Convenience and speed in accepting bets and paying out winnings have always been priorities for betting shops operating in the physical real-world space. Here we are looking at solutions specifically for such brick-and-mortar venues.
What Is a Retail Bookmaker Solution?
A retail bookmaker solution is software specifically designed to handle bets on sports and other events in retail betting shops.
Specifics of the Offline Betting Business
Offline betting solutions are designed to work with real people, cash, and bank cards. The software must be seamlessly integrated with the bookmaker cash system (a.k.a. cashier’s workstation) as well as a number of hardware components, which are not necessary for online betting: there, the only requirement is software enabling interaction with customers through a client interface connected to the back office of the vendor.
The differences between online and offline versions are significant because in online mode, the bettor performs all the necessary actions to place bets themselves: registering on the website and entering personal data, depositing funds via a payment gateway integrated into the website, and placing bets by navigating between web pages and tabs. Monitoring events also happens online via a user screen.
Offline solutions do the same, but with the involvement of a cashier or manager (one or several people can be responsible for these processes). Moreover, in offline mode, it may not be necessary to create a customer profile, but rather to simply identify the person and accept bets (in accordance with the local law). The bettor does not handle the cash deposit or place the bet themselves; instead, a printed ticket—produced on a laser printer or, more commonly today, on a thermal printer (similar to modern supermarket receipts)—serves as proof of the bet. This same ticket confirms a win.
Therefore, online betting means the bettor performs all actions independently via any Internet-connected device. Offline betting solutions for shops, on the other hand, are different. Offline betting involves direct interaction between the bettor and the cashier/manager, communication and socializing with other bettors (which can be an additional reason for a visit), and a higher level of trust in physical bets (since many people worldwide still distrust online transactions).
Main Components of a Retail Bookmaker Solution
An offline retail bookmaker solution differs from an online one. The solution for offline venues must be tailored for working with live customers. Therefore, features of offline betting solutions include:
- Cashier system for bookmakers, which involves accepting physical cash, calculating change, processing card payments via POS terminals, through e-wallets, and even cryptocurrency—all while the customer is physically present, so transaction processing time must be fast and the screen must be easy for work.
- Handling bet cancellations and refunds (if locally possible on the legislative level), as well as paying out winnings through the same mentioned methods: cash, card, wallets, and crypto.
- A CRM system for entering customers’ data and storing their history (and other standard functions), as well as for speeding up identity verification (bettor identification and age verification) in compliance with local legal requirements, managing customer profiles, and sharing data with fraud monitoring and anti-money-laundering systems.
- Hardware integration: facial recognition systems, passport scanning, fingerprint scanning (anything required by local betting laws), laser or thermal printers for printing tickets (possibly with QR codes or barcodes), TVs at the business location for broadcasting events in real time, displaying odds tables, and possibly showing targeted advertising, betting terminal software (for self-service to remove the queues on the spot), and CCTV footage for security measures and monitoring the time of client interaction and other events.
- Analytics, auditing, training, reporting, and other managerial modules.
Benefits of Using Advanced Solutions
Advanced solutions are always about faster customer service, better bookmaker POS system, and general convenience for betting shop staff, scalability (adding new locations for expanding businesses), tracking user actions in the system, and more.
Additional functions of advanced software include:
- When creating and maintaining bettor profiles, it is possible to offer personalized deals and odds to inform clients of these during their visit while they place a bet.
- The ability to integrate offline betting processes with the user’s online account to smooth and streamline the process.
- The ability to use the same software at multiple workstations, even in different locations, which standardizes work processes for corporate users as well as their enrollment, training, and reporting.
- Automation of bets and wins’ fiscalization and taxation (if such local requirements exist in the country).
- Encrypting data when transferring it to the server and enabling online data exchange.
Example of a Successful Retail Bookmaker Solution Implementation
In this section, we look at a case study from the Double Cloud. The company was founded in 2018. Its offerings include systems for customer analytics (big data and real-time), monitoring, and logging. The solutions are used in cloud, mobile, and gaming applications, in fintech, advertising, marketing, and education, for data visualization, and migration.
The company uses a BetBooster solution as a tool to improve audience engagement within its sports betting toolkit. It integrates an AI-powered solution for online match tracking and real-time data. Thus, technological solution for bookmakers incorporates BetBooster software as a functional component. According to pieces of customer feedback, various solutions have been used by the following companies: TripleTen, BeeTested, Pagali, Loja Integrada, Yango Tech, HoneyBadger, Spectrio, and Neon.
Future Trends in Offline Betting
Hybrid Betting Models
Hybrid models can involve a bettor being served both online and offline. Also, when a betting terminal is installed outdoors, inside the betting shop, or in other locations, it can perform the same actions. Even in offline betting, some processes will still require an Internet connection, and everything can be linked through the bettor’s profile, with identification methods optimized for their preferred service channel:
- On a PC, laptop, or phone, this could be a login and password or sign-in through Google/Facebook accounts (with or without two-factor authentication).
- At the cashier in a physical betting location, this could involve reading data via RFID by tapping a phone with the open app to the reader, or scanning a QR code at the counter with a phone and automatically sending the customer’s information to the cashier’s/manager’s screen.
- At a self-service terminal, this could be login via Google/Facebook, login/password, or tapping a phone/scanning a QR code, similarly to the cashier method (with or without two-factor authentication).
Use of Biometric Technologies
The use of biometrics is now gaining momentum, although the global implementation rate is still low in various industries, including betting shop software. Nevertheless, unique biometric identifiers can be used for fast and reliable customer identification: fingerprints, retinal scans, voice recognition, or facial recognition. This can be done through special scanners located at physical business premises, in self-service terminals, and, to some extent, through mobile phones and laptops equipped with such technologies.