Pulse
SIS COMPETITIVE GAMING ESPORTS
INTERVIEW WITH ADAM CONWAY, HEAD OF ESPORTS & COMPETITIVE GAMING
Could you tell me more about your role as Head of Esports & Competitive Gaming and how you are finding the position compared to Head of Trading?
Unlike my previous role, I'm now responsible for the whole product. Our CEO, Richard Ames, wanted me dedicated solely to Competitive Gaming. It's exciting to be part of the project which is huge focus for SIS going forwards. Tere is a lot I've learnt from horse and greyhound racing which I've been able to transfer across and apply to the product.
Where does Competitive Gaming sit within the wider structure and ecosystem of SIS? How does esports complement the overarching betting strategy?
It sits across the other products we have - trading, 24/7 horse and greyhound racing, , and numbers - and serves as another revenue opportunity. We offer over 150,000 live CG events each year with events and bet types that sports bettors are familiar with.
Te 24/7 nature of Competitive Gaming complements our other 24/7 products. We don't just have good content for three o‘clock on a Saturday afternoon. Day or night, there is always engaging live content for our domestic and international customers alike this is very important.
How is Competitive Gaming built specifically for sportsbooks and sports bettors? What is being optimised for betting rather than video games mean in practice?
Partly it's by looking at what isn’t currently working in esports. Tournaments aren't built with betting in mind, they're not 24/7, they lack timeliness - nobody can say when they will start or finish, nor do they consider betting integrity. Te focus is more on who is going to win the tournament than the bettor at home.
Tere is often latency in the streaming. Having our own secure studios means we overcome that challenge. We cover all betting markets and are always active, ultimately that's what we mean by ‘built for betting’.
What operational challenges has Competitive Gaming faced since you took charge of the product?
P108 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
Adam Conway Head of Esports & Competitive Gaming, SIS
We have a management team dedicated solely to the Milton Keynes operation where we have multiple streams and a senior operations manager that sits between both our CG locations. Operationally we've transitioned over time as we’ve gained experience.
When we set out, it was about ensuring we had the right gamers and that games were set up in the right way. Now we understand what good looks like and have a proper understanding of how the product works, we've brought in more people with an operational and management background.
We knew what we wanted to do and how to do it, so the main concern was about making sure the service runs well. While ensuring integrity of the matches was a priority at all times.
What is holding back esports from being a trusted event to bet on?
For CS:GO, we are currently ramping up to two 24/7
streams, equating to 25,000 events based from Manchester. This will run parallel to the six studios we
already running 24/7 in Milton Keynes. With two maps per
event, we’ll have 50,000 maps and a range of betting markets across each. This takes us to over 150,000 annual events and the plan is to keep going.
Our approach to esports with monitoring, referees, low latency, knowing how our gamers play gives us an edge. Once the set-up is explained to operators, they become comfortable and encourages them to make the esports leap they might not otherwise have done.
On a game-by-game basis, having a referee visible on-screen every match is unique to us. Te referee is responsible for making sure everything is set up in the correct manner and that the gamers are performance is at their best at all times. Teir visibility is important for the end customer to offer them reassurance they might not get from other esports products.
CS:GO is quite the step change from Ebasketball and Esoccer. How big an undertaking was the transition to a first- person shooter from NBA and FIFA?
Esoccer and Ebasketball targets both sports bettors and esports fans so it made sense to start there, and it has worked well as an event class for Competitive Gaming. With CS:GO, we’re looking at a slightly different target audience. Counter-Strike is one of the most intuitive of the traditional esports games and offers an opportunity to target more traditional esports fans.
CS:GO complements what we're doing and broadens our product set from sports simulation titles. Our approach to Counter- Strike is unique, it's 2v2 and fast-paced. Like Esoccer and Ebasketball, everyone involved in producing the product is highly skilled, the relevant betting markets are there, and our casters bring it to life for bettors.
What difficulties do you face in scaling up the CS:GO set-up to 24/7 whilst maintaining a round-the-clock operation across the whole Competitive Gaming suite?
For CS:GO, we are currently ramping up to two 24/7 streams, equating to 25,000 events based from Manchester. Tis will run parallel to the six studios we already running 24/7 in Milton Keynes. With two maps per event, we’ll have 50,000 maps and a range of betting markets across each. Tis takes us to over 150,000 annual events and the plan is to keep going. We will then expand further, with the next step being 500K Competitive Gaming events a year.
For Esoccer and Ebasketball we did a soft launch, and this has been very much the same. It has given the whole team a chance to hone
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