Morten Hauge, Head of Sports, Aspire Global
“There hasn’t traditionally been too much interest in UK
racing in many other countries. Differing time zones play some part in that, but now we are starting to push UK racing in African markets. It is an
interesting project, particularly because we are one of the first providers to be pushing such products in the region. We believe our offering is strong and we are hopeful that the take-up will be very positive.” Morten Hauge
Horse racing is betting and betting is horse racing, but can modern sportsbooks thrive without a racing offering?
Morten Hauge, Head of Sports, Aspire Global: Te answer is yes if you are outside of the UK and Ireland. If you are operating within those countries, then it becomes very difficult – as can be seen by the fact that there are no large brands in the UK and Ireland that do not offer horse racing. Te situation is different when it comes to other markets, particularly in those regions where racing does not carry so much cultural weight.
Paul Witten, Commercial Director at SIS: While modern sportsbooks can offer markets on an array of sports across the globe in different time zones throughout the day, there is no doubt that horse racing continues to play an integral role amongst bettors and operators. In fact, in more than 30 years of creating and distributing betting events for horse and greyhound racing on a global scale at SIS, we have never seen such a strong demand for racing content. Sportsbooks want to be in the best position to offer the most immersive sports betting experience to engage and retain customers, which often includes providing a compelling horse racing offer.
From Latin American racing to high-profile events in the Middle East and North America, bettors are engaging with the range of horse racing on offer, if the quality of content is there. As a result, it’s more important than ever for
operators to provide their customers with content throughout the day, at times which suit them, to capitalise on this opportunity. Te demand is there – it’s about meeting it with the required quality of content and delivering it at the right time if sportsbooks really want to thrive.
Tomas Molloy, Sportsbook Product and Trading Director at Pronet Gaming: It depends on the market and more specifically, the appetite for racing within that market – horses for courses, you might say. Generally speaking, while you find there’s an element of racing heritage to draw on in LatAm, across Africa that is not necessarily present.
In the case of most regulated markets, racing is certainly an integral part of the sportsbook mix. On any given day, the number of events is huge and from an operator perspective it is a very attractive proposition: the margin is high and the product is sticky, offering punters a highly engaging experience that they want to come back to time and again. Finding the right partner is key and that’s what we were striving for when we teamed up with BetMakers earlier this year.
Alex Kornilov, CEO of Betegy: In the UK it is essential, and in certain European markets with horse racing scenes, such as Germany and France, it is important. For emerging markets, this can be a wholly different kettle of fish. LatAm is a good example of this, Colombia, or Peru for example, do not have a huge racing heritage.
Of course, it offers plenty of potential for conversion as part of the content mix, along with Esports and virtuals, and is arguably a very good way to monetise extra traffic. At the end of the day, it’s all about cultural heritage, and this really will vary from country to country. Compare Peru and Colombia to Argentina in this case, and given Argentina’s strong polo culture and an acceptance of equine sports, and you’re always going to see more popularity than further north on the continent, which does not have that heritage – meaning that you’ll see far more sportsbook offerings without racing as the demand simply won’t be there.
What factors are considered when deciding whether to offer racing products in emerging markets?
Alex: Te key aspect for this is as simple as the popularity of the sport in the market. Horse racing should work hand in hand with betting, as it is specifically designed to work with bets. We can see this with regulation of racing tracks and of course the desire to be associated between betting brands and major events in the calendar. However, if there isn’t a culture of horse racing in a market, it can be difficult to convert large swathes of the populace to enjoy the intricacies of betting on horses, as the tradition just isn’t there.
WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS P57
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