Daria Petrus: “2021 marked an important milestone in the company’s history”

Daria Petrus, Sales Team Lead at Betinvest, spoke exclusively to Focus Gaming News about the company’s evolution in 2021, its most prominent accomplishments, as well as its goals for the coming year.

Exclusive interview.- Like many other industries worldwide, the COVID-19 outbreak has shaken up the iGaming sector, leading many businesses to reconsider their potential, explore new opportunities, and reinvent existing operations. Daria Petrus, Sales Team Lead at Betinvest, spoke exclusively to Focus Gaming News about the company’s evolution in 2021, its most prominent accomplishments, as well as its goals for the coming year.

What is your vision of changes in the esports business due to the pandemic restrictions? Do you think Covid-19 will continue to affect the industry?

Sports replacement was almost non-existent before COVID, with only a few exceptions. Then came the pandemic, which influenced both esports and esports betting markets significantly in many different ways.

The lockdown restricted most traditional sports; this brought esports to the forefront of the betting industry since high-quality tournaments featuring both teams and individuals could still be held. Since no other content was available, so-called “sports substitutes” became essential for classic sportsbook offerings.

Throughout 2021, this trend has only intensified. The most famous examples are eFootball and eBasketball, which are now widely regarded as a form of substitute for both conventional and virtual sports.

Esports betting volume has increased significantly over the last two years. People are getting more and more engaged with it. As a result, many betting operators have made esports a top priority to ensure they have content under any circumstances.

In 2021, Betinvest has declared that the company has shifted its strategic orientation towards betting content delivery. How did operators and providers receive this change?

Betinvest has provided iGaming operators with effective end-to-end software and world-class trading services for the last two decades. Our pre-match and live solutions are currently running on multiple platforms. We are widely regarded as the single entry point into the betting industry for well-established businesses and new entrants to the iGaming space.

Meanwhile, Betinvest prioritizes researching clients’ needs and developing products and services that meet them. Our strategic shift was driven by increased demand for high-quality betting content, which the industry is experiencing today. To that end, we’ve developed comprehensive Quick Sports and Esports content solutions. These client-focused and quick-to-market products provide an exciting type of entertainment to boost customers’ enjoyment of fast-paced, captivating traditional sports, along with esports and gaming. The flexibility of our content offering makes it appealing to operators of all shapes and sizes.

Betinvest’s content solutions have already enabled our existing clients to achieve the most ambitious business goals in the online space at a time when doing business has been relatively rigid.

“Esports betting volume has increased significantly over the last two years. People are getting more and more engaged with it. As a result, many betting operators have made esports a top priority to ensure they have content under any circumstances.”

Daria Petrus, Sales Team Lead at Betinvest.

As Betinvest is diversifying the business into emerging business areas, what does it mean for the company to have clients with different profiles?

We seek to address the demand for betting content with bespoke solutions that satisfy the specific needs of different clients (and their customers) regardless of where they are in the world. Therefore, Betinvest has adopted a strategy of developing exclusive partnership agreements with fast-growing and prospective sports organizations that authorize us to further distribute their content.

Currently, Betinvest works with two quick sports (Winners and WinCup) and two esports leagues (CyberLive!Arena and Esport Pro Club). The leagues run daily tournaments in both world-famous titles and regionally-specific disciplines. 

Extensive coverage is generally considered to be the most substantial advantage. Betinvest’s Quick Sports solution currently covers table tennis and beach volleyball. At the same time, the Esports product focuses on sports simulation video games, such as eFootball, eSoccer, eBasketball, eHockey, eFighting, and the recently launched eCricket.

However, we firmly believe that when it comes to differentiation in the target market, adaptability is the core requirement of every sportsbook willing to succeed in the long run. Betinvest adjusts the product to the objectives of each particular client in two main areas.

On the one hand, our Quick Sports and Esports content solutions come with a comprehensive set of tools operators may require to grow their sportsbook offering and maximize their results. Our clients gain access to RTMP streams with minimal latency and a powerful scouting client. 

On the other hand, we are one of the few content suppliers in the industry capable of integrating and adapting to any third-party online platform. Betinvest offers a selection of integration processes based on the client’s capabilities: access via web interface with no integration needed; an API solution if required in the format of raw data; or an iFrame solution for well-established iGaming businesses.

What were the main achievements obtained in 2021? Did you accomplish what you expected?

2021 marked an important milestone in the company’s history. At the beginning of the year, Betinvest’s branding was updated to fully reflect the company’s shift in focus towards betting content delivery. 

Adopting the strategy of developing exclusive partnership agreements with sports organizations allowed us to enhance the Quick Sports solution and build an award-winning Esports offering. Besides being shortlisted for multiple awards, Betinvest won “Esports Supplier of the Year” at 5 Star & Co’s “Starlet Awards.” This victory is a clear testimony to the business sense of the company’s earlier operations overhaul.

In the middle of the year, Betinvest has reinforced its Esports content solution with tournaments organized by Esports Pro Club—a professional esports league operating under the Ukrainian Cybersports Events Federation (UCEF). The league features competitions in the world’s most popular sports simulation titles, including eFootball, eSoccer, eBasketball, and one-of-a-kind eCricket tournaments on the market. 

Between January 2021 and June 2021, the total coverage of both our content solutions reached 106 000, showing an impressive 72% growth compared to the 69 000 recorded in the first six months of 2020. The average number of events reaches 24 000+ and may comprise 700+ events daily on top of the classical sportsbook. 

The past year also saw several significant technological advancements. Betinvest launched a scouting client comprising full Event Feed, an Odds Calculator, and in-depth statistics. We will soon modernize this tool through machine learning technology to exclude the human factor completely. We have also developed a comprehensive Anti-fraud Service (AFS) and added access via web interface to the rest of the integration options.

We believe that 2021 has been a success story for our business. However, the best is yet to come.

“2021 marked an important milestone in the company’s history. At the beginning of the year, Betinvest’s branding was updated to fully reflect the company’s shift in strategic focus towards betting content delivery.” 

Daria Petrus, Sales Team Lead at Betinvest.

What are the company’s challenges for 2022? What product or service launch do you plan to make in the next few months?

Looking ahead, we continue to focus on the impact of future digital technologies and how best to utilize them. Concentrate on today, but with our eyes on tomorrow, Betinvest’s content offerings will continue to innovate and evolve, ensuring our clients have the capability not only to compete but to lead.