Playradar’s recent launch signified a new chapter for Sportradar. In our eyes, the timing – just months before the World Cup – certainly made sense. Another sports betting firm turning to iGaming also seemed inevitable, especially given the data Sportradar can leverage to capitalise on the new launch.

The main consideration we had at Global Gaming Insider was Sportradar’s allegiance to sport.

Why would an operator go to Playradar for iGaming, when there are so many big players who already specialise particularly in casino? 

A hypothetical sales pitch at ICE comes to mind with a potential buyer asking that very question… I put that notion to Edo Haitin, former Playtech Live CEO and Sportradar EVP of iGaming (now head of Playradar). His response, however, highlighted an interesting corporate direction. If his ideas are to be applied successfully, the industry should anticipate less cross-sell in the traditional sense – and more sports-themed casino games…

“We wouldn’t go into the casino market, which has plenty of great suppliers and great games coming out every month, without a real strategic plan of why Sportradar has the right to play in that market,” Haitin tells me, highlighting the need to “move the needle.” “Once we established that we have an initial line of products and we see that we can create a new category, we decided to look at the whole casino category and see where we can compete as a tier one.”

A whole new vertical: What are the mechanics?

On the product itself, Haitin is insistent Playradar won’t just “reinvent the wheel.” Indeed, every game is based on “sports mechanics” such as data. (Here is where Sportadar would bring a natural edge). But the games would still be built on “old-fashioned, proven gaming mechanics.” “For example, the golf game we’re bringing out is basically roulette, where you predict where the ball will land based on historical golf shots. We split the golf course into sections and that’s basically roulette being delivered to the players in a different way, maybe even more of a fun way, because they can still watch some content, talk about the content and create communities around a certain sport.”

The appeal of creating a new vertical is ambitious but arguably necessary. It answers a question Global Gaming Insider raised earlier this year on whether there is innovation in sports betting anymore. Of course, this minor twist simply blends sports a little more with casino – so we are hardly redefining the art of placing a wager itself.

But in today’s economic industry, subtle tweaks go a long way. Awager’s creation of the slots streaming vertical was enough  to get Aristocrat’s attention – combining mobile gaming with land-based slot machines and seeing Aristocrat purchase the company. As much as cross-sell is a viable business strategy, meanwhile, it is getting a bad rap in certain markets.

There are those who naturally enjoy sports betting and don’t want to be bombarded with free spins on casino games. Playradar is betting there is at least a segment of those players who would much prefer sport-themed RNG games – without missing out on the house regulars.

Haitian adds: “We will still cater for the classic casino games, which I’m a big fan of, starting with blackjack, roulette and baccarat. So we’re not going to just go and reinvent and put sports in everything. Actually, if you look at the US, I think the most converting game from sports is actually blackjack, just good old blackjack. In the UK, I believe it will be roulette. Those games are there to stay and will be a central part of our portfolio and our P&L while we beef it up.” 

“Las Vegas is my love… but this is a huge opportunity”

The week of Playradar’s launch was “definitely the craziest” of Haitin’s life. On a personal level, he is locked down in Israel as we speak on video call, due to the military conflict in the Middle East. Throw into the mix the launch of a global company, however, and it’s a week the executive will not forget quickly – for the right reasons. Several months of work have culminated in this “meaningful moment.”

“I don’t want to diminish anything that was done in the past, especially not Las Vegas,” Haitin says. “Las Vegas is still my love and everything that we’ve done there in the past with Playtech Live, but I think Playradar now being established is a huge opportunity for Sportradar. The responses from the industry have been very, very positive.” 

Haitin genuinely sees player interest in “sports casino games” and “sports themes within casino.” “I was not a very big expert in golf... Now I know a lot about golf – and it’s a fascinating process, I think, to build this new category and these new types of games, pitching them to the licensees.”

Until today, these games were difficult to produce, according to the former Playtech executive. You need an array of data, streams and integrations. But that, of course, is where Sportradar comes in.

Does increased regulation now attract bigger players?

One of the most notable aspects of Playradar's announcement was that it included the UK as a core market – launching at a time when UK remote gaming duty rose to 40%. Big-named operators like Entain and Bally’s had previously spoken to me about the “opportunity” this created in the UK. As taxes rise, smaller players will become marginalised as the top dogs increase market share. Was that part of the thinking behind Playradar?

“For the bigger companies that are there to make the investment and deliver something which is not a commodity, the opportunity is still there,” Haitin responds. The UK’s regulatory changes are, a “big worry for mainly the slot suppliers,” according to the EVP. They are dependent on manufacturing “more and more products that are totally oversupplied” already.

“A lot of what I’m seeing is the slot suppliers speaking about lowering the RTP, which I think will be a bad experience for the players.” Bluntly, Haitin says this will “create very boring gameplay.” Instead, Playradar aims to utilise the “liquidity of the sports fans” and bring more people into casino. There are, naturally, plenty of resources behind this well-publicised project – which we analysed on Global Gaming Insider as soon as the news broke. But creating a whole new sports/casino genre remains an ambitious goal.

On taxation changes, Haitin adds: “For big suppliers, the UK situation is like the US. There is a big investment barrier to entry, which is always a blessing for big suppliers that the market is more closed. The UK is very appealing because of the sports orientation and the popularity of sports, not only football, but darts.”

The small matter of the World Cup…

Given the obvious cross-sell appeal – and, as Haitin has clearly explained, not just cross-sell but a new type of content – How important was the World Cup behind the timing of the launch?

Here, Haitin plays the impact down. “You know, the World Cup opportunity is bigger for Sportradar than for Playradar,” he tells me. “Obviously, we will have a few products coming out for the World Cup. But I’m only for sustainable growth and income in the business. So we are not building anything just for the World Cup and hoping these 30 days will define our business. A lot of supply is going to be around the World Cup and, for us, the main event is the sports betting in the World Cup, and then to create some extra experiences for the fans.”

Haitin wouldn’t be being “very honest” if he denied the “huge opportunity” this summer’s showpiece tournament presents. Playradar, though, is not building content solely for the summer: “The World Cup comes and goes but we are here to stay.”

Of course, Haitin’s closing line is exactly what will define Playradar’s success. If sports fans, accustomed to betbuilders, in-play wagers and accumulators, can be drawn to sports-style casino games – and stay – Sportradar will have first-mover advantage. After one of the craziest week’s in Haitin’s life, though, there is only one question that matters long term: will they?