Samsung have penned a pan-European deal with Betfair TV, which will see these 2 companies working together to offer the world’s first sports-betting application on Samsung internet-connected HDTVs just in time for the FIFA World Cup 2010 kick-off.
Betfair TV is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Betfair Group — the largest online sports betting company in the UK and the largest bet exchange in the world — which launched the first successful betting exchange back in 2000. A licensed betting operator in the United Kingdom, Betfair has developed some advanced in-running betting technology which allows their customers to see the odds and place their bets in real-time even after the sporting event has begun.
Because live televised sport is obviously a main driver for sports betting, and because more and more television manufacturers are implementing internet connectivity on their HDTV sets (it’s predicted that by the end of this year more than 35% of all TVs bought in the UK are going to be internet-ready), combining live sports and an easy-to-use real-time betting application makes logical sense.
And there’s no better time to launch such an application than in time for the World Cup which is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world. Drawing upon their expertise in their respective fields, Betfair’s and Samsung’s software engineers have devised a user-friendly on-screen betting interface. Betting content and data are streamed over the internet directly from Betfair’s servers to the Samsung Connected TVs, allowing viewers to receive betting odds, spot the opportunities, and place their bets in real-time. All a customer needs to do to bet on live sports through their Samsung HDTV is to press a few keys on their remote control.
Commenting on Betfair TV’s collaboration with Samsung in this venture, CEO Simon Miller remarked: “Samsung are investing heavily in this (Connected TV) technology and we are looking forward to working with them to provide customers with a first-class entertainment experience.” Certainly Samsung Connected TV owners who fancy a flutter are in for a dynamic and exciting live betting experience as the World Cup action unfolds.