It has long been posited that the Super Bowl is one of the most optimum times of the year to onboard new bettors during the U.S. sports calendar. Indeed, American Gaming Association data projects around 68 million people bet on this month’s encounter, marking an uptick of 35% from 2023’s edition.
But where do those millions of new players find the information of where to bet and, perhaps more crucially, how to bet?
Linemate has come into the fore to help answer this question, bringing players an intuitive platform to guide them about the best odds, lines and sportsbooks to use. While being an affiliate is no new business model, Linemate is aiming to push the boundaries further than where sports betting affiliation has gone before.
In a push to create the “Expedia” of sports betting, the firm launched its “discovery” tool in September 2023, seeking to provide assistance and support to bettors old and new, skilled and unskilled.
Calvin Konya is the Co-Founder of Linemate and told SBC Americas that the launch of its discovery feature has been a game changer for the start up: “The launch has been extremely encouraging for the team. We made a bold decision in Q1 2023 to shift our focus from increasing analytical depth to the development of a true entry point to our platform.
“This ‘”‘Expedia-like-concept'”‘ has broken down barriers of entry for sports fans truly not knowing where or how to start their research. The excitement this update has generated over the last 90 days with 70,000+ app downloads across 74+ countries is nothing we could have envisioned at the time.”
Linemate’s philosophy is to strive to open up betting opportunities to a new type of player, regardless of whether that player is a sharp or whether they are a novice. The aim, quite literally, is to be a linemate to those players so that “all sports fans of every skill level can find a path to becoming a part of the game”.
“The DNA of our brand is accessibility to everyday sports fans,” Konya explained. “This led to us building an interface centered around simplicity and immediacy. While innovation will be an important catalyst to the expected growth of this industry, we truly believe any new brand or tool should not assume immediate adoption for users who live such busy lifestyles.
He added: “The industry and operators alike will require the support of certain brands centering themselves around knowledge, skill development, and availability. It’s important to remember that an abundance of options does not always lead to more engagement.”
But what does the “Experian” style experience look like within a sports betting context? Crucially for Linemate, it does not mean patronizing players by sitting them down and delivering a lecture on how to bet.
Instead, it is about guiding players through the betting process, providing assistance when needed and offering information and content when players need it to enjoy as thorough a betting experience as possible.
Konya remarked: “It’s all about providing a starting point for new players. This does not mean a glossary to increase their knowledge base or a tutorial on how to bet or play. It means helping guide these sports fans through ways in which they can discover content and make decisions.
“The same way a travel engine like Expedia helps guide you through hotel, flight, and package recommendations all at once. We place the utmost importance on design when it comes to the entry point of Linemate to ensure all users feel welcome and not intimidated. From there it’s all about discovering what is available before making decisions or drilling down depth in research.”
As Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce embraced as the Chiefs recorded a 25-22 win to retain the Super Bowl, Linemate closed the curtain on a successful first NFL season using its discovery tool.
The Super Bowl weekend alone generated over 150,000 sessions on the Linemate app, something that Konya described as ‘hugely exciting’.
“For starters, the feature has yielded “hockey stick” growth trajectory for our platform which is beyond encouraging. We’re seeing a Linemate community starting to develop across social media with users voicing their true appreciation for our product. It’s what we had hoped for when we started this company. To become a true linemate to sports fans. Super Bowl weekend in itself generated over 150,000+ sessions on the app which is exciting as we look to reach new heights through NBA and NHL as key focus areas to close out Q1 2024.”
Closing the curtain on its first full NFL season with its new tool is a landmark moment for Linemate as it looks towards the rest of 2024 with new developments in mind.
But it also offers an opportunity for reflection after a whirlwind 2023 for the company which brough copious amounts of fortune.
The firm won first prize at the Canadian Gaming Summit First Pitch competition in Toronto last year, which offered the firm significant industry attention. Konya noted that the opportunity and prize has offered the firm “clear validation” from the industry. This validation, twinned with user feedback, will help the firm to attack the next NFL season with the vigor to continue delivering its aims.
“The win at Canadian Gaming Summit was an important milestone for our company as it provided us with clear industry validation. We’ve always been confident in our ability to build a consumer centric product while listening to user feedback for further adaptation.
“This win, however, gave us the confidence that what we’re building also represents what industry experts would like to see in this space. We’re looking to make some more noise over the course of 2024.”
