In this month’s Trader’s View, we bring the second Grand Slam on the tennis calendar into focus, as players get set to play at Roland-Garros for a shot at one of the most significant titles in the sport.

Below, Kambi’s Head of Tennis, Philip Mardh, previews the event and outlines what Kambi will be offering from a product perspective during the tournament.

Q: What have been the biggest tennis stories of the year so far?

A: We have had a very interesting start to the 2024 season. Novak Djokovic, who won three out of the four Grand Slam events in 2023, has not reached the final in any of the three events he has played. It remains to be seen if he can find the level required to add another Slam title to his incredible 24 titles. The #1 player this season has instead been Jannik Sinner. The 22-year-old Italian has already won three titles in 2024, including the Australian Open and the Masters 1000 event in Miami. Carlos Alcaraz has been battling some injuries recently but was on fire at the Indian Wells event, generally considered the most prestigious event behind the four Slams.

Aryna Sabalenka managed to defend her Australian Open title but is still far behind Iga Swiatek on the WTA rankings. The Polish No. 1 picked up the titles in Doha and Indian Wells during the first quarter and has continued to dominate outside the Grand Slams. She has, however, not reached the semi-final stage of any of the last three Slam events and this has got to be a concern. A big story has been the success of Danielle Collins. The 30-year-old American has announced that 2024 will be her last season but has been in the form of her life lately, winning back-to-back titles in Miami and Charleston – and only losing one set across those events. This was highly unexpected and has made it to mainstream media.

Q: What makes Roland-Garros a unique competition?

A: Roland-Garros is the only Grand Slam event which is played on clay. Clay court tennis is very exciting as it generally provides longer rallies and physically demanding matches. The variety is something to look out for, with drop shots and using sharp angles a classic strategy applied by clay court specialists. With the serve being less dominant than on faster surfaces, we can also expect to see more breaks of serve at the French than at the other Grand Slam tournaments.

Q: Who are the most exciting players heading to France?

A: Are there any underdogs we should keep an eye out for in the men’s and women’s tournaments? Swiatek’s favourite surface is the clay and she has won the French Open three of the past four years. This makes her a strong favourite ahead of Sabalenka and exciting young American Coco Gauff, last year’s US Open champion. Among the outsiders, the above-mentioned Collins is someone to keep an eye out for. Seventeen-year-old Mirra Andreeva is another exciting player to follow. The youngster thoroughly enjoys playing on the clay courts and has the game to do well at Roland-Garros. There is no doubt that the top trio in the men’s competition is Alcaraz, Djokovic and Sinner. But there is a certain Rafael Nadal we should not forget about. The 14-time (!) Roland-Garros champion is very likely playing there for the last time and will give it his absolute everything to try and finish on a high note. We can just hope that 37-year-old’s body will allow him to battle the way we love seeing him doing. An outsider to keep an eye out for is the fast-improving Fabian Marozsan. Marozsan was ranked 413th on his 22nd birthday. Now, two and a half years later, he is into the Top 40! Over the past year, he has won against four guys ranked in the Top 10 including World No. 2 Alcaraz in Rome last year.

Q: What can Kambi partners expect from our offering? How can they get the most from the key markets?

A: The outrights have been online for a while and are updated frequently as the clay court season progresses. We will be adding player-specific specials on tournament progress during the week before the event starts. These will include top players as well as players that are big names in local markets. Tennis is a fantastic live betting sport and for a tennis bettor the smorgasbord of events available during a Slam is hard to beat. Apart from betting on the match and set winner, we see a lot of turnover on the game and point markets. Kambi’s unique Ace in Game offer is also proving popular. We are now also offering Break Point in Game, Total Games won by each player and Player A/B to win at least one set. All these are worth promoting. On the pre-match side, we are the market leaders on number of lines on over/unders and handicaps, the offers that are the most popular on tennis apart from betting on match winner.

Simon Noy, SVP Trading at Kambi, explores how harnessing deep network data is the key to unlocking greater returns for operators.

