SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Scientific Games has acquired sports betting innovation studio SportCast to strengthen SG Digital’s sportsbook technology unit.
Operating since 2013, SportCast is recognised as a leading developer of customised betting components and market solutions for sportsbook operators.
The London-based studio is credited as the original developer of the BetBuilder product – a transformative innovation that allowed online sportsbook players to build bets across multiple markets on a single game with instant pricing through a seamless user interface (UI).
In its transaction statement, Scientific Games detailed that it had “acquired a pioneering company at the forefront of developing new sports betting experiences for modern audiences”.
Keith O’Loughlin, EVP Sports for Scientific Games, added: “For sports fans, the ability to define the story of the game, bet on it and watch it live has become a thrilling way to engage in the action.”
“SportCast’s technology and platforms will help us fuel the next wave of our data-driven, global sports expansion.”
The acquisition was marked of strategic significance to Scientific Games’ ongoing wagering strategy in the US, where operators require greater in-play engagement capacities catering to customer needs.
For the US market, SportCast’s technology is capable of processing over 12,000 bets per second across major global sports including American football, baseball, soccer, basketball, ice hockey and tennis.
Ryan Coombs, Managing Director of SportCast, said: “We set out to re-imagine the sportsbook of the future – smart, high-margin and simple for operators – whilst offering unparalleled next-generation experiences for players.
“With Scientific Games’ firepower, we’re set to move faster and drive deeper innovation on our journey to power the future of sports betting.”
SportCast has a proven track record of delivering customised components for tier-1 operators. It maintains a client portfolio including BetMGM, PointsBet, Sky Bet, Tabcorp, Entain, 888, Betsson, Danske Spil, Nederlandse Loterij and the BCLC.
Scientific Games Group CEO Jordan Levin underlined the importance of the acquisition, branding SportCast’s product suite as a critical component in helping the company to lead all technology verticals for global sports betting.
“We’re excited to welcome Ryan Coombs and his incredible team of product experts, data scientists, statisticians and developers to the home of global sports technology,” he remarked.
“The team at SportCast shares our focus on performance-at-scale and fan engagement, and the integration of their impressive platform and innovative approach will set Scientific Games apart as we build on our market leadership.”
