One of the key goals SOFTSWISS has set for its Sportsbook solution is the gamification of the sports betting experience. The iGaming expert and software provider has been taking a set of steps to that end for some time now, including the launch of new bonus types that enrich the player experience, while at the same time reducing the operator’s dependence on specific sporting events.
“We see it as extremely promising for our industry in general and online betting in particular,” Alexander Kamenetskyi, Head of SOFTSWISS Sportsbook, tells Yogonet in regards to gamification. “Different gamification elements demonstrate a positive impact on player activity. That means we provide a product that meets the operator’s critical needs.”
In this exclusive interview, Kamenetskyi also discusses the reception the SOFTSWISS Sportsbook’s latest novelties have had from operators thus far, and explains how the gamification tools work and their main features. The executive also talks about future plans, and the way the company approaches innovation in this space.
SOFTSWISS is advancing its plans for a ‘gamification’ of sports betting. What does this entail, and how is it being implemented?
Gamification has integrated into many aspects of life: from bank systems to mobile apps. We can now say that this is an integral part of our lives. As an innovative iGaming provider, we can’t ignore gamification. Moreover, we see it as extremely promising for our industry in general and online betting in particular. Thousands of people choose sports betting to play and have fun. Our goal is to make that process engaging to the maximum. Gamification opens unlimited opportunities for us. We steadily learn and find new ways to contribute to the online betting industry with our vision.
We want players to enjoy the process of betting. Therefore, the SOFTSWISS Sportsbook team focuses on developing innovative features. It is one of our crucial focus points at the moment. During this year, we have implemented a set of bonuses that complement each other and help operators to motivate player activity. All of them including Lootbox Bonus, Hunting Tournaments, Freebet Booster and others were appreciated by our clients and players, which allowed us to understand that we chose the correct strategy.
What potential benefits does gamification of online betting bring to the industry?
First, different gamification elements demonstrate a positive impact on player activity. That means we provide a product that meets the operator’s critical needs. For instance, based on the results of our clients, we can say that bonuses and other features in online betting help to increase a player’s lifetime. Why is this so important?
The more activity the player shows, the more opportunities it gives the operator to manage the players and bet flow. By reducing the dependence on specific sports events, an operator’s work becomes more stable. Stability is what all industry players strive for. Ultimately, it directly influences key business goals: minimize risks and make the business safer.
In the opposite scenario, companies advertise only specific events and become dependent on them. We want our clients to avoid that situation by providing them with additional tools for player acquisition and retention.
What has the reception of clients already utilizing these gamification tools been like thus far? What impact do they have in regards to variables such as player engagement or brand promotion?
We receive positive feedback because our clients, including major industry players, are seeing the results of that work. The main positive points for business are the ones I mentioned previously but what is no less important is the convenience of using all the tools. Our system of bonuses (gamification tools) works automatically. Operators are involved only when setting up the bonus system according to their purposes and needs. We want our platform to be flexible to configure bonuses in different ways.
At the same time, we see opportunities to modify the existing set of bonuses by introducing new engaging features for players. The advantage of that system is a personalized approach for each and every player. The system offers a reward equal to the average player’s bet, which means the reward that the player is interested in.
Moreover, we’re working on collaborating with other instruments for player engagement to multiply the results and provide our clients with a new level of sports betting gamification.
We have seen the SOFTSWISS Sportsbook launch a new bonus type in June, called ‘Hunting Tournaments’. What are its main characteristics, and what customization options does it allow for brands? What role does it play within the company’s gamification strategy?
Each bonus we introduce is a part of an integrated system. Features complete each other to allow operators to achieve different goals. As for the Hunting Tournaments, this is an exclusive tool. The SOFTSWISS Sportsbook is the first platform to offer this feature.
Players reduce the total amount of the prize pool with every bet. The more bets players place, the more bonus points they achieve and the more Freebets they can have. The tournament is over when the bet sum of all participants becomes equal to the prize pool. The feature works well to maintain the activity around specific tournaments or sports as it has a lot of configuration options.
What are your future plans regarding new engagement tools and how do the latest trends influence your choice of novelties?
We will definitely go further with more automated bonus types as we see them as promising and in demand. However, the SOFTSWISS Sportsbook team will unveil no less interesting novelties connected to cross-product features. We will integrate with the SOFTSWISS Jackpot Aggregator shortly, a new kind of collaboration within the industry.
All of these novelties result from complex work on discovering and analyzing our clients’ needs. We are constantly catching up with every trend and adding our expertise to it. That’s how we came up with innovative and flexible instruments for online betting. And we will keep our hand on the pulse of the industry to further uncover new insights and offer exclusive tools!
