iGaming Business magazine Sports Betting Focus 2017 | Page 21

Commercial Feature
Sports Betting Focus 2017
SHAPING THE FUTURE
Inspired’s Steve Rogers looks at the exponential growth of virtual sports into
the digital realm, which shows no sign of slowing down.
Virtual sports have proven hugely
successful in retail but how has the
product evolved for the digital market?
It’s unsurprising that we’re seeing more and
more virtual sports adopters in the digital
space as players favour the convenience of
playing from smartphones, tablets and PCs.
In response to this, Inspired has evolved
existing products and developed new ones
to appeal to digital players. Inspired’s suite of
Rush Virtuals Live on-demand and in-play
products have been specifi cally developed
for mobile platforms, and are aligned with
the evolution in sports betting over the past
2-3 years. There’s no longer a need to wait
for a matchday or scheduled virtuals event
when players can access thousands of virtual
sporting events across the globe wherever
and whenever they want.
We’ve also recently launched our suite
of Rush Go! products, which combine the
excitement of virtual horses and virtual dogs
with casino-style gaming for quick and
easy fun via casino and games Tabs. Rush
Horses GO! and Rush Dogs GO! are the
fi rst ever virtual sports products developed
specifi cally for non-sportsbook bettors and
again exemplify the ways in which Inspired
is creating a product portfolio which offers
consumers a choice of games designed to suit
their preferences and lifestyles.
How has Inspired responded to
a wider growth in mobile activity?
A signifi cant advantage of having an
omni-channel offering is that players can
bet on their favourite games in retail venues,
on mobile, and online, making the customer
experience a consistent one across multiple
channels. Mobile gaming is undoubtedly
a signifi cant growth area in online betting,
and via the Virgo™ RGS, licensed and
hosted in Gibraltar, Inspired is supplying
HTML5 content to leading UK operators
including William Hill, Gala Coral, Bet365,
and Betfred. Popular slot games from retail
have been introduced to Inspired’s mobile
portfolio, with more exciting content planned
for release this year. In virtuals, the Rush
suite of on-demand products offer mobile
customers the option of placing pre-match
and in-play accumulator bets across single
or up to eight matches, alongside a full league
and season format. The new Rush Go! suite
of games offers a different style of bettor the
fun of casino-style gaming combined with
virtual horses or dogs.
What developments can we expect
over the next fi ve years? Is there
anything that stands out in particular?
Virtual reality is something to be hugely
excited about. Virtual sports already involves
elements of the technologies used to
create these products, but the line between
virtual and reality will become less distinct
in the future as graphics become more
sophisticated and devices allow for an ever
more immersive player experience. Imagine
riding a winning horse around Aintree or
shooting hoops with Shaquille O’Neal.
Personalisation of betting experiences
will become more advanced, be that players
customising their own sports teams, or the
devices on which they’re playing. eSports are
huge right now with Millennials, and there is
certainly opportunity to leverage the idea of
digital social interaction and apply it to virtual
sports. Imagine players across the globe
virtually competing against each other, with
the ability to bet on and back themselves.
Lottery will also evolve in order to compete
with the more sophisticated and exhilarating
offerings now available to players, but into
what exactly it’s impossible to say. The future
of the gaming industry is a hugely exciting
one and Inspired is looking forward to help
shape it.
How has customer demand changed?
What do customers now want?
Customers are increasingly looking for
instant entertainment, and this is where
on-demand virtuals really come into their
own. Rather than having to wait for a specifi c
match day, or scheduled virtuals event,
players can now access thousands of virtual
sporting events at any given time across
the globe.
Creating a product portfolio which offers
consumers a choice of games designed to
suit their needs is key – from casual bettors
to serious sports bettors, Inspired has
developed product variants to refl ect
different requirements.
In a world now dominated by celebrities,
it was a natural step for Inspired to use
brand collaborations to generate interest in
new products. New Rush Basketball which
features Shaquille O’Neal exemplifi es how
‘celebrity’ endorsement can elevate the profi le
of a product.
Do you think that virtual sports offer
you a unique opportunity to fi ll a
sports betting void in America?
There are undoubtedly huge opportunities
in North America to drive revenues for
operators and offer US players a brand new,
unique betting experience with virtual sports.
While we’ll never replace real-money sports
betting, we’re creating the most realistic
and immersive virtual sports content on the
market which will appeal to mobile, online
and venue gamers
Steve Rogers is CCO Digital
Games at Inspired, and has
over 15 years’ experience in the
virtual sports sector. Prior to his
current role, Steve Rogers w as COO
of Red Vision, which was acquired by
Inspired in 2006.
iGamingBusiness | Issue 105 | July/August 2017 | 81