Mark McGuinnes, a specialist in digital sports betting, iGaming and eCommerce marketing, talks about the new frontiers of betting, geared towards the eSport market and alternative sports such as Cricket.
The Betting Coach continues with its special editions dedicated to the global gambling market.
Interviews and insights in the company of the absolute protagonists of the sector, known in iGaming events scattered all over the planet.
On the occasion and with great pleasure, we met Mark McGuinness, to talk with him about new betting styles such as eSports and Cricket.
Here is our interview:
1-Mark McGuinness, for 22 years at the service of iGaming companies worldwide. Your useful work to help them find the right path through sports markets and new trends. What was your journey to date?
I’m from a family stepped in the land-based gambling industry. My grandfather was a street bookie and owned betting shops in Scotland in the early ’60s. Other members of the family worked in other forms of risk-taking, such as stockbroking, investment banking, and casino operations. It was, therefore, inevitable that when I finished University with a degree in Biology, that I would ultimately enter the betting industry.
So, my journey started in land-based with the Tote (now owned by Betfred) and progressed to the Isle of Man in 2000 as head of marketing with one of the first licensed online sportsbooks betinternet.com. I love the industry and have been working in it ever since.
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2-You are an esport expert; Passion and fun for video games as a new frontier in global business and betting. What does the market offer today and how do you think this phenomenon is destined to evolve?
eSports is huge and very few traditional online sportsbooks/casinos fully understand the space. eSports is the main choice of digital entertainment and engagement for digital natives or consumers in their early 20’s. They have been brought up with digital technology being fully online and mobile and are 100 percent connected to all forms of digital products and services. eSports provides participants with community-based skilled gaming. It is the total antithesis of sports betting which is passive and a solitary experience and a game of chance. eSports attracts millions upon millions on a single game franchisee such as Fornite, CS:GO and so forth – it’s the modern gladiator sport and fully tribal, with vast loyal, passionate communities. It is the new-age religion and for a land-based or online gaming company to ignore, well just let’s say they will become like the dinosaurs extinct.
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3-When we talk about betting it is easy to associate the whole system with sports like football, tennis and basketball. It happens less frequently to think of Cricket. What opportunities does this alternative market offer for the betting system?
Sporting interest is really driven by societal access at a grassroots level and the cultural preferences per population groups to particular sports. For example, Chess which I regard as a sport is very popular across Russian, Armenia and Eastern Europe. Likewise, Ping Pong is a hotbed across China. So, sport is can be parochial at a local, national and international footprint.
In regards to cricket, it is popular in India, South Africa, Australia, and the UK. Likewise betting on cricket has seen significant increases in volume especially during Live or in-play betting given the fast-turns of betting markets. Therefore, in order to consider alternative sports, one has to undertake basic research around sports participation rates, whether the sport is televised and the general content/accessibility and data integrity to an online demographic, before risk-managers could consider looking to offer betting lines.
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4-Cricket and its champions, true idols for the many fans in India, Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom. What growth prospects does this sport have on all continents?
Cricket has the potential to grow in popularity, like many sports. But it requires marketing investment and more importantly ensuring fans have the best entertainment experience possible. For example, Twenty20 cricket which is a shortened format of traditional cricket is fast-paced, dynamic and is really driving cricket participation around the globe, simply because the total gameplay is only a few hours.
Sport is an entertainment spectacle, but unfortunately, our free time as consumers are becoming reduced as we have so many distractions vying for our attention. Therefore traditional sports and games shall have to be shortened to appeal to our reduced attention spans, as in the digital economy we crave instant gratification in almost every touchpoint of the customer/entertainment experience.
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5-Digital marketing and advertising, many states have begun to prohibit forms of promotion of the game. What do you think about it? Do you think it’s the right way to block phenomena like addiction?
There has certainly been a shift in perception towards gambling advertising, which is very similar to how the tobacco and alcohol industries were perceived. What was perhaps acceptable 10 years ago is no longer tolerated in today’s society. I certainly support responsible gambling measures across the board, however, I would like to see more research into addiction and the root cause as addiction traits are deep-seated and more prevalent in our society. I used to work in retail, and online shopping is highly addictive, with consumers spending more than their affordability levels. This is just an example that businesses need to consider the potential psychological effect of their products and services and the potential risk of addictive predispositions.