LAS VEGAS – July 27, 2018 – Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ: SGMS) (“Scientific Games” or the “Company”) processed more than 177 million bets across all channels during the 2018 World Cup through OpenBet, SG Digital’s market-leading sportsbook. The platform’s success during the world’s premier sporting event indicates that millions of bettors participated in a seamless sports betting experience.
SG Digital’s goal of powering its partners with world-class technology was apparent at the World Cup, which highlighted the OpenBet stability and performance amidst high volume global sporting events. The number of sports bets placed per minute through the OpenBet platform for a single sportsbook operator peaked at 18,000. Globally, OpenBet powered a massive share of operators during the World Cup, reinforcing the strength of the platform.
The World Cup is one of the world’s biggest sporting tournaments and a flagship event for SG Digital’s sportsbook customers. This year’s tournament was exceptionally eventful with favourites such as Germany eliminated early, number of penalties, own goals and punters turning their attention to new teams. Operators saw unprecedented bets per minute through engaging in-play betting experiences enabled by the OpenBet platform.
Keith O’Loughlin, SVP Sportsbook and Platforms at SG Digital, said, “The World Cup is an undeniably popular event with global impact, and we’re glad to see our partners perform so well. Factors such as a favourable time zone, own nation’s participation and some of the favourites being beaten out early on have led to a great success story with our European customers, with some seeing peaks over 200 percent as compared to a normal Premier League Saturday. In proud partnership with operators, SG Digital’s OpenBet ensured the scale and flex required to ensure a truly entertaining experience for the punters.
“The added entertainment value of sports betting can be very powerful when paired with such a worldwide phenomenon; this signals a bright future for us and our customers. We look forward to creating next level performances for similar events in years to come. Further, we hope this year’s World Cup demonstrates our preparedness for growth in the United States as jurisdictions in the market begin to regulate. It’s an exciting time to be in sports betting!”