The fundamentals of the relationship between bettor and bookmaker have been broadly settled since the advent of online and mobile sports betting. The introduction of in-game betting and cash out in the 2010s heralded the advent of ongoing interaction over the lifetime of a bet, replete with more frequent touchpoints, though the core of the experience has remained fairly similar.

The growth exhibited by bet builder has been the most significant expansion of the core product to have taken place in recent times, with the most advanced giving end users the ability to combine bets not only within the same event, but also across different leagues and sports.

However, what Kambi is now observing across our partner network is a shift in user behaviour towards the kind of products only complex algorithms have the capability to properly deliver – informing the launch of Kambi’s AI-driven trading division, Tzeract. But before expanding on the revolutionary potential of AI in sports betting, it is worth emphasising the value of having a deep wealth of data to observe and inform sportsbook product strategy, and how to effectively marshal that data in delivering the fundamentals of a satisfying sports betting experience.

Harnessing the full potential of data

All the advancements that have been made and those that sportsbooks across the globe are currently striving to deliver place importance on nailing the fundamentals of trading and risk management.

No sportsbook wants to find their ability to offer products such as bet builder curtailed by an inability to successfully price and manage the risk of bets placed on large, inter-related combinations – a factor which is especially pertinent as player appetite for complex products of this nature grows. The challenge of offering advanced functionality such as multi-sport capability within the bet builder, by way of example, also represents a huge challenge at a structural and technical level. This is why so many sportsbooks fall short of the required standards. It needs a high level of quality in technology, as well as confluence of processes in data and product development.

To zoom in on that particular point, it is undeniable that depth of high-quality data, and the systems and expertise required to interpret that data correctly are foundational to the successful delivery of ever more advanced sports betting products.

This is equally true when launching into new markets. Doing so from a standing start, without a deep array of data to inform on everything from player preferences and favourite sports to the most effective bonus offers, is unlikely to be the first step on the road to long-term success.

Operators can benefit vastly from having a sportsbook with a global overview of player behaviour. A sportsbook receiving betting data from Colombia can offer that league to a higher standard to mature bettors in the US or Europe, to offer an example.

Kambi supports a partner network of more than 40 operators on six continents, offering us a more complete understanding of the user journey than any other sportsbook. When partners launch products with Kambi, they do not do so from a standing start. They do so with the full benefit of our years of operational experience and vast depth of network data to draw from.

Taking Brazil as an example, Kambi’s support of market leaders in neighbouring markets such as Argentina and Colombia means we can harness deep network data in developing a product catering to customer preferences across the region.

Every bet placed on the Kambi network is utilised to support and refine our delivery for every partner – regardless of whether that partner took the informative bet themselves or not. Each interaction an end user has with a Kambi partner enables us to construct a clearer picture from which to refine everything from the development of new products to our performance of fundamentals such as trading and risk management.

Many of these products are available as individual modules, such as the Kambi Bet Builder and our odds feeds via Tzeract. Where other feeds and standalone bet builders have been developed separate to the core sportsbook, presenting operational challenges such as incongruities in pricing, Kambi’s benefit from having the full sportsbook view.

The tight integration with the core product significantly strengthens the data and support afforded to modules such as the Kambi Bet Builder, while at the same time offering partners the independence required to fully leverage those benefits to deliver products their players desire.

No matter how the core sportsbook and associated products evolve, the core fundamentals to successful delivery will remain good pricing, which requires deep data and effective means of marshalling that data. Only with a vast well of data to draw from can sportsbooks effectively deliver the products end users want.

This article first appeared in SBC News.

Your monthly round-up of Kambi’s media coverage, including a landmark partnership with Choctaw, Tzeract’s agreement with kwiff and the launch of Kambi’s Tribal Report

David Bretnitz, Kambi’s VP of sales — Americas, gives his insight on in-house versus third-party tech stacks, and questions whether the ongoing industry debate is as binary as it appears

Should operators outsource their sports betting technology or build it in-house? It is a debate as old as the sports betting sector itself, deeply ingrained into the fabric of our industry.

