The idea behind creating the Wagers.com website was to offer a self-contained ecosystem to equip novices and experts alike with critical information on the U.S. regulated gaming market, Ryan Butler – Managing Editor at Wagers.com – told SBC Americas.
Butler explained to us how to find the “Source of Truth” in gaming news and why they believe it is so important to highlight new and upcoming businesses via the Wagers.com Start Up Tracker.
SBC Americas: For those that might not know, can you tell us a bit about Wagers.com?
Wagers is the accessible authority for online sports betting and casino gaming news, information, regulation, business, markets and everything else industry figures or observers need to know, presented with an expert voice. We cater to everyone from C-suite executives to casual investors.
Our flagship website presents daily long-form feature stories, as well as a gaming industry start-up tracker. We also display our “Source of Truth,” a continuously updated rundown of the day’s biggest and most important stories and developments, presented through news, quotes, video clips, social media posts and more.
Along with the site, we also want to supplement our Wagers.com web coverage with a range of multimedia content through newsletters, podcasts, social media and more. Ultimately, our goal is to become the destination for anyone and everyone interested in gaming.
SBC Americas: What was the thought process behind launching the site?
Though there are many great sites covering the industry, we realized nowhere fully captured the complete range of gaming, from not just the legislative or regulatory lens, but also the perspective of corporations and investors. Instead of just updates on a proposed law, we wanted to provide breaking news and analysis on corporate mergers, stock price changes and the hundreds of behind-the-scenes companies that shape the industry.
Starting with instant information on The Source as breaking news happens, we want to build insight through our news stories, then break down information further with additional perspective, interviews and analysis through our multimedia platforms. The whole thought behind starting Wagers was to create a self-contained ecosystem to equip novices and experts alike with critical information on the U.S. regulated gaming market.
SBC Americas: Tell us about the Start Up Tracker – what does this hope to achieve?
Similar to our broader goals to capture information on the whole industry, we’re bringing the Start-Up tracker up as the go-to resource for the next wave of companies that will direct the future of gaming and change the way the industry works. We want interested parties to turn to the Wagers.com Startup Tracker to learn key information about a company they may be interested in, find out new companies emerging on the scene and so much more.
We’ve broken the Startup Tracker into an easily searchable database with tags and columns dividing companies by models, verticals and characteristics. We have hundreds of companies listed already and we are constantly bolstering our roster of startups as well as adding key information for each member.
SBC Americas: How can this help smaller companies gain a name for themselves in an industry which is so dominated by big names?
The Startup Tracker allows these companies to not just be “found” but show off. As we add more information and startups, these companies can see where they stand in the broader market and outside observers can better understand the direction they’re headed.
Most people outside and inside the industry tend to think of the major customer-facing brands that dominate headlines, but not only are there hundreds of more B2B-focused companies that also play a crucial role – and there’s room for many more in this space.
Much of the Startup Tracker is dedicated to these new companies that not only present value and a crucial service, but those that will alter our entire perception of regulated gaming. We are still very early on in not just the U.S. online gaming market but the global industry overall; there are so many new and exciting companies and ideas that in the coming years will fundamentally shift how we interact with gaming, both from a corporate and customer perspective.
Elements of gaming we can’t imagine now will be commonplace in the coming decades. The Startup Tracker looks to capture, catalog and spotlight those companies that will lead the way in this new frontier.
SBC Americas: What can we expect from Wagers.com in 2022?
We are adding more and more team members to our content, tech, corporate and nearly every branch of the company, helping us build momentum to reach our goals as the de facto home page for the gaming industry. We will continue to bolster our existing news stories, Source of Truth Content and our growing list of newsletters and pods.
We have already had tremendous feedback from many industry veterans, where we hope to continue to ingrain ourselves, and we also hope to spread our reach to even the most casual industry observer; we hope anyone with the slightest interest or knowledge in gaming turns to Wagers.com to find more and hear from an authoritative voice on virtually any topic pertaining to gaming.
We also hope to reach into new areas, especially around the Startup Tracker and multimedia opportunities. We’re thrilled to be a part of the dynamic gaming market and we’re excited to grow along with it.
