Scientific Games Introduces Their New OpenSports Sports Betting Platform

• OpenSports aims to simplify and streamline both sides of the US sports betting industry.
• Scientific Games will roll out OpenSports with their US-based partners.
• The OpenSports initiative will also improve SG’s overseas sports gambling products.

LAS VEGAS – The global leader in electronic and interactive gambling products, Scientific Games last week announced the release of their new OpenSports platform.

OpenSports seeks to leverage the company’s expertise, allowing them to design a top-to-bottom sports wagering solution. The OpenSports initiative seems largely prompted by the wave of sports betting legalization currently underway in the US.

Dubbed Scientific Games’ “unparalleled suite of sports betting technology,” OpenSports is built upon the core OpenBet brand, founded in 1996. According to the company’s (admittedly vague) press release, this new initiative is a major advancement.

“OpenSports signals the transformation of [Scientific Gaming’s] sportsbook product vision through an enhanced stack of solutions and speed to market delivery with player experience at the core of the proposition.”

This announcement comes on the heels of two major industry shakeups helmed by Scientific Games.

First was their 2018 partnership with Caesars Entertainment for sports betting in New Jersey and Mississippi. The second was their later acquisition of the Don Best Sports Corporation, expanding their footprint throughout the US and Canada.

Both of these moves have helped push Scientific Games to the forefront in one of the few gambling industries where they were not already a market leader.

The addition of the OpenSports platform folds these endeavors together, and competitors are taking note.

Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, Scientific Games is considered the market leader in the development and manufacture of digital slot machines, table games, iGaming assets, iLottery platforms, server-based gambling products, and more.

With its OpenSports product, the company is betting big on its expertise in gaming excitement, hoping that its new take on the traditional sports gambling experience will translate into big sales and a large market presence in the segment.

To that end, per its press release, there are five constituent pillars of OpenSports. These are only vaguely described by Scientific Games, and they all work in unison such that the end user does not need to know technical specifics about any individual aspect.

OpenBet – This is the core of the platform, built off of the existing and long-running software of the same name.

OpenPlatform – This is the player account and financial portion of the OpenSports betting system.

OpenTrade – This is an evolution of the Don Best acquisition, which “offers 360-degree managed trading services including pricing, odds, and feeds.”

OpenEngage – This is the UI or UX component of the system. OpenEngage promises “flexible and innovative interfaces” for mobile apps, mobile web products, and laptop/desktop computer experiences.

OpenAccelerate – This is the marketing arm on the service side of things. Essentially, sportsbook operators who wish to use Scientific Games’ OpenSports products will use OpenAccelerate services (design/marketing/QC) to help expand the reach of the sportsbook in question.

It is too early to tell whether OpenSports represents a fundamental change in the approach to online sportsbook management on the operator end or the user experience side. It is also unclear if this technology will include materially different wager types to push the industry further (as does rival PointsBet’s trademarked Points Betting product).

Whether or not this revamped legal sports betting suite of products translates into more US partnerships as states expand their gaming laws to include sports wagering remains to be seen.

But with their cachet already established, the well-respected, publicly-traded company should be making inroads on the heels of this latest commercial endeavor.

News tags: Nevada | OpenSports | Scientific Games