SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
SBC provides as insiders view on LiveScore choosing Kambi Group as its new principal sportsbook technology provider.
As new sportsbook supplier of LiveScore Bet and Virgin Bet brands, Kambi Chief Commerical Officer Cecilia Wachtmeister, states that Kambi will onboard its most technically ambitious partner.
James McKay, Sportsbook Director of LiveScore Group, highlights the importance of Kambi tech in emboldening LiveScore’s unique differentiation for customers, needed to achieve continued market share growth in saturated betting markets…
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SBC: What makes LiveScore Group such a significant signing for Kambi?
Cecilia Wachtmeister (CCO, Kambi Group): We are incredibly excited to welcome LiveScore Group to the Kambi partner network. With well-established sportsbook brands, a popular media platform driving customer acquisition, and an experienced leadership team experienced in the convergence of media and sports betting, LiveScore Group has all the ingredients in place for success. Now, partnered with Kambi and powered by our market-leading sportsbook, it is in an even stronger position to grow and expand within the sports betting vertical.
Its sports betting brands, LiveScore Bet and Virgin Bet, are already live in multiple markets and have been among the fastest-growing sportsbooks in the UK over the past few years, positioning themselves for additional success as they look to scale further. We believe LiveScore Group has the potential to quickly become one of the leading operators on the Kambi network to date and we look forward to launching with them in H1 2024.
SBC: Why was Kambi the right sportsbook partner for LiveScore Bet and Virgin Bet? What capability will you get from Kambi that you don’t have today?
James McKay (Sportsbook Director, LiveScore Group): As soon as we made the decision that we needed a new sportsbook provider, we initiated a very complex procurement process. We know how big this decision was for us as a company, given that it’s a massive part of our plans moving forward.
Immediately, as part of this process, it was obvious that Kambi was the stand-out solution, and due to our success since launch, we needed a platform that would first and foremost be able to support the scale of our business. Kambi impressed us from the start, and their industry experience shone through.
We are looking forward to working together to push the platform further to ensure needs are met in our fast-paced business. Both the short and long-term visions of our companies married together, and I can say that both parties are really looking forward to working alongside one another to achieve our collective goals.
SBC: Can you expand on LiveScore Group’s long-term goals for its sports betting brands? How does sports betting fit into the Group’s wider strategy?
JM: There is a clear link between customers who enjoy following sports and those who like to have a bet, and as a group, it’s important that these specific customers can enjoy both with us. Sports betting is a huge driver for our strategy as a business; we need to ensure we have the best-in-class product to fully maximise the most from our ecosystem. Our media product is fast becoming the go-to app for all sports fans, and our betting product needs to be an extension of that experience for those who wish to engage.
Convergence from one product, LiveScore, to the other, LiveScore Bet, needs to be frictionless, and all journeys through to using our betting product should be simple, while guaranteeing users are able to find what they want. For those new to betting, we want to make it a seamless process.
For convergence to really work, we must ensure that we have the best sports product and continue to push for the most innovative of markets. Our in-house trading teams create hundreds of topical specials and boosts each day to ultimately give the customer more choices on their favourite games, and if they can’t find what they are looking for, then they can always build them themselves. This will remain a key part of our strategy going forward.
Virgin Bet should also not be forgotten, and the strength of the brand shows no sign of diminishing. It’s very important that we continue to stick to the key pillars of service and value for the customer. We will continue to offer our free-to-play Fives game as well as providing daily promotions and offers that reward our loyal customers. This, alongside all of the outstanding sportsbook features that we offer, will set us up for continued success for years.
SBC: How will Kambi’s product enable LiveScore Group to differentiate in such competitive markets?
CW: Flexibility has long been a cornerstone of Kambi’s product strategy, giving LiveScore Group the ability to tailor its offering to meet the specific needs of its target markets. This is essential in competitive markets, where differentiation is key to success. The UK betting market in particular is extremely competitive, with a number of well-established operators vying for market share.
Product is one of the most powerful acquisition and retention tools for any successful operator, and Kambi’s product offers a number of features that will complement LiveScore Group’s media assets in acquiring and retaining customers. For example, LiveScore Group will leverage Kambi’s open APIs as well as our powerful incentives tools and bespoke bet offer specials to create a unique and engaging user experience for its players. Combined with all the benefits of our full-service sportsbook offering, including award-winning products like AI-powered trading and Bet Builder, and LiveScore Bet and Virgin Bet will be among the most competitive sportsbooks in LiveScore Group’s target markets.
SBC: Can you expand on how LiveScore Group’s in-house product teams and Kambi will work together to bring a truly unique product to market?
JM: Our product teams are really looking forward to working with Kambi and continuing to drive innovation within the sports betting industry. The recent successes of both companies can be attributed to how well both product teams have been able to deliver products that customers love. I think both teams will be able to learn so much from each other and continue to push each other toward greater success. Another reason for us choosing the partnership with Kambi was how much collaboration there would be between teams, and although the ink is only just dry, the first new developments are already being worked on, and we are increasingly excited about what the roadmap will bring.
We are very proud of what we have achieved so far with our sportsbook product, which has seen excellent growth rates, even in highly competitive markets. Working with Kambi will allow us to accelerate this trajectory, by giving our own Product teams the autonomy to continue to build products and experiences our customers love, whilst also allowing us to leverage the capabilities available from Kambi’s platform. We are already seeing great collaboration between the LiveScore Group and Kambi teams, across all relevant areas, which gives us huge confidence in our ability to deliver world-class customer experiences across all markets we operate in.
SBC: How does this partnership fit alongside the wider commercial momentum Kambi has been building?
CW: Our partnership with LiveScore Group marks a significant milestone for Kambi and we expect the agreement to have a meaningful financial impact for Kambi from H2 2024. We have built significant commercial momentum this year, forging new partnerships with industry leaders like Svenska Spel and Bally’s Corporation, while also renewing agreements with key partners such as ATG, BetPlay, LeoVegas, and Rush Street Interactive.
The Kambi network, made up of more than 40 partners, is greater than the sum of its parts and is central to the value that it delivers partners. As this network continues to grow, so too do the benefits it offers to partners like LiveScore Group, with Kambi uniquely positioned to pool resources and data across the network to continually develop and iterate its sportsbook.
