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Gaming America sat down with FlowPlay President and Co-Founder Derrick Morton to discuss how virtual betting will affect land-based and online operators. A key theme of the discussion was how the virtual ‘metaverse’ was going to impact the sports betting scene moving ahead.
Online gaming boomed during the Covid-19 pandemic and virtual sports betting took off in grand fashion. Although Morton doesn’t believe that the audience for this betting type will be as great as it was in 2020, he does believe there will be a ‘regrouping’ of this virtual betting demographic.
Large land-based operators have responded to new expectations with an increased focus on offering an omnichannel experience. Morton believes that retail operators are realizing the need to appeal to this audience and “have done for a long time now.”
He commented: “What operators are realizing is that they want to maintain that relationship once their customers are outside the casino floor. We’re working with Hard Rock now, and with the new Hard Rock product where customers can earn Hard Rock points when they’re playing the game online or on their phone.”
Morton further believes that the metaverse of gaming is far more widely consumed now, and what’s more, there is a keen focus on sports betting in this arena. He says: “I haven’t heard about much new upcoming online content outside of sports. Obviously, sports betting is opening up really fast in the US.
“In terms of pure online gambling and slots, blackjack and other table games, I haven’t heard of a lot else opening up in the five to six states that are active (with iGaming betting).”
The future of virtual sports betting looks bright for the US market, especially if operators take advantage of the popularity of client-based multiplayer games. The key is allowing for quick synchronization and communication between sports bettors as they place in-game wagers.
