As operators prepare for a jam-packed betting schedule over the next 18 months, it is crucial that their platforms are well equipped to meet the changing demands of their customers.
Speaking as part of an SBC webinar entitled ‘Is your platform prepared for the ultimate 18 months of sports betting?’, panellists shone a light on the key considerations that operators must look at when contemplating platform migration.
For FSB CEO Dave McDowell, the two top priorities came in the form of ‘modern and modular’ technology as well as agility.
He explained that without these two components, platform providers run the risk of the clients leaving for other platforms which may be better suited to their needs.
“I guess looking back about nine months ago, we took a view that even though our websites are still amongst the very fastest and most responsive in the industry, the technology platform that we were operating on wasn’t going to cut it going forward,” he shared.
“To improve this, we have reinvested into a full, react-based front-end channel. It’s investments like this which keep our platform modern, modular and up to date which is really what helps us build great relationships.”
He continued: “Especially now that we’re working with larger and larger companies, it’s important to understand that every one of our customers is different – they’ve all got different customer experience requirements and different regulatory needs. It’s really important for FSB to understand those requirements and be as agile as possible when we help get another customer live.”
The topic of technology was a central theme to the discussion, as talk soon turned to whether operators have the technical capabilities of handling the volumes of traffic expected from punters in the next 18 months.
For Joe Saumarez Smith, platform stability should play a major role in ensuring that you can meet the growing demands of customers in the coming year.
The chairman of Eyas Gaming believes that when it comes to looking for a new platform provider, one of the first questions that should be asked is whether they can handle the volume of bets they expect to generate.
Other questions that should be considered was whether there are multiple data feeds from outside organisations, what the speed is for bet settlement, margin movement and whether the provider has a dedicated sports betting platform.
“The absolutely crucial thing is platform stability,” he noted. “It was one of the first things that we looked at when we were moving to a different sports betting platform provider. When we were switching, the first question we asked was ‘can you actually handle the sort of numbers that we think we will be generating?’
“We’ve got a very busy 18 month period where lots of sports events are taking place. This is a perfect opportunity for acquiring new customers.”