Interactive KIRON INTERACTIVE - VIRTUAL SPORTS
Building vertically in the virtual space
Operators need to cater their offering to different players and markets if they are to get the most out of virtuals, according to Kiron Interactive CEO Steven Spartinos
Virtuals have become a regular fixture both online and on the high street in recent years, but the challenge now facing operators is how to build upon the vertical’s impressive growth.
Steven Spartinos, Co-Founder, CEO, Kiron Interactive
Steven Spartinos is co-founder and CEO of virtual games provider Kiron Interactive. Established in 2001, the specialist supplier now services web, mobile, and land-based sportsbook and casino operators on four continents. Prior to joining the betting and gaming industry, Steven worked in banking and finance.
Retail bookmakers were the first to fully embrace virtuals - Kiron’s virtual racing games became available in retail betting shops for the first time in 2008.
However, early iterations of virtuals were jerky and unrealistic and it led to them being dubbed as ‘cartoon racing’, with many players failing to take them seriously.
Fast forward more than a decade, and virtuals have gone from time-fillers in between traditional sports, to a must-have vertical for operators both online and in the retail space.
However, to take virtual sports to the next level, the offering needs to be better tailored to specific markets and players, with a focus on creating a personalised user experience as we have seen across other verticals.
THE KEY TO UNLOCKING RETAIL Virtuals now account for between 10 and 20 per
To take virtual sports to the next level, the offering needs to be better tailored to specific markets and players, with a focus on creating a personalised user experience as we have seen across other verticals.
P94 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE /
247.COM
cent of over the counter revenues, making it one of the fastest growing sectors in the industry.
While the vertical was primarily used by operators as filler content between scheduled events when first introduced, virtuals are now attracting a dedicated fan base because offerings are wider.
Kiron’s proprietary retail virtual sports betting solution, Betman, offers operators a turn-key transactional and EPOS solution that offers a wide variety of fixed odds betting markets.
Bets can be placed on multiple virtual sports,
including basketball, ice hockey and motor racing, using an attractive and user friendly EPOS interface and can be set up on an over the counter POS system, self-service betting terminals and on mobile tablets.
Importantly, retailers can customise their offerings, allowing them to cater to their players wants and needs, while also facilitating a flexible approach to margins. Tis personalised approach has driven the growth in virtuals.
GROWING YOUR ONLINE OFFERING Virtuals now sit comfortably across a range of
channels and have impressive uptake across a range of online devices, whether it be mobile, tablet or desktop, particularly with millennials.
Tat’s mainly because they have resonance among the video game generation, whose familiarity with graphical content has seen them become early adopters.
But adding basic virtual sports such as football and racing can only get you so far, and Kiron has found that providing a diverse offering is the best way to stay one step ahead.
With a 17-game portfolio that includes football, horse racing, archery and ice hockey to name a few, theirs is the biggest and most diverse
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