Bet365 is investing in a new platform to take it to the next level in terms of speed and technological advancement. Over the next 10 years, the privately traded sports betting specialists will be implementing changes on a daily basis to ensure they stay at the nadir of the online gambling industry. To carry out the platform reboot, a new R&D team will be appointed that won’t be tied to specific product launches and deadlines like the current team.
CTO Martin Davies understands that having the best technology in the business is of utmost importance. He added: “Fundamentally, when you’ve got any industry that’s working the way we work on the internet, understanding the technology is the key thing to knowing how you’re going to move things forward strategically.
“The difference is, in many industries IT is very much seen as a service, whereas in our industry – certainly in bet365 – IT is a key business driver, and that’s not true in many other places. That’s also one of the reasons why it’s so much fun to work somewhere like this.”
They’re hoping that the new changes will see them through to 2020 and beyond. With the way technology is developing, they may well have started a fresh system reboot before we hit five years from now. Hell, they’ve probably even started one off as we speak!
Grosvenor Casinos are trialing a method that aims to eradicate cheating from the firm’s roulette tables. Ipsotek’s system using existing CCTV cameras to notice when a player places a bet after the croupier has called “last bets.” It does so by detecting when a hand enters the betting area and places chips down. It will also look to stamp out “top-hatting” which is again a technique used by those attempting to cheat the house. James Ferryman, who researches automated surveillance systems at the University of Reading, commented that it’s like giving the croupier an “extra pair of eyes.” If successful, the plan is to roll the technology out onto blackjack and baccarat in January. By then there’ll be more extra eyes at Grosvenor Casinos than a sci-fi costume convention.
Heading back into cyberspace, Vernons.com has been selected as the flagship brand for Sportech’s affiliate program. Run on Income Access, the Sportech eGaming Affiliate Platform offers partners 50% commission until 2012 and will allow the company’s brands increased growth. Other brands under Sportech’s banner, such as Littlewoods Gaming and Football Pools, will also be able to experience growth thanks to new partnerships that will be formed. As the program enters the new year commission will drop down to 35% on casino games and poker and the program will endure there is non negative carryover from month to month.
