Earlier this year, SIS (Sports Information Services) penned a distribution deal with sports data giant Genius Sports for its Competitive Gaming portfolio. Speaking to SBC Americas, SIS head of competitive gaming Adam Conway, and head of commercial partnerships Andy Kelly discuss the benefits of the agreement and the future of esports betting.
SBC: Can you outline your partnership with Genius Sports and explain in what jurisdictions the firm can distribute your eSports portfolio?
Andy Kelly: Our agreement sees Genius Sports distribute the rights of our complete suite of esports content to its customers across all regulated markets and take our product to the next level.
In addition to improving our presence across Africa, Europe and LatAm, we have already experienced a great deal of success with our H2H Global Gaming League in the U.S. which will continue to be a key focus for us. We have so far launched with operators in New Jersey, Colorado, Kentucky and, most recently, Ohio and Arizona. Further integrations with the vast network of Genius’ customers will only enhance our product visibility. Partnering with Genius Sports will mean that we will gain more access to top tier operators in these states and other regions across the globe.
SBC: What is the significance of having a partner such as Genius Sports on board with your product portfolio and how will this help your business grow?
AK: The U.S. is a key market for us and we have seen the potential of our esports content first-hand with several successful launches.
The latest agreement with Genius Sports incorporates the U.S. market where the provider already has an outstanding reputation through its partnerships with the NFL, the biggest league for one of the most popular sports in the U.S.
We will be able to extend the reach of our product thanks to a single API integration into the Genius Sports platform. Minimal manpower is required from operator partners utilizing the solution, which makes integrations even more attractive. We have struck a couple of distribution deals with Genius Sports recently and the latest agreement will be pivotal in the expansion of our offering in the U.S., as we can now integrate with customers from its comprehensive U.S. sportsbook network.
Genius Sports is renowned for its distribution network of live sport data and content, and this will be significantly enhanced with the cross-selling opportunities esports brings. Genius Sports customers will now have access to our complete eSoccer and eBasketball portfolio that has a clear track record of adding significant value to the bottom line of operators.
SBC: Tell us a little bit about the Competitive Gaming suite of products and how it can benefit operator clients?
Adam Conway: SIS Competitive Gaming is a round-the-clock sports simulation product that features more than 150,000 annual eBasketball and eSoccer matches between highly skilled gamers. The biggest strength of Competitive Gaming is that it is built end-to-end with betting in mind and with integrity at its core. We are the only provider to be Gold Standard approved by the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC).
Produced fully in-house, we offer pre-match and in-play betting markets and provide operators with ultra-low latency live streaming, supported with on-screen graphics which highlight form, player stats and results, as well as live caster commentary to maximise bettor experiences.
Esports has long had an issue surrounding latency. Delays to the delivery of the content hinders an operator’s ability to provide exciting betting opportunities like flash or in-play markets, which obviously hampers activity. As there is minimal latency within our product, our traders can provide an engaging in-play offering which is where the majority of esports revenue comes from. SIS owns the matches and the delivery, meaning there is a real emphasis on ‘true’ in-play betting.
This also gives Competitive Gaming the edge over other esports offerings in the industry. Long-form esports tournaments, which might take place in the early hours of the morning relative to where the customer is situated, are not necessarily conducive to the bettor’s habits. The in-built latency within esports tournaments generally does not allow for engaging in-play betting options.
SBC: What is the growth potential of esports betting and how is the Competitive Gaming suite best positioned to take advantage of this?
AC: The potential of esports becoming a key betting proposition for sportsbooks is huge, and in large part is down to the content’s appeal to fans of the real-life equivalents. Football and basketball are two of the most popular sports across the globe and these sport simulation titles are proving to be an attractive option for bettors. The short-form action fits perfectly during gaps between real-life matches, appealing to the betting audience looking to maintain their excitement levels.
We are looking at ways we can enhance the number of matches we deliver every year, along with expanding the range of betting markets that are offered. Our focus is on enhancing the number of streams and events we deliver, but in the future new titles are something we would consider.
The distribution agreement with Genius Sports and expanding across the U.S. will increase reach across regulated states. Once we see significant audience increases, we will then be able to refine and develop our product to become more nuanced. This could result in additional streams, markets and potentially new North America-themed titles being integrated into the esports portfolio.
SBC: How important is securing such a distribution deal to enhance SIS’s global ambitions?
AC: We want our portfolio to reach as many people as possible and partnering with some of the leading brands in the industry accelerates this. We have established an outstanding reputation as a content provider across a number of verticals in key markets across the globe and this will certainly continue through agreements like the one we have with Genius Sports.
The presence of our esports content is already expanding across the U.S., and we are partnering with the leading brands in Africa as we gain a wider audience that are exposed to our core Live Racing, live numbers draws and esports products. Having such deals in place with leading operators and distributors is a testament to the ingenuity and appeal of our content offering, as these partners see the value in delivering our proposition to their many customers around the world.
SBC: What results are you anticipating from your partnership with Genius? Is this expected to drive further business for you going forward?
AK: Competitive Gaming will be put in front of more customers thanks to the extensive distribution network of Genius Sports. It now holds 50 licenses to operate in North America, powering award-winning official data, streaming, and marketing solutions for leading sportsbooks and official leagues including the NFL.
Having an industry-leading provider advocating our product portfolio and distributing our content can only boost our presence around the world. Our long-term aim is to improve our global footprint with other markets expected to regulate and open up which will bring lucrative opportunities for suppliers.
Our esports proposition is primed to go from strength-to-strength thanks to this partnership with Genius. This starts in the U.S., where our strategy for the region is for widespread distribution of our esports products. Being live in five states already has laid solid foundations as we prepare to grow.
Genius Sports will play a crucial role in our plans for global expansion, and we plan on collaborating on any future improvements to ensure potential customers understand what separates our offering from anything else on the market.