However, it is a discussion that has become a hot topic once again in recent years, particularly within the US market, even though the binary premise of in-house versus third-party warrants further scrutiny based on recent trends.

The first thing to acknowledge is the myriad of challenges that come with running a high-performance sportsbook. Such technology ranks among the most complex pieces of enterprise and end-user software imaginable, encompassing a vast web of product intricacies, operational processes, offerings, and the regulatory management that accompanies it.

This complexity means not a single operator today handles all sportsbook operations internally. From Apple to Intel, companies in mature tech sectors often turn to third-party suppliers.

In the case of sports betting, every operator, to some degree, employs outsourced services, most frequently in the area of pricing, whether it’s incorporating third-party pricing feeds or utilizing an external same game parlay (SGP) product.

The real question isn’t whether to outsource or keep in-house, but rather to what extent one should outsource? And which elements should they be? This could include platform, odds compiling, risk management, sportsbook front-end, or player account management platforms. The degree of outsourcing varies based on each company’s strategy, but no operator operates today with a 100% reliance on proprietary technology.

Some operators take a limited approach to outsourcing, while others primarily rely on outsourced solutions. Yet some larger US operators have trended towards bringing more elements of their sportsbook technology in-house, this doesn’t imply these giants either need nor want to own all aspects. Bet365, for example, has begun to outsource several aspects of its sports betting portfolio. In the US, the market now appears to be reaching a stage of maturity where it is simply not economical for operators with their own proprietary technology stack to manage all elements of a sportsbook in-house.

These operators are increasingly seeking modular solutions to increase the quality and efficiency of their largely in-house sportsbook, evidenced by several top-tier sportsbooks outsourcing to third-party pricing, SGPs, and micro-markets providers.

Successful operators need to have a strong product throughout the whole sportsbook — from NFL to table tennis. For most, it’s difficult to develop a premium NFL product while ensuring all lower-tier sports and leagues are also market-leading. This is where specialist third-party providers come in, empowering operators to place the time and investments in their box office sports while outsourcing other elements.

This outlook on the future of sports betting informs Kambi’s ongoing product strategy. While our focus remains on pushing the boundaries of our full turnkey sportsbook offer, sought by most operators in regulated markets, we are also providing premium standalone elements for those seeking to elevate their sportsbook offering.

In Kambi’s case, the fact our pricing modules come from within a complete sportsbook with vast amounts of data means we can provide a top-tier product, boosting operators’ revenue potential.

In short, the debate between outsourcing versus in-house isn’t binary. It’s about finding the perfect balance and leveraging the strengths of both approaches. By working with the right partner, operators can build a dynamic and competitive sportsbook to compete at the highest level.

The above article originally appeared in EGR North America

One of the largest Indian Nations in the United States to utilise Kambi’s market-leading turnkey sportsbook on property and online in exclusive nationwide partnership

Kambi Group plc (“Kambi”), the world’s trusted sports betting partner, has signed a landmark multi-state sportsbook agreement with Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (“Choctaw Nation”), one of the largest Indian Nations in the United States, to provide its sports betting technology and services to Choctaw Nation’s gaming entities.

Choctaw Nation, operator of Choctaw Casinos & Resorts, owns a selection of gaming and hospitality destinations throughout southeastern Oklahoma and is the official and exclusive casino and resort partner of the Texas Rangers, Major League Baseball’s World Series Champion. Choctaw Nation’s flagship resort is located near the Texas border and in close proximity to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex with a population of more than eight million people.

The long-term deal will see Choctaw Nation combine its digital and ecommerce expertise with Kambi’s market-leading turnkey sportsbook with the ambition to become an online and retail sports betting powerhouse. Pending regulatory approvals, the agreement includes the scope to expand into multiple states.

