Bet365 leads the field in first ever in-play tracker report

Written by SBC Director on . Posted in REPORTS

Sports-betting operators that have reaped the benefits from the meteoric rise of in-play betting are facing the prospect of a tougher regulatory environment in the future, according to the findings of a new report from GamblingData.

Bet365 and William Hill are leading the way with in-play provision, according to a new report from GamblingData that attempts to identify the major trends within the newest sphere of sports-betting.

Looking at a sample of five of the leading bookmakers – Bet365, Bwin, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power and William Hill – the data was sourced over the course of ten days in April, and on each sample day a 20-minute time window was prescribed for the data sourcing to take place.

The survey found that in terms of the number of sports and events covered, Bet365 lead the way during the period of the survey. In number of sports over the entire period, the Stoke-based firm offered 18 over the period covered; the next best was Ladbrokes with 14, then Bwin and Paddy Power with 10 each and William Hill with eight.

Bet365 also came top in terms of the number of events – 229 in total. William Hill was next best with 188 events, but notably it offered more markets per event on average at 24. Ladbrokes was the lowest in terms of number of events at 88.

Of the total of 795 events covered in the period, 377 were football or almost half. Tennis is the second most popular sport to be covered.

In terms of average number of markets per event William Hill came out on top. The Saturday afternoons picked out during the trial period provided the peak in terms of the sum number of events. William Hill led the field with the amount of football games available to bet on, having 48 on the first Saturday and 40 available on the second. The next most prolific in terms of football was Bwin with 40 and 24 events on the given Saturdays; Bet365 had 34 and 30 respectively.

The report follows on from an increasing flow of evidence from the leading listed operators as to the importance of in-play betting. In early August William Hill announced in its interims that in-play wagering had grown 95 percent in the first half and now made up a total of 63 percent of all online betting, ex- horseracing.

Ladbrokes said at the same time that in-play was now worth 49 percent of all online betting, ex-horseracing.

Meanwhile Paddy Power said later in the month that it had doubled the amount of football matches that it now bet in-play to 3,000 a month.

Sportingbet said earlier in the year that in-play now accounted for 60 percent of total sportsbook wagers, while Unibet put the same figure at 57 percent in its 2010 annual report.

Speaking to GamblingData for the report, Nick Batram, analyst at Peel Hunt, said that it was clear that in-play was not a fad. “People like to bet on sporting events, and it does look like in-play s incremental. I would say at the moment in-play is more for the experienced sports bettors, but it is definitely here to stay.”

Warren Murphy, chief executive at Sporting Index, said the changes were being driven by technology as much as by consumer behaviour.

“When betting was all pre-match, punters and operators didn’t need to be able to transact in real time. Now, betting opportunities come thick and fast during the course of any given sports event, and punters want to be able to react accordingly.”

The rise of in-play would appear to have changed the very nature of the online betting market, with punters notably changing behaviour driven by what is now of offer in betting terms, not only in terms of online but also importantly because of developments in smartphone and tablet technology.

“The pace of change has been dramatic,” Paul Leyland, analyst at Investec, said. “It has been a leveller in terms of sports, and it makes horseracing irrelevant. It opens up the way for more sports; it increases the value of the long tail. But there is an impact on the cost base.”

The investment needed is not just in terms of applying the right algorithms; it also means investment in a trading team and the appropriate risk management tools, and the need to look at live streaming of sports events.

One industry veteran speaking on condition of anonymity said that in-play “really does establish the difference between the good bookmakers and the lesser ones”. “You have to have the resources, you need trading tools and you need risk management. Pre-game you can take a feed. But with in-play the barriers to entry are much higher.”

 

Click here <www.gamblingdata.com> to gain access to a copy of the GamblingData In-Play Betting Report.

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