Point to prove: How PointsBet plans to dominate the US market through in-play betting
Following the A$94m investment into PointsBet by Susquehanna Investment Group, PointsBet USA CEO Johnny Aitken talks to EGR North America about the influx of new capital and how it can help the Australia-headquartered operator realize its in-play ambitions
EGR North America:Can you provide a little more detail on the background behind the transaction. How long have you been in negotiations before a deal was struck?Johnny Aitken (JA):EGR North America:Can you tell me a little bit more about the work that will go on in the exploratory period between you and Nellie Analytics?JA:Sunday Night FootballFootball Night in AmericaEGR North America:What for you is the ultimate objective with this partnership? How will progress be measured?JA:EGR North America:Nellie Analytics is essentially a betting syndicate with a trading arm; any concerns about this from a US regulatory perspective?JA:EGR North America:In what ways will PointsBet’s Banach Technology business interact with Nellie Analytics as part of this partnership?JA:EGR North America:With this transaction, SIG becomes the largest single shareholder in PointsBet USA with a 12% stake. Do you have any concerns that SIG will eventually acquire more of a stake and look to spin the US division out from the main PointsBet business?JA:EGR North America:PointsBet is active in 10 US states but, in comparison to other operators, has a relatively small market share of the US market. In what ways are you working to increase this share?JA:EGR North America:How important is in-play betting to PointsBet’s US strategy and ultimately its success in the US?JA:EGR North America:Is this something you’ll look to expand into, say, Ontario if it proves successful?JA:EGR North America:In-play formed a major part of PointsBet’s US Masters betting offering; what learnings did you take from this period and how do you plan to apply them to other sporting events?JA:EGR North America:PointsBet is consistently linked with M&A, largely because of the trend among US operators to bring sports betting technology in-house, something which the firm already has. Does this constant speculation bother you as a CEO?JA: