COMEON!
Getting to know: Lahcene Merzoug
Speaking ahead of his CEO panel at SBC’s Betting on Sports on 17th – 20th September, Lahcene Merzoug, CEO of ComeOn! sits down with GIO to talk through his vision for the future of bookmaking.
GIO: Is the traditional bookmaking model as we know it a thing of the past? LM: To answer that you just have to look around. Compare e-commerce to where it was 10 years ago and where it is today: the expectations from customers on personalisation, user experience, and on-demand services are changing year by year. The bookmaking model is no different, it too will need to keep developing. We see how players are much keener on the interactive experience where you customise the way you bet. The rapid growth in popularity of in-play, in addition to innovations such as request a bet, are prime examples of how operators have had to adapt in line with changing consumer preferences.
GIO: How do you see sports betting operators being able to differentiate their offering? LM: With bookmaking being such a content-heavy product, offering players the right content at the right time is, of course, central to an operator’s ability to differentiate their offering in a market that is becoming increasingly saturated. But ultimately, it is the whole experience of the product and how easy you can make things for the player that drives customer retention and engagement. There is also an increased interest in gamification and campaigns where you combine big prizes with thrilling betting experiences.
GIO: Do you see the discounted customer acquisition model being a race to the bottom? LM: Without a doubt, discounted customer acquisition has the potential to become a race to the bottom and, as a consequence, operators are cautious of applying offers too aggressively. We try not to over-compete on being the “cheapest” option short-term. It’s different in each market, but we focus on innovation and giving our players a long-term value, which we believe leads to better player values. In addition to our traditional revenue streams we also offer live sports coverage, betting and tips to provide value- added services that keeps our offering fresh and exciting.
GIO: Where are areas of growth? Is a more efficient pricing model the way forward? LM: Operators must now compete on price to stay competitive, but that is a good thing for the players as
17-20 SEPTEMBER 2019 Olympia London
it means a better price for the end customer. Growth can be achieved by improving the offer and providing a better experience to the customer. There is also an unleashed potential in the new generations who are new to the betting world and are excited to get involved. With machine learning now being leveraged within pricing engines, operators no longer need masses of trader headcount to price markets and manage risk.
GIO: Do you think the emergence of legalised US sports betting providing a new avenue of opportunity for growth? LM: The legalisation of US sports betting is also providing a new avenue of opportunity for bookmakers, with benefits likely to stretch across the industry as investment booms. The American association with sport is unique – and the potential to tap into the great American ‘fan experience’ is one of a kind. Sport has always been at the heart of the American psyche, and with the right sportsbook offering – and the right technology behind it – sports betting has the capability to offer a revolutionary option that until now has only been available on the other side of the Atlantic.
GIO: What other future markets are likely to prove lucrative for sports betting? Is eSports all it’s been hyped up to be? LM: Growth of betting on eSports over the past few years has been quite staggering and is showing good numbers in attracting a relatively young audience. Operators will need to invest R&D to both understand and pinpoint this new generation’s needs. The best way to adapt is to focus on strategic customer segmentation. For the first time in history, we now have multiple generations of online sports bettors – all with relatively equal proportions of total revenue derived. While recreational bettors are often not price-sensitive, o matter what the generation – what is more important is to focus on attraction and retention via a high-quality proposition.
Lahcene Merzoug is CEO of ComeOn! Group and has 20 years of
experience in business development and marketing. He
previously held the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Mr Green and has more than 15 years’ experience in marketing and business development. Lahcene will be
discussing the future of sports betting with Jesper Svensson (Betsson), Dominick Beier (Interwetten) and Paris Smith (Pinnacle) as part of the CEO Panel at Betting on Sports 2019 in September.
The expectations from customers on personalisation, user experience, and on-demand services are
changing year by year
GIO SEPTEMBER 2019 93
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