SBC News Rafi Ashkenazi - BetStars intent on closing gap on sports betting competitors

Rafi Ashkenazi – BetStars intent on closing gap on sports betting competitors

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Rafi Ashkenazi

Presenting Amaya Inc results for Q3 2016, CEO Rafi Ashkenazi praised the work and competence of his firm’s recently launched ‘BetStars’ sports betting division, stating that it had delivered on its goal of creating a ‘competitive online sportsbook’.

Seeking to challenge established legacy betting operators, the BetStars division will be led by new MD Zeno Osskó as Amaya looks to ‘close product gaps with competitors’.

“In 2017, we will refine our plans and strategy and then investing less on market expansion and more on our product and parity especially on mobile as well as delivering the localised experience to our customer absence. We will also be focusing on cross sale capabilities and experience, monetisation and profitable fair acquisition,” Ashkenazi detailed to Amaya investors.

Officially launched in December 2015, Amaya’s CEO has so far been pleased with the products effective sports betting crossover strategy, which has helped his firm offset saturated poker yields. Following a year of activity for its BetStars division, Ashkenazi backed his firm’s product diversification strategy

“During the third quarter, sportsbook was positively impacted by our ability to retain newly acquired players and grow their yield. We expanded TV marketing of our BetStars brand, but we did not add any new jurisdictions and sportsbook is still available to just under 54% of poker players.” Amaya’s CEO added.

Although Amaya chose not to detail a specific product breakdown for sports betting, the operator stated that in Q3 2016 combined casino and sportsbook products had comprised 24% of corporate revenues compared to corresponding 2015’s 15%.

Closing full-year 2016 Ashkenazi would detail sportsbook product improvements focusing on user engagement.

“We expect to achieve growth by focusing on continuing to improve our sportsbook offering, functionality and user experience specifically on mobile to achieve parity with our industry peers, delivering localized experiences to our customer base, improving our cross-sell abilities, improving monetisation cycles, and achieving possible customer acquisition.”

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