SBC News Stefan Berak - Favourit - Tapping into betting's social capital

Stefan Berak – Favourit – Tapping into betting’s social capital

Stefan
Stefan Berak

Favourit is a bookmaker with a difference based in Australia. The operator aims to capitalise on the burgeoning social aspect being incorporated into traditional sports betting; indeed it calls itself a ‘social online sports betting site designed like a social network.’

Favourit adds an option to challenge others players, and you’ll also be ranked alongside other users via the BetIQ points scored on winning bets. In turn this becomes a useful option as punters are able to follow those with a high (bet) IQ and simply mimic their bets should they wish to. Players have the choice of betting with virtual currency, referred to as ‘Caps’, or real money too.

SBC caught up with Favourit’s Digital Marketing Manager, Stefan Berak, to discuss all things betting for the forthcoming season, and how a company which was a start-up seeking funding just two years ago is now thriving.

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SBC:  In what ways are Favourit offering customers a different experience to the regular high street bookmakers?

Stefan: In a highly saturated European sports betting market we understand players have become increasingly savvy and are rightly seeking a more ’transparent’ betting experience from their bookmakers.

Our approach is more than just odds on sport and racing, Favourit is a socially designed sportsbook offering players a far more valuable user experience, rather than being purely transactional, we believe data and analytics provides more insight for our players.

SBC: Can you tell us a little more about the Favourit Rewards Program? Has this loyalty scheme proven successful, and is it something you expect others in the industry to add to their own portfolio?

Stefan: Whilst being early days, we are extremely positive about the Favourit Rewards Program and believe it offers our players more value for every bet. Par for the course in the online gaming industry is the copycat strategy we’re proud that we are constantly innovating and creating more value for players.

SBC: The lack of any major summer football saw bookmakers spending additional time perfecting their campaigns for the season ahead. Just how important are new customer bonuses? What schemes do Favourit have in place to ensure customer retention?

Stefan: It’s been a long off-season so to speak although our whole experience is designed to be more engaging, not just one that’s campaign driven. However, since players are coming to expect new customer bonuses as part of the general offering, it’s imperative that we make use of creative promotions in order to attract new players to our product.

Player retention is just as important as player acquisition, and instead of focusing solely on bonuses and other types of incentives; we try to provide our players with an engaging experience that they can’t find anywhere else. We believe in driving value for players via a mix of social data and insights, rewards program, refer a friend bonus, and our weekly specials.

SBC: Favourit places a significant focus on Live Betting. Is this a market you anticipate to continue to expand in the next few seasons?

Stefan: In-play betting has changed the game bringing exciting ways to satisfy players bringing them closer to the action, by enhancing their overall betting experience.

One key feature unique to Favourit is our ability to deliver actionable social data via real time bet feeds which allows our players to follow the money, follow players on hot streaks to mimic their bets which is proving very popular during live events.

SBC: Finally, with the season having kicked off and some major surprises already, have you seen much movement in the outright betting market for the title?

Stefan: There have been a few surprised in the first few weeks of the season although no surprises when it comes to the outright market where players have heavily backed Man City to take the title away from Chelsea which on early form continues to look a good bet.

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Stefan Berak – Digital Marketing Manager

favourit

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