Playtech BGT Sports breaks Grand National records

Next generation of self-service betting terminals more than doubles number of bets taken compared to previous year

Playtech BGT Sports (PBS), the leading provider of omni-channel sports betting solutions, enjoyed record turnover on the weekend’s Grand National via its self-service betting terminals.

SSBTs continue to secure a greater proportion of bets placed due to their convenience and ease-of-use, attracting a new generation of customer to horseracing as well as other sports.

Following a 300 per cent year-on-year increase in turnover during last month’s Cheltenham Festival, PBS again delivered record breaking figures on the 180-year-old race, more than doubling the number of bets taken compared to the previous year’s Grand National.

Between 2017 and 2018 the number of bets taken on the Grand National increased by 49%, with turnover jumping 75% year on year. The average amount bet on the race has also increased from £5.46 to £7.94 since 2014.

This year, turnover jumped by 135% compared to 2018 – highlighting the increasing popularity of SSBTs compared to over-the-counter sales.

Playtech BGT Sports’ Senior Commercial Director, Lee Drabwell, said: “We are finding that an increasing number of customers both old and new are enjoying horseracing on our SSBTs.

“Having good quality data at their fingertips, particularly the Racing Post content we have on an exclusive basis, and a quick transaction means they don’t have to worry about queues or missing the start of the race.

“As we’ve seen over the weekend, the Grand National is steeped in tradition and history, but new SSBT technology is ensuring it is just as relevant today and will have a bright future as a betting event.”

Playtech BGT Sports has continued to introduce a wide range of new products and innovative features in recent months that boost both customer engagement and revenues for retail operators, particularly around in-shop in-play functionality.

This includes a new contactless payment functionality on its self-service betting terminals, which is currently being trialed by Paddy Power, and in-play golf wagering ahead of the forthcoming U.S. Masters.

It has also developed a state-of-the-art content engine, which uses artificial intelligence to suggest relevant selections and interesting content by harnessing millions of previous calculations and comparisons.

About Playtech:

Founded in 1999 and premium listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange, Playtech is a technology leader in the gambling and financial trading industries.

Playtech is the gambling industry’s leading technology company delivering business intelligence driven gambling software, services, content and platform technology across the industry’s most popular product verticals, including, casino, live casino, sports betting, virtual sports, bingo and poker. It is the pioneer of omni-channel gambling technology through its integrated platform technology, Playtech ONE. Playtech ONE delivers data driven marketing expertise, single wallet functionality, CRM and responsible gambling solutions across one single platform across product verticals and across retail and online.

Playtech partners with and invests in the leading brands in regulated and newly regulated markets to deliver its data driven gambling technology across the retail and online value chain. Playtech provides its technology on a B2B basis to the industry’s leading retail and online operators, land-based casino groups and government sponsored entities such as lotteries. As of June 2018, through the acquisition of Snaitech, Playtech directly owns and operates the leading sports betting and gaming brand in online and retail in Italy, Snai.

Playtech’s Financials Division, named TradeTech Group, is a technology leader in the CFD and financial trading industry and operates both on a B2B and B2C basis.

Playtech has in total c.5,800 employees across 17 countries and is headquartered in the Isle of Man.

www.playtech.com