Casino City's iGaming Pocket Directory - 2015 Edition

80 Sponsored by Casino City’s iGaming Pocket Directory Sports Betting Sports betting is fundamentally different from the other forms of online gaming. Casino games, poker and bingo are played online. Sports betting is wagering on real life events. Whether it’s betting on English Premier League games, the World Cup or darts, the actual game play happens in “real life,” as does the entertainment experience. Only the wager is done online. This fundamental difference alters both the finances and the marketing of the industry, where events like the World Cup can have outsized impact on revenue and operations. In 2014, bwin.party saw its third quarter sports betting revenue increase 11 percent to €58.8 million thanks to World Cup wagering. William Hill said it saw a 23 percent increase in revenue and an 89 percent increase in profit due to heavy World Cup betting. Ladbrokes says World Cup wagering was up 20 percent from 2010. William Hill reports its World Cup wagering increased 80 percent from 2010. In an event driven sector, identifying revenue opportunities is a little bit easier. Sports calendars are set years to months in advance, depending on the sport, so operators, affiliate programs and affiliates alike have a chance to plan and implement the right strategy for them. SPORTS BETTING INDUSTRY OVERVIEW