Poll: Will voice-activated betting take-off?
This week's poll asks whether punters will take to a Siri-style bet placement function
This morning eGaming Review reports Unibet is trialling a new voice-activated betting product which it hopes to roll-out to customers in the coming months.
Still in early testing, Unibet admits it is unsure what kind of impact the product will have but says the ability to place bets via a Siri-like service should help improve user journeys on mobile.
For instance, trying to locate a market and place a bet on mobile just before the off can often be a frustrating experience for the customer, which ultimately results in lost revenues for the industry.
Unibet hopes the voice recognition technology will in the future also enable customers to place bets while simultaneously watching a streaming feed on mobile – at present customers have to close the feed in order to place bets in-play.
However, the product will no doubt have issues to overcome. Successfully dealing with background noise will be a primary focus for Unibet if the product is to enjoy widespread use.
And while betting has become a recreational activity, it remains to be seen whether customers will feel comfortable enough to recite their bets when in earshot of others, and as such its use may be restricted to the punters’ home and other private surroundings.
With this in mind, the week’s EGR poll asks whether voice-activated betting will have an important role to play in the future of sportsbook. Have your say on the right-hand side of the page.