Q&A: Mustardbet CEO on the bookie's return to the UK

Mustardbet has returned to UK punters, with the bookmaker promising “tight margins, no account closures and re-betting just like on Pinnacle”. EGR spoke to Mustard Systems CEO Andrew Garood to find out more.

EGR Intel: Talk us through the concept behind MustardBet and why you think there’s a gap in the market for it?

Andrew Garood (AG): It’s a real gripe among punters that they are often limited in how much they can stake on an event and are regularly restricted to one bet in a market. Similarly, bookmakers habitually update their prices in an inconsistent and unclear manner, while also limiting successful customers with stake factoring and full on account closures.

We are seeking to operate differently by generating our own prices using proprietary algorithms combined with automated market-making. We took the decision to develop our own platform from scratch over the last three years ultimately resulting in the opportunity to offer non-generic, aggressive pricing across a range of different sports and a totally different betting experience.

EGR Intel: What are your unique features that will help you stand out in such a saturated market?

AG: Each bet placed by a customer changes all prices on that event, ensuring that there is a dynamic user interface which few other bookmakers can match. For instance, a bet on Chelsea in the 1×2 will move their price in, lengthen their opponent’s as well as impacting the handicap markets and so on. We also display on the market exactly what stake amount customers can have at that price and that amount is available to all punters regardless of their profile. If a punters bets the max, the price will move and he can bet the max again at the new price. There is no bet delay imposed for the vast majority of the match for in-running football.

EGR Intel: Who is the target audience and how do you plan to reach them?

AG: The greater granularity and accuracy in our price, the tighter margins to which we operate and the higher sensitivity with which our prices move is inevitably going to appeal more to the enthusiastic player. In terms of marketing, we are initially going down the price comparison and affiliate route, because we think our prices and limits can stand out naturally through these channels.

EGR Intel: Why did you decide to build your own platform/tech?

AG: We did reach out to the usual white-label providers, but ultimately they didn’t offer us enough control and granularity. We wanted to differentiate ourselves from the rather identikit platforms which bookmakers currently utilise. Building our own platform has become a cornerstone of our philosophy. By using our own models, we will also present the customer with the opportunity to bet on new markets not currently offered.