INSIGHT SPORTS BETTING IGT
IGT’s PeakBarTop cabinet offers a design with a curved 23-inch full-HD display, including enhanced lighting and sound, a USB charging port and Bluetooth technology that works with IGT's cashless gaming technologies. Players at the casino bar can now choose from a range of IGT Game King video poker, slots, keno games and sports betting options – all on the same machine and using the same gaming wallet.
At G2E 2023, G3 interviewed Joe Asher, IGT President of Sports Betting, whose passion project has been the PeakBarTop since he joined the company in 2021.
Joe, it's been two years since taking up your current role as President of Sports Betting. How has IGT's PlaySports business developed and evolved during this time?
Growth has continued into new jurisdictions alongside expansion with new customers in existing jurisdictions. Tere has been a focus around operational execution and customer service. Te business has matured over the last couple of years and there's been a lot of growth in our turnkey business, which is a segment that's expanded considerably.
How is IGT ensuring its technology and trading capabilities are keeping up with - if not surpassing - the rapid expansion of sports betting across the US?
We’ve been keeping the focus on our product roadmap and delivery, adding features to the core products to ensure we strengthen the offer and support the scale of operator demands. I’m also a great believer in personalisation and there’s a lot of work ongoing in this regard. When I open my betting app I only want to see what’s relevant to me. And an hour before the next big event, such as a Golden Knights game, if I’ve opted in, I should receive an alert telling me an important game is starting soon and asking if I’d like to place a bet. My belief is that the personalisation of the product is something that’s going to be increasingly important across the entire industry.
IGT's PeakBarTop cabinet with sports betting recently made its global casino debut at St. Croix Casinos. What's the significance of this installation for IGT's sports betting business?
I’ve been talking about creating this product for a long time. I’ve wanted sports betting on a bartop going back to my Brandywine days (Joe founded Brandywine Bookmaking in 2007, a company he sold to William Hill in 2012), as far back as 2010. When I joined IGT, the bartop became a focus to get across the line and I’m very happy with the result.
It’s early days, but it’s already surpassing expectations. It just makes perfect sense. You’re in the bar - there’s a gaming machine at the bar
Joe Asher President of Sports Betting IGT
“It’s early days, but [the
PeakBarTop cabinet] is already surpassing expectations. It just makes perfect sense.
You’re in the bar - there’s a gaming machine at the bar - and a football game is playing on the TV at the bar. Without leaving your seat, you can
press a button and toggle over to the sports betting content and make a bet of any type, pre-match or in-play using the same wallet as the video poker. It’s something I’m very excited about.”
- and a football game is playing on the TV at the bar. Without leaving your seat, you can press a button and toggle over to the sports betting content and make a bet of any type, pre-match or in-play using the same wallet as the video poker. It’s something I’m very excited about.
IGT has more than 90 per cent market share in video poker, so the chances are that if you’re sat at a bartop poker machine, it’s going to be an IGT. So the market opportunity, particularly in Nevada, is phenomenal.
Why hasn't sports betting functionality on a Game King bartop machine been done before? Is it purely that the tech wasn't there or has the belief always been that punters aren’t as inclined to bet on sport as video poker when at the bar?
WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS P69
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