The new football season has brought with it a host of eye-catching – and expensive – promotional campaigns, but the more forward-thinking sportsbooks and suppliers have also invested in enhanced product to really engage and retain players.
One business to have embraced that approach is Betsson Sportsbook, the B2B division of the huge international betting and gaming operator, which has entered the new NFL season with improved versions of its player prop and same-game parlay (SGP) offerings available to its partners.
To find out more about the thinking behind the upgrades, SBC Americas spoke to Corey Loye, Head of Sportsbook Product, North America for Betsson. He explained why the insights gained from 12 months of player data from the company’s Betsafe B2C operation in Colorado were so important to product development, as well as why the wider industry is beginning to accept that product quality is crucial.
SBC: There’s no bigger event in the North American sports betting calendar than a new NFL season. How have your preparations gone and is there anything new that Betsson’s partners can look forward to?
Corey Loye: We’re very excited for the NFL season and the new features we have on the horizon. With a year under our belts as a B2C operation in the North American market, we analyzed our offering from last season and made it a focus point to improve for the new one.
As a result, we have enhanced our player props and SGP markets, as these are extremely important to both us and our bettors.
We broadened the number of props available and made it a priority to increase speed to publish – to ensure we have our lines available asap – and up-time for these markets.
The same goes for SGP. We built out the market types and selections available to the builder and also, for our internal operations, the ability to offer pre-packaged SGPs.
SBC: The NBA season was a big hit for many sportsbooks in the US and Ontario. What did you learn during the long campaign about what players want from a sportsbook?
CL: With the NBA, and really with sports across the board, players want more timely markets. This is addressed with our vastly-improved player props for both pre- and in-game scenarios.
With micro-betting the obvious next step in that progression, players are itching for current, as-it-happens betting. They might be at the game or watching it on TV or online, and want to bet on the next play, down, or pitch.
SBC: You mentioned micro-betting, which is one of the industry’s most talked about emerging trends. How are Betsson Sportsbook and Betsafe approaching it?
CL: Yes, micro-betting is on everyone’s radar and rightfully so. It’s an incredibly engaging and exciting product.
We’re looking to offer this across multiple sports in the coming months with a combination of in-house and third-party integrations. It’s definitely a top priority of ours heading into the next few quarters, with the top North American leagues, collegiate, and European soccer and basketball on the sheet.
SBC: Looking away from the big four leagues, what other sports and events do you have comprehensive offers for? And if a partner wants markets for something slightly obscure – perhaps a sport or team that has a big local presence – can Betsson accommodate the request?
CL: We benefit greatly from Betsson’s position of being a global leader in the space. We have a long history in sports betting and take that experience and bake it into our offering.
Our soccer offering is second to none and with the sport’s growing popularity in North America, Messi joining the MLS, recent excitement of summer schedules of the top European clubs, and the World Cup coming to North America in ’26, we feel we’re in a great spot.
With regards to market requests, that’s really our forte. Table tennis, for example, is one of our top markets in terms of bet amount and bet frequency – it has a very passionate following.
Our global team, on numerous occasions, has integrated obscure markets for esports, lower-level soccer leagues, and local independent leagues throughout Europe and LatAm. Our trading team has exceptional coverage and if there is a regulated, obscure sport out there, we can cover it.
SBC: Finally, you worked in the sports betting industry for a number of years before joining Betsson in April. Now you’ve had a chance to settle in, what would you say that Betsson does differently to the competition?
CL: Yes, been around a while! In those 18+ years, mostly in product, I’ve always tried to preach patience in building a quality and future-proof product. Players gravitate towards a rock-solid product that doesn’t break down or have janky functionality.
The North American market exploded onto the scene with unsustainable marketing campaigns and bonuses. There was no attention paid to quality of product and as the dust is settling with continuous M&A and outright closures here, the industry is now shifting to retention, with product quality and features at the heart of that shift.
This is what I admire so much about Betsson; its dedication and patience to get the product right and strategically enter markets with the right direction on how to be successful, regardless of jurisdiction.
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Corey Loye will be hosting the latest Betsson Sportsbook webinar – Product, Product, Product: Same Game Parlays, Player Props, Suggested Bets and Other Features to Watch this Football Season – on September 26. Register here for free access to the session, which will focus on the most effective features that sportsbooks can deploy to retain players.
