Suren Khachatryan, Chief Executive of multi-channel sports betting systems supplier Digitain, is both excited and cautious about World Cup Russia 2018.
Speaking ahead of the start of ‘Russian Gaming Week’ (7-8 June), Khachatryan said that Russia 2018 will be a landmark event for the Armenia-based technology firm, its stakeholders and client base.
As a betting systems supplier, Digitain has no doubt that Russia 2018 will be the biggest sporting event to be ever hosted in Eastern Europe. Fortunately, the company has laid its enterprise foundations in the region.
“Historically our company’s roots are in Armenia, and our initial client base as the business expanded comes from Central Asia, and Eastern European countries. Russia 2018 is therefore personal for us,” said Khachatryan.
Leading Digitain, he is clear of the challenge that Russia 2018 will pose to all industry stakeholders, who will have to handle ‘instant player scale and interaction’ through multiple devices.
“World Cup is without a doubt the most significant single betting event in the sports betting calendar. It has given many betting executives I’m sure sleepless nights and some trepidation. Why you may ask, well it’s an opportunity to acquire market share, acquire new players for the operators’ brand.
“From a marketing standpoint, digital marketing teams desire the latest front-facing new sign-up offers; price boosts, best odds guaranteed, cash-out to provide an attention-grabbing marketing advantage for acquisition traffic in what is a competitive landscape.”
Coping with increased market demands, combined with further engagement dynamics required to entice modern sports audiences, Khachatryan believes sports betting operators will ultimately compete on fulfilling a betting consumer’s ‘instant gratification demands’.
“Today’s sports betting players are very, very discerning and wish instant gratification principality in how they engage with a brand for the first time, namely via the ubiquitous mobile device.”
In order for betting operators to cope with the demands of instant scale, Khachatryan states that product speed in delivery and output of inventory is essential for Russia 2018 trading success.
“We, therefore, believe that a fast-loading site, quick bet placement, quick bet settlement, underpinned by a scalable, robust infrastructure shall create a positive brand experience with new and existing players to meet the expectations of both the sports bettor and the operators brand.”
In preparation, Khachatryan has restructured trading and development teams to ensure Digitain platform systems can accommodate concurrent users on both augmented pre-match and live market events.