Interview Questions - Kateryna Tkachenko, Head of Marketing, Betinvest
Industry-specific professional insights:
For those readers who might not know, can you give us a brief history of Betinvest?
Betinvest is a UK-incorporated, full-cycle international iGaming service provider with over twenty years of industry experience, currently operating worldwide. For years, we have been delivering bespoke iGaming software, custom data feed packages, and world-class trading services that scale across all verticals and may serve different purposes based on the customer's profile.
What does Betinvest bring to the industry that enables the company to stand out particularly?
Betinvest offers top-quality, ready-made solutions with customization options and content management for those who value a premium, high-quality, innovative service. The company is currently focused on effective iGaming software, such as Sportsbook iFrame, fast and reliable odds services, and exclusive sportsbook content solutions. These quick-to-market products deliver exciting entertainment to boost customers’ engagement and help achieve the most ambitious business goals. Whether our client is a well-established betting operator or a previously casino-oriented business, we can help them launch a sportsbook or expand their existing offering quickly and cost-effectively.
For example, how and from where does Betinvest acquire sportsbook content, specifically within the rapidly expanding esports sector?
Betinvest has established an exclusive partnership with Winners Sports Hub, a global platform that brings together the world's most prominent organizers of professional, quick sports and esports competitions. This agreement allows us to access source streams and contestants’ statistics, process the data for trading purposes, and distribute leagues' content worldwide.
Which other new Betinvest products/services/partnerships are having the greatest impact on the market and will, in your opinion, continue to do so?
Although iFrame technology has been around for a while, its widespread adoption by sportsbooks was not until 2016. Sportsbook Widget, delivered by Betinvest, is the most comprehensive iFrame solution on the market, standing out for its bargain price, multifunctionality, and simplicity of management.
The Sportsbook Widget from Betinvest is a module for sports betting that can be added to a partner's existing platform. The interaction between the two platforms is organised through a secure channel using HTTPS and WSS protocols. In order to ensure the security of the connection, SSL encryption is utilised, and only authorised static IP addresses are allowed access to the integration points (API). The code download (Betting Widget) is placed on the web server (Product Platform), and a location is assigned for redirecting requests through a secure channel to the upstream (Betting Widget API server). Further player interaction related to bet acceptance occurs solely on the partner's website.
This cost-effective software was designed to get a fully functional sportsbook up and running as quickly as possible while still providing customers with all the benefits of a stand-alone sportsbook. It comes with our Odds feed, which incorporates over 75,000 sports and esports events, putting you at the forefront of the competitive sports betting market. With responsibility on our side, we can overbid the maximum bet with an increase in the amount, but this does not apply to local leagues and tournaments, only the top events. This solution includes a viable Events Management System (EMS), which allows clients to select events and organize betting markets, adjust margins, select margin templates, and easily handle market settlement. The Widget is enhanced with several advanced supporting services, such as cash out, betting history preview, anti-fraud service, and risk-management tools.
Last year we helped multiple clients to launch their businesses in a number of different markets, and our product has had great feedback from day one, mainly due to its cross-market customization and responsive design for optimized rendering on any device.
In terms of market trends, which concepts do you think are particularly standing out at present?
The live betting market exploded in 2018 after sports betting became legal almost everywhere in the United States. Likewise, the majority of bets are placed on mobile devices rather than in bookmaker offices in states where online betting is permitted. The market's digital transformation will continue to grow because it benefits everyone—bookmakers, bettors, and states.
Betinvest’s Odds Feed presents great value for businesses willing to expand their existing offering with pre-match and live odds delivered by the market-leading in-house trading team.
This solution includes an application for exporting sportsbook data to external clients and covers all major and minor sports and esports titles, as well as our exclusive Sportsbook Content solutions. Betinvest provides full-service match administration, including stoppages for emergencies. All odds suggestions are constantly updated in real-time throughout the match to reflect the current situation in the game. Depending on the nature of the client's business, we can offer local tournaments for operation.
Betinvest supports one way for clients to get the JSON messages sent to the client's application via a socket connection. While the system is compatible with both SSL and plain connections, we advise only using the more secure SSL option.
How would you describe the Betinvest approach to client/partner relationships, and so what can new clients/partners expect when they join up with you?
We believe that a good customer relationship is when the customers have a consistent customer experience every time they interact with the business. It leaves them with a good impression. There is mutual regard and understanding between the customers and the business, thus extending for a long period of time. The actions we take for building strong customer relationships embody providing real-time support and also proactively offering solutions that are geared toward customer success. We definitely aim to create a mutually beneficial relationship with the customer that extends beyond the initial purchase.
The betting and gaming industry is often unpredictable. What do you see as the main challenges and opportunities within it going forwards?
Esports are attracting the younger generation, and this poses a massive threat to the iGaming industry. The iGaming industry needs millennial users to thrive in the future.
The millennial generation is not so into online casino games, however, as an alternative, a new budding industry of betting is rising. Betting on Esports like eFootball, and many other sports simulation titles are opening doors to new possibilities. A new challenge that arises here is how to integrate sports betting with esports and how to acquire users for the same. Here’s where our Esports content solutions may come in handy.
And finally, what can we expect from Betinvest for the remainder of 2022?
We strive to expand our sportsbook with more exclusive events that will provide our clients' audiences with new experiences. Looking ahead, Betinvest will continue to focus on new ways for various businesses to improve their betting offerings, maximise profits, and boost their game in the future. By the way, Betinvest will be exhibiting at ICE London 2023, where our team will present our innovative solutions and offer professional advice on launching a new brand or expanding an existing one. So don't miss out on engaging with our experts for valuable meetings and networking opportunities.