SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Innovation has been a key driver of the sports betting and igaming industry over the last few years, particularly on the consumer-facing side. New features such as Bet Builder and cash outs have helped drive interest in sports betting exponentially.
Yet, when it comes to the back-end and sportsbook technology, innovative developments are required to ensure that operators do not face down-time, and that they can meet ever-increasing demand.
Digitain is one such firm seeking to innovate when it comes to its sportsbook technology, introducing a mobile-first approach to its system. This, the firm explains, helps operators who are increasingly working from remote and mobile locations and may not be working from their desktops all day.
Iain Hutchinson, Chief Revenue Officer at Digitain, spoke to SBC News after ICE London to discuss Digitain’s innovative approach to its sportsbook and igaming platform development.
SBC News: Digitain has just come off the back of ICE London 2024 – how did you find the event and what was the reception like from attendees?
Iain Hutchinson: The show was an incredible experience, the vibe, the energy and the positivity was electric.
It was as you expected the end of an era to be, with lots of old faces, new faces and in-between, coming to the show, to say I was there for the last every edition of ICE in London.
From Digitain’s perspective, our booth was an immersive, visual experience showcasing our ‘YOUR SUCCESS’ marketing campaign and award-winning GLI certified sportsbook and Centrivo Dynamics and Universal igaming solutions.
Our meeting schedule was hectic but thoroughly enjoyable meeting new partners looking to take their tech stack to the next level, and new businesses looking to enter markets such as LatAM, via utilising Digitian’s 20+ years of demonstrable know-how to support your businesses market growth.
Attendees on the first day were entertained by Galácticos legends Luís Figo, our brand ambassador, and Michel Salgado. They engaged with attendees, with raffles, and exclusive signed memorabilia added to the excitement and a very, very busy booth.
SBC: You have been showcasing your sportsbook technology portfolio of late – how has your technology been received by the market and what was the sales pipeline at ICE like?
IH: I’m happy to report our sales pipeline is very healthy. In terms of the Digitain sportsbook platform, we showcased SportChat, Sport Jackpots, Sport and Bet Race Tournaments, AI Sport recommendations and Multi and Ultra Cash Back. All these features are designed to enhance player engagement, increase player satisfaction that leads to revenue growth.
From a product perspective, visitors were also introduced to our all-new native applications for Centrivo Dynamics and Universal solutions. The immersive, all-in-one experience across iOS and Android platforms, comes with innovative features like push notifications and cross-product navigation, and is part of our continued dedication to delivering a superior gaming experience for all our partners.
SBC: Digitain’s sportsbook tech is focused on being intuitive, mobile-friendly and focused on social features. What are the key features of the platform and what issues do they solve for operator partners?
IH: As I mentioned previously, Digitain is delivering more engagement features within the sportsbook on a mobile-first basis. Today’s sports bettors wish to share the highs and lows and opinions of betting on sports. Perhaps in the past, this conversation took place on social media platforms, but it makes sense for solution providers such as Digitain to provide these features within the platform, so that the player can decide to interact within or out with the sports betting brand.
Sportchat, our player-2-player social feature is a good example of a strong engagement feature. From a player’s standpoint he/she can engage with other like-minded players within the sportsbook and from an operator’s standpoint, early evidence shows increased stakes, GGR and player satisfaction which can then lead to increased LTVs.
SBC: In an age of remote and mobile working, how essential is it that operators can operate their platforms securely and effectively from their mobile devices and how does Digitain enable operators to do this?
IH: Mobile devices are central to how we communicate and access the internet and core informational or business services.
We also realised that many teams are still remote, or travel a lot, so aren’t always tethered to a laptop to manage data or certain operational processes.
An example of this was our recent redesign of the bonus management functionality. We introduced a modern UI solution and intuitive interface tailored to players’ preferences from a front-end standpoint. The redesign ensured streamlined bonus activation management and responsible gaming practices and control processes.
Back office wise, the bonus management functionality is fully mobile compatible providing the operator partners’ marketing team with control at their fingers. The marketing team can therefore manage player promotions, run campaigns, and make instant website changes—all from their phone. They can also have access to real-time metrics and reports for informed decision-making with live business data all from the mobile phone.
SBC: With social media shareability of utmost importance in the modern age, how essential was it for Digitain to add in social features to the platform and how effective are they in engaging bettors?
IH: Digitain is focused on developing features and tools that add value to a business partner’s operation. This must be centred on key questions such as ‘does it improve the overall player experience’, that leads to a commercial goal of increased learnings that therefore leads to increased revenue opportunities.
In terms of social media, this is the case with Sportchat, which as a player-2-player interaction tool, has shown to lead to higher engagement levels, and participants using the chat have as a group increased stakes and GGR contribution over control groups.
SBC: When talking about new trends, do you use artificial intelligence for your products, services or user experience?
IH: AI is the watchword on everyone’s agenda now. Digitain has embraced AI into certain facets of its business, but only on the basis that it can improve business processes.
We continue to evaluate the merits of AI, and its impacts as the technology is still evolving and therefore requires rigorous evaluation of its usage for businesses, in any industry vertical.
SBC: Digitain’s next event appearance will be SBC Summit Rio. What are your plans for the event and how important is Brazil as part of Digitain’s future strategy?
IH: Latin America continues to be an important growth market for Digitain. The recent developments regarding sports betting in Brazil last year, which undoubtedly make Brazil one of the largest igaming markets on that continent.
In terms of SBC Summit Rio, we look forward to attending as always, a fantastic show, and already my diary is starting to fill out.
So, get in touch with Digitain and ensure ‘Your Success’ for Latin America.
