Poll: What impact will partial cash out have on in-play?
With a number of operators set to follow in bet365's footsteps, how much of a boost will partial cash out give to in-play revenues?
During one of the biggest weeks in the online gambling sector’s calendar bet365 quietly unveiled its partial cash out functionality becoming the first operator to go live with the much-anticipated feature.
The operator is believed to be the first to launch the facility, beating rivals Betfair and Paddy Power who recently announced plans to introduce a similar capability later this year.
Bet365 released its original version of cash out in late 2013 on selected markets after the concept was first conceived by the now defunct IG Index sports betting subsidiary extrabet back in 2008.
Betfair, Paddy Power, Coral, William Hill and, more recently, Betway have all launched a cash out feature built within their respective sportsbooks, leading to a substantial increase in in-play betting activity.
But can partial cash out take in-play betting revenues to the next level?
Partial cash out gives customers greater control over their sports wagers by enabling them to close a proportion of their bet while keeping the remainder open.
The hope is the money will then be recycled for further bets and reduce the liability for the operators, giving a potential win/win scenario for sportsbook operators.
But will it be the next big thing or only make a small impact on the sector?