22 B 2 B Essential Guide to ... EiG 2012 LAUNCHPAD SAMVO BETBROKER
Welcoming all winners
Debuting at this year’s EiG conference, Samvo Betbroker reveals why it never turns away a winning customer.
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THE LAUNCHPAD HAS BEEN A BIG SUCCESS SINCE ITS INTRODUCTION IN 2009
Five firms get ready for Launch
The industry’s version of Dragon’s Den, LaunchPad, will see five companies aiming to secure funding to take them to the next level.
fter an exhaustive applica- tion process, the five final- ists that will exhibit in the EiG Start-Up Zone and pitch in the highly-competitive Fifth Annual Start-Up LaunchPad have been deter- mined.
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Ewa Bakun, head of content, gaming for Clarion Events, commented: “For the last four years, the EiG LaunchPad has been a platform for innovative start-ups to pitch their ideas to a panel of experts, investors and to a room full of the EiG high-level attendees. This year the stakes are even higher with the evolutionary forces of the marketplace driving innovation and turning busi- ness models upside down.” The list of start-ups selected for the 2012 LaunchPad are:
LocusPlay: A hi-tech lottery platform that can be quickly rolled out in devel- oping regions with lesser bandwidth availability. Supports wide range of lot- tery games with diverse regional flavours. Could be an innovative solu- tion for lotteries worldwide. Colossus Bets: Bringing unprece- dented high-prize pools to sports bet- ting through the world’s biggest guaran- tees; this innovative product is aug- menting the existing way pools are being played by allowing multi-leg cash-in, as each leg progresses. Goplay: An open-source iGaming platform that enables casino operators to embed free-to-play social games into their websites and reward users with incentives redeemable at land-based casinos. It could be a winning solution
to integrate ‘social’ into the existing bricks-and-mortar business. Living Sports Limited: Combine sports with casino by generating real time odds on outcomes, putting them into casino style user interfaces and providing a second-screen experience. The founders’ non-gaming, aerospace background might help them succeed in sportsbetting.
Sofun Gaming: French start-up with an ARJEL licence, operating Betkup, a social sports betting site that offers unique prediction challenges called Kups on which jackpots are formed. Founder defines it as ‘the poker of sports betting’. A possible solution for a challenging French market.
Their products, revenue models and potential will be scrutinised and judged during the 5th EiG Start-Up LaunchPad on Wednesday 17 October, at 15:00- 17:00 by a panel of judges. After hearing the judges’ commentary, it will be up to the EiG audience to choose the winner using EiG voting technology SpotId. Companies such as FSB Tech Solu- tions, USM Gaming, Passoker and TopHat Apps have won in the last four years, gaining industry exposure and launching their companies at EiG. The Launchpad has become an im- portant and respected cornerstone in the iGaming sector for companies in their early stages looking to raise capi- tal. Three of the four EiG winners have either raised the capital they were seek- ing or partnered with industry giants shortly after winning. This was not just true for the winners; Crowd Park who
was a runner-up at EIG 2011 also raised capital on the back of the Launchpad. The Launchpad has also proven a valuable place for investors to spot new trends and investment targets, as com- mented by Mark Blanford, an industry pioneer, founder of Sportingbet, in- vestor in the gaming sector and a long- time Launchpad judge: “Several of my investments came about as a result of connections made at EIG. The start-up Launchpad is the best industry oppor- tunity for me to spot new trends and in- teresting companies”.
LaunchPad Judges
Edward Pfeiffenberger, Managing direc- tor, Venatus Interactive Phil Cronin, CEO, Tombola Mark Blandford, Chairman, Valhalla In- vestments and Founder, Sportingbet Uri Levy, VP business development, Playtech Evan Hoff, Partner, Velo Partners Moderator: Melissa Blau, Director, iGaming Capital
very serious punter has faced being restricted. At first it can feel like a slight compliment, but then it just becomes downright annoying. Samvo claims it would never dream of turning away a win- ning punter. Unlike many European bookmakers, Samvo is able to cater to the needs of successful punters. Samvo’s head of sportsbook Jesper Jensen explained: “It’s all down to volume. We don’t restrict winners whereas in Europe it is a common practice to restrict winning customers. If you are too wise you might only be able to spend £1 with them, but you can spend £1,000 with us.”
Founded in 2004, Samvo has always been keen on
offering customers high limits and the most com- petitive Asian handicap prices both online on
samvo.com and via its exclusive Samvo Betbroker service. It says that the concept of value has always been a key theme running through its sportsbook. The firm understood early on that the smarter punter would always be seeking value, have several ac- counts with bookmakers, be well-informed, disci- plined and be masters in money-management. “We welcome sharp punters and it’s their knowl- edge that helps us to determine the true market price. By keeping our prices in line, we can then have a qualified opinion in particular markets.” Jensen added: “When you get the right prices, you can turn up the volume and the number of bet sizes you can get in, and that’s how you make the margin. Our prof- it margins are lower than European bookmakers, but we have higher turnover per bets.” With big moves in the market, many European bookmakers have been looking to Asia to determine their odds: “You can’t argue with the prices in Asia because it all begins in Asia,” said Jensen. Catering to the needs of high rollers, betting syn- dicates and bookmakers, Samvo Betbroker offers high limits, huge liquidity and more flexibility for a sharp punter. Whether its services are used for bet- ting, laying or hedging, Samvo believes that the idea of welcoming winners is a unique approach within the industry.
BettingBusinessInteractive • OCTOBER 2012
LAUNCHPAD JUDGE VETERAN
MARK BLANDFORD
JESPER JENSEN
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