Kindred Unveils Watch&Bet Sports Player
Kindred Group has announced the launch of an innovative new Watch&Bet sports player. Available via the Unibet app, the live stream player will allow users to place their bets without missing out on the action. The offering is the first of its kind, and will go a long way to improve the experience of mobile betting.
Kindred is keen to boost its live sports betting offerings, with further products set to be released. ©LinkedIn Sales Navigator/Pexels
Streamlined Betting
Unibet is one of the most popular sports betting brands in the UK and beyond. Every year, it offers customers access to more than 85,000 live streamed sports events, as well as 100,000 racing events from around the world. Now it has gone one step further, offering customers the option bet without having to leave those live streams.
Kindred Group’s brand-new Watch&Bet feature aims to change the way that customers bet. Users of Unibet’s iOS app won’t have to miss a single second of the action, as they will now be able to watch a sports stream and wager at the same time. For those who like to bet on sports on the go, the innovation is a real game changer.
The Watch&Bet player is supported by live-odds overlay functionalities, making it possible for customers to pick and place bets, without having to leave the live sports stream. Not only will the new feature make the experience of betting more fun and streamlined, it will also ensure that app users are completely up to date on match progress when they place their bets.
The new feature comes as an industry first, and will be popular with those who might be using the app whilst out of the house or that simply don’t have access to two screens. The Watch&Bet video player provides bettors with all the wagering options that Unibet has on offer.
The feature will initially debut purely for football and tennis live streams. The feature will be available throughout most of Unibet’s European markets, and will launch exclusively on the iOS app. Kindred has plans to extend its rollout to the Android version of the Unibet app and mobile web browsers shortly afterwards.
Mobile Growth
By creating this product, Kindred has recognized the importance of its app audience. Live sports betting is a real growth hotspot for the industry, and such developments have the potential to elevate the experience of the user higher than ever before. Explaining why the Watch&Bet player is sure to be hit with players, Erik Bäcklund, Chief Product Officer at Kindred Group said:
“The new streaming player will take the customer experience to a whole new level. Easily explained with three words – Fast, Easy and Fun. Fast, because it enables our customers to see the action and react to it instantly. Easy, because the design is clever and intuitive. Fun, because this is a whole new way of enjoying the live sports watching and betting experience.”
Bäcklund added that the newly transformed in-play betting experience is the product of in-depth customer feedback sessions and internal workshops. Kindred is keen for the new feature to become a foundation on which it can continue to improve, with even more releases planned for Unibet’s sports betting customers.
Unibet is also continuing to make headway into the rapidly growing US sports betting market, receiving its latest permit to operate in the state of Virginia. Customers there will soon have access to Unibet’s online sportsbook offerings via mobile phone. Kindred’s American venture is called Unibet Interactive, and has already found success in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Indiana.
Unibet has also signed agreements to operate in a further eight states. Of these, Virginia will be one of the most important in establishing the brand on the East Coast. Virginia is one of the biggest states in the US betting market, and it has been estimated that mobile sports betting revenues could go over $370 million annually, when they reach maturity.
US Expansion
While gambling markets in the UK and Europe have struggled in recent years, due to crackdowns from regulators, in the US it is a different story. There, the market is growing, and operators are keen to compete for new customers. Since the Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018, states have been allowed to legalize sports betting.
While the US has an emerging sports betting market, few operators have the experience to set up sportsbooks to meet that demand. For that reason, a number of big casino operators have purchased UK betting firms to get an edge on the competition. Most recently, a UK court cleared Caesars Entertainment’s acquisition of William Hill, allowing it to go ahead.
In 2018, Kindred Group partnered with the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, in order to make its debut into the US sports betting market, starting in New Jersey. The following year, it partnered with the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino, giving it access to the market in Pennsylvania.
Alongside flagship brand Unibet, operator Kindred runs nine popular betting and gaming brands. Through sites which include Maria Casino, 32Red and Bingo.com, Kindred offers a wide range of online casino, poker, bingo and betting products. While Kindred is registered in Malta, its main offices are based in London, Gibraltar, Stockholm and the US.
Since its creation in 1997, Kindred has grown to become one of the world’s leading gambling operators. Through its brands, the operator serves more than 30 million customers in Europe, Australia and the US. The Nasdaq stock exchange listed company employs around 1,600 people.
Keeping customers safe and entertained is at the heart of what Kindred does. It has even launched its own online gambling ad blocker tool, so that customers can choose to opt out of gambling ads if they wish. Kindred is both a member of the European Gaming and Betting Association and a founding member of the International Betting Integrity Association.
