SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Established in 2007, 1xBet is a fast-growing company in the sports betting space, with a platform focused on providing the maximum number of events and the highest level of localisation.
We caught up with the company’s Head of Business Development Evgeniy Kiriushin to discuss lessons learned in 2017, utilising sponsorship and social media opportunities in 2018, and getting ready for this summer’s FIFA World Cup in Russia.
SBC: What are the biggest lessons learned you have learned, and what are your key targets for 2018?
EK: On the one hand, the past year for our company turned out to be very intense, but on the other hand it turned out to be rich in all kinds of achievements and, of course, lessons. As the most important thing, our strategy for creating a bookmaker product with the maximum number of events, markets, and the highest odds has been worth it.
We understand that we set a very high level for the entire bookmaker companies’ market and, first, for ourselves. It is not easy to offer bets on so many events in sports and live sections at such odds. I can say more; for most present bookmakers this is simply beyond their power. However, we have learnt (and the last year only confirms it) that we need to offer customers only the best thing.
In many ways, our product is truly unique and is developing with an unprecedented speed. I think that’s why users from all over the world choose our bookmaker company with increasing frequency.
The second important lesson for our company was that by creating a high-quality bookmaker product, you become interesting not only to ordinary users, but also to partners who are ready to build their business in this area. This year, we noticed a great interest in our platform, so we have seriously considered the development of an independent b2b direction.
SBC: The World Cup is set to provide a key battleground for bookmakers in 2018; given that your platform has been translated in 49 languages, do you think localisation will be a stand out feature for 1xBet?
EK: The World Cup is a significant event for any bookmaker company. Especially when it takes place in a country where you are the number one at the market. I think that we are well prepared for this event and look forward to serious growth and attracting a huge number of users from all over the world.
Of course, now the fact that our platform is translated into 49 languages (at the beginning of 2018 there will be 52 of them already), we have 24/7 support in 27 languages, it distinguishes us from competitors. I can say that no bookmaker company can boast such a number of localizations and this level of service. Undoubtedly, this is an outstanding feature of the platform, which will help us to develop success further.
SBC: You have placed great emphasis on offering more payment types and currencies than your competitors; how important is it to cater for different deposit and withdrawal preferences, particularly in the big CIS regions?
EK: Stable and various payment methods are a necessary part of the service of any bookmaker company. And the more of them – the more convenient it is for the user in any market. Nowadays, we also exceed any competitor at the number of integrated payment systems.
We are always ready to offer the maximum number of methods to deposit an account and withdraw for customers in any market. We consider this to be part of our global strategy; if in some place on the planet customers want to pay with stones or shells, we will be the first to provide customers with this service. By the way, we will also be the first to open a bookmaker office on the Moon and Mars.
SBC: How can you effectively utilise your sponsorship of La Liga to promote 1xBet products ahead of next summer’s showpiece event?
EK: Next year, we have very serious plans to activate sponsorships with La Liga, Serie A. We discuss new sponsorship contracts with the English Premier League and a number of championships in Africa and Latin America. We promise you many surprises. As for the period of the 2018 World Cup, we will certainly form our marketing activities taking this event into account.
SBC: Social media has been earmarked as a key component of World Cup promotion; is there a plan in place for 1xBet in this area?
EK: Of course, yes. As you can see, 1xBet is very active in the online marketing area. We spend a huge amount of effort and money on promotion using all popular networks and sites. Unfortunately, the possibilities of SMM-promotion for bookmakers are very limited in comparison with other types of business. However, our company will use any opportunities in this area.
