INSIGHT VIRTUAL SPORTS - INSPIRED
Do North American virtual sports betting patterns differ to other global markets? What drives punters?
Te patterns differ, but they correlate with how people bet on sports in America. When people bet on American football and basketball, they opt for spread and money line because these offer higher return to player (RTP) percentages. Players predominantly bet on those markets, which is not a dominant trend in other parts of the world.
We also add other betting markets, for example, predicting the number of touchdowns in the football game or number of points in a range in a basketball game. Virtuals bridge the gap for punters between the sporting and non-sporting seasons. Te football, basketball and baseball seasons only last a certain number of months throughout the year and there are only so many games each week.
With Virtuals, the season never ends as we give punters the opportunity to wager on games 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every three or four minutes.
Are their noticeable differences in player behaviour between states?
Tis depends on whether the state has regulated sports betting. Te differences in behaviours between states are therefore based on the type of sports and lottery offered and if the operator is online or has retail venues.
Nevada’s had sports betting for a significant period of time, so it's a well-established sports betting market. Other markets might be getting sports betting for the first time, which results in a different player type. Similarly, with lottery, some states may have draw games such as Keno or online lottery.
Online is relatively new to a number of states, which means online wagering is quite new. We've seen a significant growth in online play over the last 10 years, especially with COVID closing and re-opening retail venues, which increased content and opportunities for online players.
What are the latest advances in Inspired’s virtual sports offering, both for the US markets and globally?
We’ve recently signed a multi-year contract with the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) for the worldwide commercial use of the names, brands, images, personas and likenesses of MLBPAA members and other legendary players such as Babe Ruth, Cecil Fielder and Mickey Mantle.
In 2023 we’ll be delivering a virtual home run hitting competition branded “Home Run Shoot Out Legends,” that brings the MLBPAA greats to life, for both online and retail. Tis follows the success of our NFLA Legends of Football, where we have a licence for retired players through the
P52 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
National Football League Alumni Association.
Inspired launched the first-ever Virtual Sports women’s soccer game to the market coinciding with the Women's EURO’s 2022. It features all the amazing qualities of our V-Play Soccer 3 games: unparalleled graphics, animations and life-like player models that deliver players an unbeatable and unforgettable experience.
What are the tangible benefits of offering officially licensed virtual sports like V-Play NFLA Legends Football and the coming soon Home Run Shoot Out Legends? Does it lend products an elevated status compared to non- licensed titles?
To attract players, we ensure we carry the core US sports, basketball, baseball, and American football. We've had fantastic success with the NFLA, and we hope to repeat that with the MLBPAA. Our licences with the NFLA and MLBPAA give us access to legendary players of the game, and we can build products around them. It allows us to appeal to players where we're trying to break into a market, such as the US.
It adds an extra level of attraction, fans can see Babe Ruth playing baseball again in CGI form or legends of American Football playing against each other. It helps to attract players who may have an emotional attachment to the older players or teams and encourages them to play the game for the first time. Once they enjoy the game and experience, they’ll start to play regularly. But for that initial buy-in, the brand licences are a great help.
How important is it for virtual games graphics to be graphically cutting edge?
It's important that the product looks genuine and compelling, and it appeals to sports fans. We invest heavily in the products, the techniques we deploy, and the talent within the team. We ensure that our animated characters look as realistic as possible through maximising on the techniques we've developed through our award-winning experience in the TV and film industry.
Tat helps to build trust in the game and shows it's a high-quality product. In addition to graphics, we also placed great value on the bet markets we offer, the price structures and the speed of the product. However, graphics are the most important factor in getting the initial attraction to the game.
Will virtual sports ever provide a similar standard of visuals to the latest generation of video games, or is the architecture simply not there?
Te video game industry has restrictions around the density of the models they have with the number of pixels and the graphical power of the games console used, such as a PlayStation or Xbox. Virtual Sports don't have the same limitations placed on them; this allows us to create animation that is of a higher quality than a console game.
Te appeal of virtual sports is familiarity - customers can bet on the same markets they can in real sports. Is there a risk of
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126
