Exclusive: Rootz branches out into sports betting with its Wildz brand

Rootz has added a sportsbook to its flagship Wildz brand as the operator branches out from its online casino-only operation, EGR can exclusively reveal.

Wildz Sports has gone live in Ontario and in Rootz dotcom markets via its Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) licence.

However, EGR understands the sports betting product will not be going live in Germany, where the group holds an online casino licence already.

Powered by Altenar, Rootz has been able to customise the front-end of the sportsbook to provide some unique UX to customers.

The sportsbook will feature a streaming product whereby users can follow influencers and betting experts. For example, a stream featuring an NFL betting expert detailing their picks will then see their picks pinned in the streaming lobby for bettors to engage with.

There will also be chat lobbies where customers can share and talk about their bets, developing what the firm has called a “sports community”.

The blend of social and sports betting has proven to be successful, especially for Australian operator Dabble, which has positioned itself as a sportsbook with social media embedded within it.

Rootz is also aiming to replicate the simpler casino interface in the product, with markets to appear on tiles as opposed to the traditional spreadsheet-style layout of a sportsbook.

Wildz Sports will also feature a ‘For You’ tab where personalised bets will be pushed towards customers based on their wagering history and preferences.

EGR understands there around 15 staff now working full-time on the sportsbook, with plans to bring more talent into the business as the product scales upwards.

Rootz CEO Sam Brown said: “After several years of being purely casino-focused, we’ve decided to add sports. It’s part of a strategy we have to turn Wildz into a full portfolio super brand.

“It’s part of a longer-term strategy that we have towards using Wildz as our marketing machine in regulated markets or soon-to-be-regulated markets.

“It’s not going to be the sportsbook for the professional gambler. We’re not out there to lead on price. What we’re trying to lead on is a fun, engaging, casual sports experience connected to some very rich media that will hopefully keep players a little bit more engaged.”

Here, Brown delves into further details behind the journey from concept to launch of the sportsbook and his hopes for the new vertical.

EGR: How long has the idea of launching a sportsbook been in development for the Wildz brand?

Sam Brown (SB): I would say from the concept itself, it’s been nine months. In development, more like seven months. We had to do quite a bit of work at the beginning to create the concept and understand to what extent our current tools and Altenar could support the vision.

We still have a vision to develop some of the other more innovative features but like everything else we do, we take an iterative approach. We’re not going to go all in on something completely untested.

EGR: Why was now the right time to move into sports betting, given Rootz has been online casino only since launching?

SB: The first brand went live in 2019, and the idea was we’d be able to do multi-brand incredibly efficiently. It’s taken many years to prove and execute that concept. The reality and reason for the move to sports betting is primarily because customers have been asking for it. We always listen to feedback and for companies of our size, it’s harder and larger to leverage the value of new markets with casino only. Sports is a much lower cost acquisition tool.

EGR: Why was Wildz chosen as the first brand to launch sports betting in the Rootz portfolio?

SB: It still represents around 50% of the revenue for the business. It was our first brand. Wildz has one of the highest levels of brand loyalty and it performs very well in all markets. Not all of our brands are available in all of our markets, so Wildz was the logical choice.

EGR: Could you explain more about the ‘For You’ tab given personalisation hasn’t been fully cracked yet by sports betting operators?

SB: We’re seeing the ‘For you’ product in two ways. One is eventually what we can present to you. We have a bet of the day that is locally differentiated. And then alongside it will be a series of bet bundles. The idea of these is that they are packages of multiples and bet builders, which are desired to be fast and fun.

We can then collect the information and obviously make those more and more relevant to you. When we talk about relevance here, there’s the dimension of team, but there’s also the dimension of risk, pricing and sports verticals, whether you mix sports or solo sports.

If someone comes in and always bets 1×2 Liverpool, it shouldn’t be too hard to give them a half time, full time first goal scorer and bundle that up.

The second dimension is based on one of the key success points we have on Wildz which is the level up reward scheme, where you’ve got these infinite opportunities to level up. And every time you reach the next level, you get a chance to spin the machine and get some relevant rewards back to you.

EGR: Looking at the streaming and social aspect, Dabble has had a lot of success in Australia with this model. Is that a sign this can be replicated elsewhere?

SB: Yes, and eToro is another really good example of that. It’s really common to follow traders on eToro so that was also part of the inspiration. It was logically an extension of what we’re already doing in the casino space. We really like some of the other products that have executed on this idea. We think they are highly engaging and have a good chance of appealing to younger audiences in the future.

EGR: What are the expectations for the sports betting vertical in terms of revenue contribution? Are you aiming for a 50-50 split with casino?

SB: 50-50 we would love to get to. One of the most obvious comparisons that we could say is LeoVegas Group, which started in the igaming space and introduced sports, same with Mr Green.

In the first year or so, it has been around 15% and then drifting up towards the low to mid-20s. We would feel successful if we get to 20% to 25% in the medium term.

We’re not a sports-led business. We have 220 staff today who are all casino and we’re now building a sports team out. We have some learning to do, and we know that. We are, of course, bringing in talent to fill in the immediate gaps but we’re not in a rush to be a dominant sports-focused brand. We understand that there’s a very obvious wallet share win for us.