The relationship with Choctaw Nation strengthens Kambi’s position as the sportsbook partner of choice for Indian Nations across the United States, with Choctaw Nation selecting Kambi for its proven online and retail technology as well as its collaborative approach to delivering tailored sports betting solutions.

Kristian Nylén, Kambi CEO and Co-founder, said: “This is a landmark partnership for Kambi with exciting long-term potential. Not only does Choctaw Nation have fantastic, well positioned gaming and entertainment facilities in Oklahoma, but its proven track record in developing successful digital businesses gives me every confidence that together we will create thrilling sports betting experiences for its players.

“Due to these exciting credentials, Choctaw Nation was an obvious partner, so I am therefore delighted it saw the benefits of Kambi’s proven technology and recognised our shared values. Trust remains paramount through each tribal partnership, and we look forward to delivering a best-in-class sportsbook that generates long-term sustainable revenues for the Choctaw Nation.”

Heidi Grant, Senior Executive Officer of Commerce for Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, said: “We are thrilled to have entered into a long-term agreement with Kambi. Adding Kambi’s best-in-class technology and custom player offerings to Choctaw Nation’s brand and market positioning, Choctaw Nation is poised to remain well positioned as the premier, full-service, vertically integrated gaming operator throughout our region.”  

—ENDS— 

For Kambi media enquiries, please contact:

pressoffice@kambi.com  

Andy Roocroft, Head of PR & Communications  

andy.roocroft@kambi.com   

Tom Lewis, PR & Communications Manager  

tom.lewis@kambi.com  

Peter Ranere, PR & Communications Manager  

peter.ranere@kambi.com  

About Kambi

Kambi is a provider of premium sports betting services to licensed B2C gaming operators. Our services encompass a broad offering from front-end user interface through to odds compiling, customer intelligence and risk management, built on an in-house developed software platform. Kambi’s 40-plus customers include ATG, BetPlay, Bally’s Corporation, Kindred Group, LeoVegas, Rush Street Interactive and Svenska Spel. Kambi employs more than 1,000 staff across offices in Malta (headquarters), Australia, Denmark, Philippines, Romania, Sweden, the UK and the United States.  

For more information and Kambi brand assets, visit the Kambi Press Office page, or follow Kambi on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.   

Tzeract to provide its leading Bet Builder product in the cutting-edge supplier’s first commercial partnership

Kambi Group plc (“Kambi”), the world’s trusted sports betting partner, today announced its AI-powered trading division Tzeract has partnered with kwiff to provide its powerful Bet Builder product to the innovative sports betting operator.   

The partnership represents the first commercial deal for Tzeract since it was officially launched as a standalone division earlier this year, marking a significant step forward for Kambi as it continues to expand its range of modular services.   

Tzeract will initially provide kwiff with its industry-leading Bet Builder football product ahead of the highly anticipated Euro 2024 football tournament, ensuring kwiff customers enjoy an unparalleled betting experience throughout the competition. Additional sports will be added during the course of the partnership.    

Unlike other third-party products, Tzeract’s Bet Builder has been designed to seamlessly integrate into an operator’s existing sportsbook and can utilise either the operator’s existing pricing or leverage Tzeract’s AI-generated odds. Working with kwiff, the super-charged betting operator, known for its proprietary platform, sportsbook and innovative modular tech stack, presented Tzeract both of these opportunities.   

Having powered football pricing for the Kambi network since 2022, Tzeract is on a mission to establish a new standard in sports betting by providing an indispensable service which empowers operator innovation and makes it possible to bet on anything, at any time.    

As part of the Kambi Group, Tzeract benefits from Kambi’s vast network data to inform its state-of-the-art AI-powered algorithmic trading capabilities in combination with increasingly rich sports data.   

