Free-to-play (F2P) sports game provider SportCaller has announced its latest stateside partnership in Colorado with Betfred USA Sports, the US subsidiary of UK-based operator Betfred. The move, said the firm, consolidates its “…position in the vanguard of a burgeoning North American market”.

In an ongoing weekly free-to-play series, players can sign up for free and have the chance to compete for bragging rights and win up to a $1,000 of Denver Broncos merchandise. Betfred USA Sports recently signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with the Colorado-based football team. 

The deal also gives Betfred USA Sports’ growing list of US platform and sportsbook partners access to F2P content solutions for all major US sports including football, basketball, baseball, hockey and golf courtesy of SportCaller’s proprietary SCore platform. 

Cillian Barry, MD at SportCaller, said: “We’re thrilled to be huddling up with Betfred and their sponsorship ahead of the forthcoming American football season, giving players in Colorado a chance to win some exceptional merch on their local state’s illustrious franchise. 

“Sportsbook marketing used to be about asking players for their favorite team on a registration form. However, with SportCaller’s F2P platform, you enjoy a deep dive into the drivers of any given player, allowing for hyper-personalised marketing communication for both new players and CRM techniques around existing active bettors.”

He added: “F2P works well for a US market where on-the-go sports betting remains embryonic. The vast majority of Americans love sports and like the idea of betting, but there are gradations of familiarity and education to be cultivated. Free-to-play is the stepping-stone product of choice, providing fun, responsible fan-engagement opportunities across an ad-hoc sporting timetable still subject to the whim of COVID-19.”

The past year has seen SportCaller release double-digit games in the US for new clients including CBS, BetMGM and sportsbook-DFS operator FanDuel. The company believes it is bridging the gap between operators, media companies and sports franchises, establishing F2P as a standalone vertical in its own right. 

“This strategic solution provides flexible ways for operators to responsibly acquire and retain customers at low cost but also stay fully compliant (in any state) as regulation continues to roll out in different forms across North America,” it said.

Bryan Bennett, Chief Operating Officer of Betfred USA Sports, added: “We knew we needed a socially engaging product to help get the brand out and at the same time leverage our new sports sponsorship.

“SportCaller’s F2P platform performs as an acquisition tool that activates fan engagement, with a weekly questionnaire awarding $1,000 of merchandise, by acquiring potential sports bettors. In an already highly competitive market, we were confident that SportCaller’s experience and past results were what was needed.”