Altenar has moved into the regulated retail environment after striking a new sportsbook software deal for terminals hosted by Belgian operator Golden Palace.
SBC News spoke to Antonis Karakousis, Director of Account Management and Service Delivery at Altenar, for more on when the deal started and the difference in gaming habits between online and retail punters, as well as how it has matched the solution to the “look and feel” of the Golden Palace brand.
SBC: When was your sportsbook software first added to terminals for Golden Palace? And why is this such a coup for Altenar?
AK: Our brand new retail software was added to Golden Palace terminals on 28 September in one gaming hall. A few weeks on, there are nine terminals in action across three locations in Saint-Ghislain, Aubenge and Oostende, and we hope to add more in the near future.
One of our goals as a B2B company was to successfully penetrate into a regulated retail environment and we are happy that Golden Palace chose Altenar for their future investment.
SBC: Is the integration limited to the sports betting shops, or has it been rolled out in the operator’s ‘gaming halls’ or casinos too?
AK: The integration is currently limited to sports betting halls. But the next step will be to introduce our sportsbook solution to Golden Palace’s third party partners such as book stores and gas stations.
The regulator allows the establishment of self betting terminals at such locations and we are confident that this will enrich Golden Palace’s presence in the whole country while it will definitely grow their clients’ database.
SBC: Golden Palace has a reputation as the ‘gaming hall’ leader in Belgium, but how big is the player pool on the sports betting side?
AK: The online traffic is still growing month by month and we are confident that the terminals will convert traditional retail clients to the online product.
SBC: How customisable is your terminal solution to the Belgian player profile?
AK: Our look and feel match 100% with Golden Palace’s brand. The user experience is improved and the content is customised for the needs of the local players. For example, Jupiler Pro League is always among the top leagues, while local specials and sports such as Formula 1 and cycling are properly promoted.
SBC: What have you learned so far about player habits so far from Saint-Ghislain, Aubenge and Oostende?
AK: There is definitely a difference in gaming habits between online and retail punters. On retail, prematch and large accumulators is still the most popular way of betting, while live and single selections remain the basic option online.
SBC: Are there differences from one municipality to another?
AK: It is too early to compare the differences between the municipalities. The data sample is still small but we hope to conduct such an analysis in the nearest future.
SBC: And finally, what is the future for the Altenar and Golden Palace partnership?
AK: Altenar and Golden Palace have established a strong relationship over the years. Combining our technology and work ethics, our goal is to help Golden Palace become the number one sports betting operator in Belgium.
