re delighted to have won. While we’re not a live casino supplier per se in that we supply our own live betting games, rather than casino itself – we are very, very proud to be capping an outstanding year by seeing our products win in such a category. 

At BetGames.TV we understand that entertainment needs to be unique – we have found that by working harder and closer with clients, the benefits and results are huge. I believe the judges will have recognised our hard-earned reputation for supplying a uniquely immersive betting experience, as well as ease-of-use and high bet rates.

In total, we’re live on 2,000 sites globally, and as well providing an unbeatable combination of low-spend and extended playing sessions for players.

I recall at the beginning of the crisis, virtuals and slots were touted as the likely industry saviour”

On the commercial side, we’re able to offer far greater margins than other offerings, as well as content that live casino suppliers can’t – whether that’s dedicated studios, jackpots or anything else our partners need.

This year has seen us as much as triple bet counts in some parts of the world, and I’ve been hugely impressed with the work of our global teams. 

CB: You’ve enjoyed a strong year across numerous jurisdictions, do you believe the trend for new content has shifted the way of ‘live’?

RH: Without a doubt. When sports collapsed, operators entered an unprecedented situation – with the realisation soon dawning that there are very few alternatives that could cater for sportsbook fans, especially when it came to the ones from retail. 

I recall at the beginning of the crisis, virtuals and slots were touted as the likely industry saviour, but as we saw from player adoption (or lack of it), it was always going to be a tough cross sell. In their essence, slots and virtuals are based on RNG – the luck of the draw. This of course doesn’t sit well with visiting sports fans, who typically prefer the skill-based elements of calculated risk that comes with live action. 

To this end, we were in a perfect position to cross-sell those users over from sports. The fact that our games intrinsically attract a lower spend with far more regular play (as well as lending themselves to the fixed odds outcome format), provides the same experience as live sporting action – with the thrill of taking on the ‘bookie’, which has proven hugely popular. 

CB: Much of 2020’s online successes has been aligned to sporting postponement/cancellations, how has BetGames.TV performed following the return of major sports worldwide?

RH: This is another reason I hoped we stood out with the judges! One thing I’m really proud about this year is our retention rate, and it shows that if you can provide punters with something entertaining and unique, then they’ll stick around.

Looking to retail, it’s certainly taken a hit this year, and I would be lying if I said it didn’t affect us”

We saw player retention jumping 33 per cent in the month after the return of major football leagues in June, all the while, other verticals saw players return to their original betting choices. As we’re a low-spend / extended entertainment option for punters, we’ve proven especially popular because we can offer extended sessions that remain enjoyable without emptying the wallet. 

Looking to retail, it’s certainly taken a hit this year, and I would be lying if I said it didn’t affect us. What has been crucial however, is facilitating that transition to online in places such as South Africa.

We even tailored our retail products in the process to ensure that during lockdown, our 500,000 players there could enjoy the same regular, stable play as they’d expect live in-shop. As a result, total bets increased by 50 per cent between February and May during the migration to online, with bet counts on our three most popular lottery betting games doubling.

CB: How will BetGames.TV maintain, and build upon, this success in 2021?

RH: While inventing our own catalogue of live betting games may seem like a challenge to gain player buy in, we’ve done quite the opposite, and made ourselves so much of a favourite that it is unheard of to now go live without our products in some places of the world.

We’ll be spending plenty of time on building on that success by dedicating next year to bringing even more unique products to market – and I’m really excited by what we’ve got in the pipeline.

First up is our latest game launch in January, which will be in line with the others in our 10-strong portfolio that have established themselves as industry favourites. Later in the year is when the excitement really starts, and we’ll be adding a whole new dimension to what we deliver – so do watch this space!