Interactive BETCADE: ANDROID REAL-MONEY STORE
How to build a better robot
Betcade is launching the first dedicated Android App store for the gaming industry for real money play. A destination for players to download and manage a host of third-party mobile gaming apps. G3 spoke to CEO, David Chang about his launch schedule
Te Android real-gaming App portal that is Betcade, was first described to G3 at G2E 2015, in an off-floor meeting room. At the time, Betcade was little more than a good idea supported by Silicon Valley know-how and serious financial- backing. Scroll forward to the ICE show in London and Betcade had launched its early access programme and revealed the look of its API and front-end design, discussing at the exhibition the courting of operators to place their in-house Apps on the Betcade store.
In April the California-based business launched its beta testing phase and all looked on track to meet its late summer 2016 launch, but since then plans have shifted with Q1 2017 now the projected go-live date.
Speaking to Betcade CEO, David Chang, about the delay, he described the beta phase as going particlarly well, but that Betcade was having to shift its launch window to match the schedule of operators. “We have to ensure that we meet the needs of the industry,” states Mr. Chang. “We are aware that we have to get this right and that the timing has also got to be perfect for the
We facilitate the move for operators to go directly to a mobile-first strategy for player engagement, while connecting players with the experience they’re unable to find themselves on Google Play. It’s a win-win for everyone
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operators on the Betcade store. Te run-up to December is an especially busy period, and so we’ve pushed launch into the first quarter of 2017.
“While we remain on track regarding the value proposition, we’ve been able to spend more time ensuring that we have a series of amazing things coming down the pipe in 2017. We are going to set the table for the Android real-money gaming market for the future, and the extra time before we go to market means that we’ve been able to add extra payment options and look to incorporate additional territories at a much faster pace after our initial launch in the UK.”
Betcade is hoping to quickly establish a few Android App milestones in the first couple of months from launch, with Mr. Chang hoping to surpass 100,000 downloads in a short space of time, before crossing the 500,000 line of demarcation, which Mr. Chang says will make Betcade’s mark on the industry an indelible one. It’s that crucial tipping point when your marketing message becomes a realty.
Right now, Betcade is testing that message in the store’s beta phase and is experimenting with various messaging for maximum impact. One of the things that Betcade has changed, which relates directly to its value proposition, is that players fundamentally don’t know what Android is. “Te mobile phone market is currently 53-54 per cent Android,” explains Mr. Chang. “However, we found that few people actually understand that the operating system of their phone is Android, as opposed to iOS etc., Tey understand that their phone is made by Samsung or LG, but not much more than that. So our message has changed from ‘download to your Android device,’ to ‘download Betcade to
your mobile.’ It’s much simpler and applicable to over 50 per cent of the marketplace.”
While you could take the view that a lack of platform knowledge might pose an issue for Betcade’s proposition of being the Android App Store for real-money games, Betcade actually launched to answer a fundamental need - the inability of potential players to find the Apps they want to play. “We are offering a channel that simplifies the shift from playing online at websites, to playing directly from your mobile phone,” states Mr. Chang. “We facilitate the move for operators to go directly to a mobile- first strategy for player engagement, while connecting players with the experience they’re unable to find themselves on the Google Play Store. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
Unable to give an exact figure for the marketing spend on the launch of Betcade’s store next year, the project is certainly going to burn through millions in getting its message across to players that they need Betcade on their phone. While the store aims to alleviate the need for players to discover individual operators, the store needs to reach a critical mass of players to make it viable for the operators to want to include their Apps within the Betcade offer. Currently bound by NDA agreements, Mr. Chang was able to confirm that the start-up is currently under contract with public traded sports-books and casino operators, from the largest in the industry, through to single App operators.
Before launch in the New Year, expect to hear from Betcade as it appoints select PR and advertising deals to make sure it makes a splash in 2017. “Each of these announcements will be designed to ensure that people realise just how serious we are about Betcade,” says Mr. Chang.
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