Betting has never been a bigger part of the sport industry – and the influence of bookmakers only looks set to increase in the wake of this summer’s landmark deregulation of sports gambling in many US states, allied to a tech-driven explosion of new gaming products.
Sport Industry Group chatted to Matthew Porter, CEO of Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), and formerly chief of Leyton Orient FC – a position he held at the age of 26 – to get his views on the opportunities and challenges of a trend that’s transforming the sector.
Porter will be speaking at Betting on Sports on Wednesday 19th September about transforming fan enthusiasm for darts into betting interest. The three-day conference, which takes place at Olympia, London between the 18th and 21st September, will feature 250+ expert speakers from across the sports betting, esports, media and broader sports sectors. To buy a ticket click here.
What does darts offer betting companies as a sponsor proposition?
The popularity of darts has exploded over the past decade. It has a wide-reaching audience on a global scale, and offers world class sporting performance alongside outstanding entertainment. This produces a package that sponsors engage with on a level that reaches their target audience in a meaningful way.
Much of the development between the PDC and bookmakers has been organic, it’s not been forced. Betting companies are increasingly focused on their digital offering and darts provides lots of opportunities for innovative content, as well as access to a large number of new markets.
It’s a fast-paced sport for in-play betting opportunities, while the natural rise of the sport’s popularity both in the UK and overseas has resulted in frequent live TV coverage at attractive viewing times.
Do you work differently with betting sponsors compared to brand partners from other sectors? Any examples?
Not really, it’s about finding the right partner and working closely with them to help them achieve their goals from the partnership. Betting is our largest revenue generator from sponsorship, but we get a lot of traction from construction and DIY companies, food and beverage brands, as well as menswear and packaged holidays, anything that fits our demographic.
We find that bookmakers these days are really thinking outside the box. They’re not just hammering home that they’re best price on certain markets, they’re trying to connect with darts fans in a more subtle way. Obviously they want people to have a bet, but the campaigns are more integrated. The bet is the underlying message but it’s not the hook.
We’ve worked very hard to reposition darts in the market. We take ourselves seriously but not too seriously, and the players really buy into that. They know that they need to be relatable to fans and we’ve produced some really fun content pieces with them and our partners.
Betting brands have never been more prominent within sports sponsorship, generally. What do you see as the key drivers of that trend? Any instincts about the next big sponsorship trend?
As the global sports betting market changes, with more countries regulating and opening up new markets, the principal driver for bookmakers is live action and in-play. More people are placing more bets on more sports in more countries, and darts is at the forefront of that exposure.
Bookmakers are competing for a share of spend and will continue to create new types of products that can increase volume and frequency of bets. Advances in CRM will lead to an even deeper understanding of the customer and new opportunities for personalisation.
I believe that bookmakers will continue to look at sports that innovate and are contemporary, rather than those stuck in their ways who struggle to adapt to the changing landscape. Bookmakers understand that they need to be a part of darts if they are going to keep pace with the leading operators in the industry.
How have you evolved your integrity /anti-corruption programmes to keep pace with the growth of darts betting?
We have extensive internal education procedures in place, so the players know how critical it is to behave responsibly and uphold the sport’s reputation. The fact that darts came top of the list in the 2017 Sports Integrity Index, which measured the perceived level of integrity of the top 12 professional sports in the UK, is something we’re very proud about.
Our governing body, the Darts Regulation Authority, works closely with the Gambling Commission and betting operators to monitor betting activity on matches. The DRA also has a Darts Integrity Unit where anyone can report anything they find suspicious anonymously.
Has the SCOTUS / PASPA ruling had any bearing on the PDC’s long-term global strategy?
It’s something we are watching with interest. We do have one event in America at the moment, but that isn’t dependent on betting activity. We will monitor the situation and see how things progress, but we are enjoying tremendous growth in different areas of the world.
Germany is a huge market for us and The Netherlands will be massive when betting becomes regulated. There’s then Australia, New Zealand and Scandinavia. It’s a very exciting time for darts.
