Overcoming Technology Challenges for Sports Betting & Gaming

Humans have wagered since the beginnings of civilization, and that has not changed in modern times. However, what has changed is the use of technology. We can now bet or interact on any live activity which is most often captured in a live stream that can be distributed to any device anywhere in the world.

The challenges of using technology for live stream betting and other forms of interactivity have now been overcome using WebRTC technology. This was originally developed by Google as open source over 12 years ago and has made many well known video chat applications possible. LiveSwitch developed our own Software Development Kit that is advanced enough to provide the technology for almost any interactive live video application. One of the main factors that changed the world of streaming was the advent of low cost, ultra-low latency, interactive live streaming where a delay of around 100 milliseconds is below the amount noticeable by a human being. This means we feel and experience the interaction in real time even if it is across continents, enabling betting on outcomes right up until the last second of a game, race or match.

Imagine any camera focused on a sport or game - there are so many opportunities here to use technology. The audience wants to watch in high quality on any device, predict the outcome, and chat amongst themselves about the gameplay. This basic scenario can be replicated in an application with a central live stream layered with interactivity in many forms. The various forms of interactivity covers many things including:

• Bidding on a live stream (auction)
• Chatting (video, voice and text)
• Cheering (yes, we can assemble the virtual audience audio and play it back to the artists or performers!)
• Conversations which breakout to large audiences (like Clubhouse)
• Interaction with the players during breaks or the pre or post match
• Questions and answers (pub trivia quiz)
• Switching between different viewpoints (cameras)
• Voting or polling
• Wagering

The basic scenario of interactivity on a live stream can be adapted to so many uses that it’s impossible to list them all. At LiveSwitch we have the technology ready to turn your Live Stream into an interactive application, which can increase the audience size, create new revenue streams and bring new interest to the live content through interaction.