From unique to mainstream
THE THRIVING ROLE OF STATS BETTING ABELSON ODDS’ JEEVAN JEYARATNAM shines a light
on how stats betting has evolved from a unique feature in a sportsbook to an integral part of any operators' offering BY JOE STREETER
F
rom shots on target to player tackles, stats betting and data-driven markets have deeply enriched the match day offering that sportsbooks provide over the last few years. Jeevan Jeyaratnam, Chief Operations Officer of Abelson Odds, shares his views on why the markets have become so pivotal to sportsbooks, the potential challenges of their growth and whether they could play a role in bridging the gap between sportsbooks and Fantasy Sports. SBC: Firstly, how important has stats betting become to a sportsbook’s offering? Jeevan Jeyaratnam: You have only to glance at the landing pages of leading UK bookmakers to see the importance of player and team-related stats bets. Bet Builders have become an increasingly profitable wager and their appeal is driven by stat-rich elements. Pre-canned bet builders have proven a gateway into this emerging trend, and there are plenty of operators who have dedicated resources to making the same-game acca as simple to join as possible. Without player markets, especially, these can lack originality and appear rather dull. If we accept that we are part of the entertainment industry, then the notion of building a narrative is front and centre; player stat markets are a vital component of that framework.
22 SBC LEADERS • MARCH 2022
LOCALISATION IS ANOTHER KEY REASON FOR THE RISE IN INTEREST IN PLAYER STAT MARKETS
Localisation is another key reason for the rise in interest in player stat markets. We’ve seen examples of this in our own business. As a client moves into a new territory, we have seen requests for us to add goal scorers
