SPORTS BETTING

US – PointsBet to offer live, in-game betting with zero suspensions

By Phil - 20 January 2022

PointsBet has broken ground in becoming the first US sports betting provider to offer clients live, in-game betting opportunities with zero suspensions across the core markets of spread and moneyline as part of a test run during Saturday’s NBC broadcast of the NFL Wildcard Playoff game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals.

This first of its kind, innovative step follows PointsBet’s acquisition of Banach Technology – a Dublin-based provider of proprietary quantitative driven trading models that support complex pre-game and live, in-game betting products across numerous sports, including the four major American sports and international soccer – in March of 2021, further accelerating PointsBet’s technology and product roadmap by delivering market-leading models, platforms, and products, with a focus on in-play capabilities.

“When we acquired Banach Technology, it was with a precise focus to build toward an ‘always on’ in-game betting technology experience at PointsBet. That proprietary technology has been developed quicker than we expected since our acquisition, so we tested it out to its full extremity for an NFL playoff game,” said PointsBet USA CEO Johnny Aitken. “During NBC’s Saturday Playoff Game, our customers experienced 100 per cent uptime and no suspensions on in-game spread and moneyline bets, which we believe to be the first ever result of this kind in the U.S. While this test focused on the spread and moneyline markets, it also showed a glimpse into the future of where we can take our technology over time and offer a completely differentiated experience when betting in-play with PointsBet.”

Since phasing in its proprietary “OddsFactory” platform this NFL season, PointsBet has reduced the amount of live in-play market suspensions by 40 per cent, halved the number of bets rejected by suspensions or price changes and increased the number of bets cashed out by 60 per cent.

“We have watched the integration of our advanced technology with increased uptimes as the NFL season progressed, and wanted the chance for a full test of our capabilities on spread and moneyline markets,” said Mark Hughes, Group Chief Operating Officer at PointsBet. “We selected Saturday’s NBC playoff game, knowing it would offer a bigger handle and higher number of bets placed, and we went for it. We brought the technology to market faster than we thought we could and created something for our clients that, until last Saturday, no one else in the sports betting world had accomplished.”

After the successful test run, PointsBet plans to refine its live betting technology, expand its offerings, and optimize the customer experience for the 2022 NFL season.

PointsBet is the official sports betting partner of NBC Sports, with integrations on the Football Night in America studio show and the Peacock Sunday Night Football Final postgame show.

PointsBet currently operates its sports betting product in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, Virginia, and West Virginia, with online casinos in Michigan, New Jersey, and West Virginia. The company will continue to expand its footprint and live gaming options.