SportGames TV CEO, Vladislav Artemyev, speaks to SBC Americas about his firm’s entrance into the US market and what SportGames TV has to offer the region.
SBC: For those of our readers less familiar with SportGames TV, can you tell us a bit more about the company?
Vladislav Artemyev: SportGames TV brings to the sports betting sector what live casino brings to the online casino sector. We have taken the same blueprint used by live casinos – studio, presenters/players, camera, microphone, streaming footage, etc – and re-worked it for sports betting.
Our suite of games offers 24/7 live sports betting action on a growing number of sports including darts, boxing, ice hockey, and even slot car racing. The sports games take place within the studio and are condensed into short rounds to deliver a fast and satisfying user experience.
For example, a boxing round takes just one minute while for other games it takes 30 seconds from bet placement to outcome. This provides the same rapid action as casino games like live roulette.
SBC: What’s the unique selling point that separates you from your direct competition?
Artemyev: We are currently the only provider in the market offering live sports games like this. But why would operators want to launch our games? First, given the competitive nature of the market, live sports games are a major differentiator. They provide punters with new betting opportunities through a product that is far more engaging, interactive and entertaining than traditional sports betting.
Not only that, but games are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is significant as round-the-clock betting action cannot be offered with standard sports betting. I know this is available through virtual sports, but they are ultimately RNG games and simply don’t deliver the thrill of live-action betting that the vast majority of punters are seeking.
The operators that have already integrated our games into their sportsbooks are reporting very strong early numbers. On average they are recording 100 bets per player per month with an average turnover of €335 per player per month. The average margin is 7.6%.
SBC: What is the driving force behind a move into the US market? Can you describe what the process was like?
Artemyev: We all know that the US will become one of, if not the, largest online sports betting markets in the world so we, like others, want to be active in the region. We also believe that our product will allow operators to not only meet but exceed player expectations across all legal online gambling states. This is because it is highly customizable and can be localized not just on a country basis but down to individual states. This is because operators can launch sports that are popular in that state and, as with live casinos, the opportunities around branding are endless.
In terms of the process, it has been much the same as for other suppliers in that we have had to secure licenses in the states that we are targeting. We have opted for New Jersey first followed by Colorado.
SBC: How will you approach the US market given that regulation is applied on a state-by-state basis? What states are you targeting?
Artemyev: As mentioned, we will be making our debut in New Jersey followed by Colorado. We are particularly interested in states where only sports betting is legal as there will be no other live games in the market which gives us a major competitive edge. Ultimately, we plan to be in as many US states as possible as we believe North America has the potential to be one of the largest online gambling markets in the world, if not the biggest.
SBC: What products do you intend to launch first in the US?
Artemyev: We will be launching with our full suite of products in the US market which currently covers ice hockey, darts, bridge, boxing, and slot car racing. Of course, we plan to add many more sports over the coming months and years and in particular sports that are popular in the US market – American football, basketball, soccer, and so on.
We are also keen to work with operators around creating branded live sports betting games – we have a lot in the pipeline and look forward to bringing even more innovative sports betting content to the US market and beyond.