—ENDS— 

For Kambi and Tzeract media enquiries, please contact:

pressoffice@kambi.com  

Andy Roocroft, Head of PR & Communications  

andy.roocroft@kambi.com   

Tom Lewis, PR & Communications Manager  

tom.lewis@kambi.com  

Peter Ranere, PR & Communications Manager  

peter.ranere@kambi.com  

For kwiff media enquiries, please contact:

Will Chrimes

public.relations@kwiff.com

About Kambi

Kambi is a provider of premium sports betting services to licensed B2C gaming operators. Our services encompass a broad offering from front-end user interface through to odds compiling, customer intelligence and risk management, built on an in-house developed software platform. Kambi’s 40-plus customers include ATG, BetPlay, Bally’s Corporation, Kindred Group, LeoVegas, Rush Street Interactive and Svenska Spel. Kambi employs more than 1,000 staff across offices in Malta (headquarters), Australia, Denmark, Philippines, Romania, Sweden, the UK and the United States.  

For more information and Kambi brand assets, visit the Kambi Press Office page, or follow Kambi on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.   

Kambi, the world’s trusted sports betting partner, is pleased to announce the launch of its second annual Tribal Sports Betting Report, featuring exclusive insights and data from Kambi’s growing tribal sports betting network.

Since the repeal of PASPA Kambi has become the sports betting provider of choice for tribal operators throughout North America, with partners including Desert Diamond Casinos, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment and Seneca Gaming Corporation.

Its position as the industry’s go-to sportsbook supplier enables Kambi to provide a snapshot of the current state of sports betting in Indian country and the direction it is heading.

Key highlights in this year’s report include:

• The continued growth of tribal sports betting
• The rise of same game parlays
• When bettors reinvest their winnings
• Betting activity on property for large sporting events

The report is available ahead of the 2024 Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention in Anaheim, where you can meet with Kambi representatives to learn more.

Please click here to download the report.

—ENDS—

For Kambi media enquiries, please contact:

Kambi Press Office 
pressoffice@kambi.com 
 
Andy Roocroft, Head of PR & Communications 
andy.roocroft@kambi.com  
 
Tom Lewis, PR & Communications Manager
tom.lewis@kambi.com 
 
Peter Ranere, PR & Communications Manager
peter.ranere@kambi.com  

About Kambi

Kambi is a provider of premium sports betting services to licensed B2C gaming operators. Our services encompass a broad offering from front-end user interface through to odds compiling, customer intelligence and risk management, built on an in-house developed software platform. Kambi’s 40-plus customers include ATG, Bally’s Corporation, Corredor Empresarial, Kindred Group, LeoVegas, LiveScore Group, Rush Street Interactive and Svenska Spel. Kambi employs more than 1,000 staff across offices in Malta (headquarters), Australia, Denmark, Philippines, Romania, Sweden, the UK and the United States.
 
For more information and Kambi brand assets, visit the Kambi Press Office page, or follow Kambi on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Your monthly round-up of Kambi’s media coverage from across the global media landscape, including the 2023 Annual Report and esoccer enhancements

Kambi Group plc, the world’s trusted sports betting partner, has today published its 2023 Annual Report and Accounts

This can be downloaded from the company website www.kambi.com or accessed via the PDF in this press release. The report is also available at https://www.kambi.com/annualreport2023/.

Key highlights for Kambi during the year include:

• A 13% increase in revenue to €173.3 million when excluding the one-off termination fee from Penn recorded in Q4 2022
• €25.2 million in EBITA (acq)*
• 10 new operator signings including Bally’s Corporation, LiveScore Group and Svenska Spel
• Seven partnerships extensions including ATG, Betplay, LeoVegas Group and Rush Street Interactive
• 60+ sportsbook launches across multiple markets in Europe, Latin America and the US
• Repaid the full €7.5 million convertible bond previously held by Kindred Group to give Kambi full control over its future strategic direction

*EBITA (acq) = Earnings before interest, taxation, Items affecting comparability and amortisation on acquired intangible assets

The Annual General Meeting will be held on 21 May 2024 at 14:00 CEST in Birkirkara, Malta.

