Samsung and Betfair in interactive TV online gambling deal

The giant television and appliance manufacturing group Samsung has inked an agreement with Betfair TV which will see the two companies partnering 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.
The timing of the deal is propitious, given the vast global audiences that the event attracts.
HDTVtest reports that Betfair has developed advanced in-running betting technology which allows customers to see the odds and place their bets in real-time after play has started.
Because live televised sport is a main driver for sports betting, combining live sports and an easy-to-use real-time betting application has become a goal for manufacturers and betting companies alike.
Samsung says that growing numbers of television manufacturers are implementing internet connectivity on their HDTV sets, with an estimated 35 percent of all televisions sold in the UK internet-ready by the end of 2010, and that this is a further incentive to team with betting companies.
Drawing upon expertise in their respective fields, Betfair and Samsung 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 a Samsung HDTV is to press a few keys on the 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.”

Related and similar