Sky Bet Introduces New ‘Group Betting’ Option
Sky Bet has introduced a new betting option for UK punters, allowing them to make group bets with up to 50 of their friends.
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The new feature lets a number of friends create an accumulator bet together, directly on the bookmaker’s site. Each member of the group will be able to make one selection.
In a statement about the innovation, Andy Evans, the principal product manager for Sky Bet, said that the Group Betting function “simplifies” something that people have been doing already.
Market research carried out by the bookmaker showed that groups of friends were creating group bets in person or via social media. Evans said that they have “created an experience that satisfies users’ needs” and made this form of social betting easier.
Evans continued, saying that “We identified a number of pain points though in what they’re currently doing and established that we could address a large number of those with Group Bets.”
The feature is still in its beta phase, with Sky Bet vowing to take user feedback into account as they continually work to provide the ideal service to their customers.
The current set-up allows users to create up to five group bets, and then invite friends to join. The groups can have anywhere between two and 50 people in them. Each member has the opportunity to add a selection to the bet.
However, Sky Bet has been very clear that this is not a syndicate type bet. Although the selection is made by the different members, working as a team, any bets on the chosen accumulator must be chosen by an individual user, with their own funds.
The winnings from any bets are not split between the members of the group but return directly to the member who placed that bet.
In a world filled with social media, Sky Bet will be hoping to capitalise on the social aspect of the group bet. They plan to expand the feature in the future, and it is possible that competitors will create similar features if the option is successful.