For further information, please contact:

Mia Nordlander
SVP Investor Relations
Mia.Nordlander@kambi.com
Mobile: +44 (0) 7850 910 933
Office: +44 203 318 6279

Chris Stutzman
Investor Relations Analyst
Chris.Stutzman@kambi.com
Office: +1 302 603 5137  

About Kambi

Kambi is a provider of premium sports betting services to licensed B2C gaming operators. Our services encompass a broad offering from front-end user interface through to odds compiling, customer intelligence and risk management, built on an in-house developed software platform. Kambi’s 40-plus customers include ATG, Bally’s Corporation, Corredor Empresarial, Kindred Group, LeoVegas, LiveScore, Rush Street Interactive and Svenska Spel. Kambi employs more than 1,000 staff across offices in Malta (headquarters), Australia, Denmark, Philippines, Romania, Sweden, the UK and the United States.

Kambi utilises a best of breed security approach and is ISO 27001 and eCOGRA certified. Kambi Group plc is listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market under the symbol “KAMBI”.

The Company’s Certified Advisor is Redeye AB.

Kambi network benefits from Abios’ esports expertise, taking control of esoccer trading with further events to transition throughout 2024

Kambi, the world’s trusted sports betting partner, has elevated its esports offering with the integration of Abios’ esoccer odds product into the Kambi sportsbook platform. 

Utilising real-time data from leading rights holders and automated modelling overseen by an experienced trading team, Abios now powers esoccer betting for the Kambi network, with plans in place to expand Kambi partners’ access to Abios’ offering on events including ebasketball, Counter-Strike and League of Legends throughout 2024. 

Covering more than 6,000 matches a month and rising, Abios’ esoccer product is delivered to partners via the same trading gateway as Tzeract’s AI-driven pricing and Inspired’s suite of virtual sports products, and is therefore also available as a modular service to operators outside the Kambi network. 

Enabling a larger number of events to be offered and greatly enhancing the quality and depth of the offering, Abios’ product has already delivered strong revenue growth since launch with esoccer consistently among the top leagues by number of bets on the Kambi network.

Simon Noy, SVP of Trading at Kambi, said: “The integration of Abios’ esoccer odds product into the Kambi sportsbook platform marks an exciting advancement for our esports offering. Abios’ expertise in real-time data and automated modelling ensures that our network receives top-tier esoccer trading. As we continue the roll-out to ebasketball and titles such as Counter-Strike and League of Legends, we are confident that this will not only enhance the quality of our offerings but also drive further growth in the rapidly expanding esports betting market.”  

Oskar Bonnevier Fröberg, CEO and Founder of Abios, said: “With our roots in esports data, we’re very happy to be able to provide the models and trading capabilities to power dozens of sportsbooks across the globe with a reliable and accurate esoccer odds feed. As Abios’ trading capabilities grow, we can increase uptime and bet offer availability to esports while offering innovative solutions such as same-game bet builders and player props, catering to the fast and expansive consumer habits of the digital generation.”     

A Kambi Group company, Abios is the leading esports services provider to the betting and gaming industry, with over a decade of experience in providing operators with best-in-class data, odds and streaming capabilities.  

—ENDS—

For media enquiries, please contact:

pressoffice@kambi.com  

Andy Roocroft, Head of PR & Communications  

andy.roocroft@kambi.com   

Tom Lewis, PR & Communications Manager  

tom.lewis@kambi.com  

Peter Ranere, PR & Communications Manager  

peter.ranere@kambi.com  

About Kambi

Kambi is a provider of premium sports betting services to licensed B2C gaming operators. Our services encompass a broad offering from front-end user interface through to odds compiling, customer intelligence and risk management, built on an in-house developed software platform. Kambi’s 40-plus customers include ATG, BetPlay, Bally’s Corporation, Kindred Group, LeoVegas, Rush Street Interactive and Svenska Spel. Kambi employs more than 1,000 staff across offices in Malta (headquarters), Australia, Denmark, Philippines, Romania, Sweden, the UK and the United States.  

For more information and Kambi brand assets, visit the Kambi Press Office page, or follow Kambi on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.