Taking the industry’s first esports bet in 2010, Pinnacle Solution (as part of the Pinnacle group) has gone on to raise the benchmark year-on-year for esports betting experiences. Underpinning this continued success, which has rewarded operator partners with new revenue streams, and Pinnacle Solution itself with much industry acclaim in recent years, has been a focus on consistent innovation.

Across every department, the supplier aspires to deliver partners with the tools to reap esports success. Product teams look to find ways to best acquire and retain esports fans, ex-professional gamers have been hired as traders, and account management teams are trained to consult partners on how best to succeed in the unique esports space.

All of these factors combined make for an unrivalled offering that has earned itself a clean sweep of top-tier awards in the last few years. These include two EGR Esports Supplier of the Year Awards in a row, four SBC Esports Supplier of the Year gongs since 2019, Esports Product of the Year at the 2022 SiGMA Awards, and various other titles on the B2C side.

Consistent Innovation

The broader esports team members at Pinnacle Solution have one thing in common: they all share a passion for esports. In every action taken, they look to develop the scene and experience of a pastime they love. What makes this approach different to others in the market is that they want to be a part of the esports community, as opposed to simply being an organisation trying to benefit from the esports boom on the fringes.

This builds trust with esports fans, teams, and governing bodies, but also ensures that they are at the leading edge of all innovation and changing trends in the esports ecosystem. Leveraging this knowhow means they can be first-to-market in bringing new titles to the space, new product developments, and launching new betting-first content, such as its widely-respected Pinnacle Cup series.

2021 saw the launch of the Esports Hub, a standalone esports betting destination designed to suit the demands of the esports fan first, not the sports bettor. With an aesthetic to suit and the ease-of-navigation that fits with the multi-titled esports world, bettors can find their selections quicker and enjoy live betting more. Operator partners who integrate with the Hub can leverage the benefits of an authentic esports product and the commercial success that goes with it.

Whilst it provides the foundation for esports content, the Esports Hub is nothing without betting opportunities that appeal to the uniquely varied esports communities around the world. This is why the esports trading team, which now accounts for around a third of the whole trading department, has focused on deeper and broader content in recent years.

Titles are consistently being added based on consumer demand and what works best as a betting experience, and the past year has seen a number of new games added, including mobile games Freefire, Wild Rift, PUBG Mobile, and many more. This is a rapidly evolving environment, and our trading team are uniquely suited to react faster to these changes to engage fans earlier than competitors do.

Partner Success

Innovation is one of the key reasons behind Pinnacle Solution’s consistent success, but it has been done with a purpose. Partners want to know that the product they are receiving is commercially valuable, capable of driving new revenue streams, and ultimately, profitable. The supplier’s progressive developments have focused both on pushing esports betting forward, but also with the core goals of driving acquisition, shoring up retention, and the gradual improvement in hold performance to achieve this.

With over 65+ partners globally seeing the performance gains that come from a straightforward integration with Pinnacle Solution, it is clear that this approach works across continents and varying operator business models. The esports audience is vast, and few know how to engage them better with quality content, higher limits, and lower margins than this supplier does.

Knowing operator challenges is another key differentiator of the brand. Leveraging over 25 years of operator success in the group has ensured that the supplier can hone integrations, APIs, and back-office functionality in the most pain-free way possible. Kicking the operator-supplier journey off smoothly is key to future success, and with a 24/7 team on hand to consult on any esports ops queries or requests, those who may not be as comfortable with the relatively new esports space have the peace of mind that they’re working with a team who very much do.

Just getting started

The team is proud of the success it has earned for partners in recent years, as well as the acclaim it has received from various industry awards, but realistically, the esports betting vertical is only just getting started. Market depth and in-play opportunities are still restricted by data availability, and lag behind what is commonplace in traditional betting sports, like soccer and tennis. Front-end services, such as Multi-View and localised streaming, are just coming to market, and the education of esports fans about how betting can be a compliment to their viewing experiences has a long way to go.

We are going in the right direction quickly, and a commitment to consistently innovating and adding value to end users and operators is the only way forward. There will be significant steps forward and minor iterations on the way, but these will all add up to something that does esports the service it deserves as one of the most exciting entertainment products out there today.