Betfred Brings on Free-to-Play Provider SportCaller in Colorado

Free-to-play sports-game provider SportCaller has earned the opportunity of partnering with Betfred USA Sports to fulfill part of another partnership deal that the US subsidiary of UK-based operator recently signed with the NFL's Denver Broncos. SportCaller has been tasked with launching an ongoing, free-to-play series of games in which customers of the site can sign up and have a chance at winning up to $1,000 worth of Denver Broncos merchandise and the bragging rights that come along with it.

It was just last month that Betfred signed a landmark deal with the NFL franchise. SportCaller gets the benefit of piggybacking on the Major League partnership while expanding its reach into the growing US market. It also gives the free-to-play provider permission to work with Betfred's increasing number of partners across the US. The move, according to a SportCaller statement, consolidates its "…position in the vanguard of a burgeoning North American market".

The Benefit of Free-to-Play

Free-to-play is all about maximizing a sports fan's total experience and contributing to a fan's ultimate game-day experience. Fun games not only bring customers to their site but also increase exposure for the sports betting brand and Denver Broncos in this case. The F2P games developed will likely be a large part of the activities at a Betfred-branded sports betting lounge outside of Empower Field at Mile High.

SportCaller’s managing director Cillian Barry is on record saying that, “F2P works well for a US market where on-the-go sports betting remains embryonic. The vast majority of Americans love sports and like the idea of betting, but there are gradations of familiarity and education to be cultivated. Free-to-play is the stepping-stone product of choice, providing fun, responsible fan-engagement opportunities across an ad-hoc sporting timetable still subject to the whim of COVID-19.”

Betfred's Gain

Not only did Betfred score in their partnership deal with the Denver Broncos, they also bring in one of the pre-eminent free-to-play providers to assist in the company’s goal of gaining a chunk of the market share in the competitive, yet still young Colorado scene. Betfred gains immediate access to SportCaller’s proprietary SCore platform, which has been identified as one of the top acquisition and retention tools in the business, to carry to other Betfred properties and platforms across the US.

SCore will also give Betfred USA Sports’ partners access to F2P content solutions for all major North American sports including football, basketball, hockey, and baseball, allowing the proprietary platform to expand and benefit a broader menu of Betfred promoted sports.

According to Betfred US Sports’ chief operating officer Bryan Bennett, “SportCaller’s F2P platform performs as an acquisition tool that activates fan engagement, with a weekly questionnaire awarding $1,000 of merchandise, by acquiring potential sports bettors. In an already highly competitive market, we were confident that SportCaller’s experience and past results were what was needed.”

SportCaller's Gain

SportsCaller is on the way up the ladder in terms of status in the exploding US sports betting industry. Aligning itself with Betfred in Colorado and working to promote one of the most recognizable franchises in the world is definitely a win for the F2P company. Its belief is that their technology is bridging a gap between operators, media companies and actual sports teams as the sports betting platform matures in the US market.

Cillian Barry, MD at SportCaller, said: “We’re thrilled to be huddling up with Betfred and their sponsorship ahead of the forthcoming American football season, giving players in Colorado a chance to win some exceptional merch on their local state’s illustrious franchise. Sportsbook marketing used to be about asking players for their favorite team on a registration form. However, with SportCaller’s F2P platform, you enjoy a deep dive into the drivers of any given player, allowing for hyper-personalized marketing communication for both new players and CRM techniques around existing active bettors."

The deal with Betfred adds to SportCaller's footprint in the US scene. In April, the company signed on with another Heavyweight, BetMGM to provide a series of daily trivia games in the markets where they have a presence. CBS and one of the two DFS giants in the world also use SportCaller products.

Leading the Way

The Denver Broncos are still the only NFL team with an official betting partnership – Betfred is just one of two. It likely means that others will be looking at this partnership as a model going forward and that both Betfred and SportCaller will be considered foundational pieces to such deals.

Betting providers have been serious about putting the best possible product out there for fans to enjoy. Betfred’s partnership with SportCaller is just the latest example of that. Look for more such deals in the future, for free-to-play games to become a bigger part of betting platforms and for companies like SportCaller to reap the rewards of their vision for the gaming industry.