Q&A: Andreas Bardun, LeoVegas' new head of sportsbook
Bardun tells EGR how LeoVegas is aiming to stand out from the crowd with its new sports betting product
A flurry of casino operators across Europe unveiled new sportsbooks ahead of the summer’s European Championships.
While operators such as Mr Green admit its service is designed as a complimentary product to its core casino business, LeoVegas has lofty ambitions to make its new sportsbook “the market’s fastest and most engaging mobile sports betting experience”.
The company’s move to launch a sportsbook caught the eye of Andreas Bardun, who left his position as NordicBet’s head of sportsbook to lead LeoVegas Sport in July.
And speaking to EGR, Bardun says he plans to turn the offering into one of the fastest sportsbook experiences on mobile.
eGaming Review (EGR): Why did you decide to leave Betsson and join LeoVegas?
Andreas Bardun (AB): Myself and LeoVegas share the same ambition that sportsbook on mobile is the future. I feel that LeoVegas has been at the forefront of the gaming industry with a mobile-first approach, which I found very attractive since I know sportsbook is the perfect fit for mobile. It was a no-brainer for me to move over because I saw the potential for this brand to launch a sportsbook.
It gives me the pool to actually create my ambition of the future sportsbook so to speak. I’ve been working with sportsbooks for 15 years, and the growth in mobile is what has really made a difference in the last few years. The company that grasps that is the one that is going to succeed.
EGR: With a lot of established sportsbook operators in the market already, how is LeoVegas looking to differentiate its offering?
AB: In the UK and Nordic markets that we operate in there is a lot of stiff competition, but what we believe will really make a difference for us is speed. I believe speed is something that has been very overlooked. We know mobile customers don’t have the time or patience for very slow applications, so we believe by building the fastest sportsbook we can gain an edge over our competitors. What’s really interesting is that we are working on a project that will set a completely new standard for the speed of a sportsbook. In 15 years working on sportsbooks, I’ve never been so excited.
EGR: Can you tell us more about this project and how it will improve the speed of your sportsbook?
AB: I can’t really go into much detail right now, but it’s to make an instant sportsbook with no loading times whatsoever. We think it will make the experience like driving a Formula One car, while others are still on horse and carriage so to speak. It will make the experience so much more fun and lightning fast. That’s what we’re focusing a lot of our efforts on now. We’re hoping to introduce this faster service sometime during the autumn.
EGR: Why did LeoVegas decide to launch a new sportsbook in the first place?
AB: We’re not the first casino company to launch a sportsbook recently, and a lot of them did it in a hurry to get something out before the Euros. But we’re not here just to accommodate casino customers, we are a gaming company and I think this provides us with a full gaming portfolio. We’re not going to be someone that adds on the sportsbook and then hides it, we actually want to make a difference.
EGR: What is your target audience for the new sportsbook?
AB: We want to target the passionate sports fans, people who love talking about and watching their sport, and also those who want to have some fun. At the same time, we want to give all our current customers the chance to place bets on the sportsbook. We sort of have two target personas â people who like both sports and casino, and also the passionate sports fans.
EGR: What is LeoVegas’ marketing strategy and plans ahead of the new football season?
AB: We are still at that stage where we trying to acquire new customers as we are still relatively new to the market. During the Euros, we did some aggressive offers and that’s kind of the same philosophy that I always have, especially at the start of major events and the start of the new betting season â the Premier League – as I like to call it. We’re going to be quite aggressive around those with some really good offers for our customers because that’s the time that customers are most likely to switch over from another sportsbook and join us. You’re going to see some really standout offers when the league starts.
EGR: Are there any plans to develop the offering?
AB: I think our customers can expect some really nice add-on products in the near future, we’re always looking to improve our offering and there will be several add-on products that will be happening during the autumn.