Sportsbook solutions firm FIRST has launched a new suite of products in time for the FIFA World Cup – UltraCup, designed to keep the entire tournament betting journey in one place.
The World Cup kicks off next Friday, 11 June, and operators large and small are getting preparations underway, whether in the form of marketing campaigns or product development.
UltraCup encompasses live group standings, knockout brackets, tournament outrights, pre-draw blind bets on matchups, and automatic bet builder boosts. The product has been integrated into FIRST’s FIRST.bet sportsbook.
The firm is billing its new product as “everything fans need to follow and bet the tournament in one place”.
“The World Cup is the one moment when every football fan is watching, betting and hunting for somewhere to follow it all – and most sportsbooks lose that player to a dozen rival apps,” said Tom Light, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FIRST.bet.
“UltraCup keeps the entire tournament in one place: live standings, knockout brackets, Outrights, automatic boosts and Blind Bets on matchups that haven’t even been drawn yet. Operators capture that attention from the opening whistle and hold it all the way to the final.”
FIRST expects the forthcoming World Cup to be a big one from a fan engagement standpoint. After all, the World Cup usually is, generally recognised as one of the biggest if not the biggest event on the international sporting calendar for bookmakers.
This World Cup is a different one, however, with a 48 team format meaning more matches to cover and more markets to reach, with some countries participating in the tournament for the first time in their history.
In FIRST’s case, the firm’s product will be offered to its network of operator partners of over 75 firms across Africa, Europe and Latin America.
The company’s plans extend beyond the World Cup, however. FIRST states that it will extend the UltraCup product for other major domestic leagues and tournaments once the international action is over.
