Joe Huddle Interview with Jesper Søgaard, CEO of Better Collective

Impact of COVID-19 on Affiliate Sector

• Sports Betting: Sports went to a complete halt, affecting sports betting
  • Better Collective, a major sports betting affiliate, was impacted
• Casino: Growth due to shutdown of land-based casinos
  • Increased online activity
• eSports: Significant rise in activity
  • Acquisition of HLTV.org before COVID-19 outbreak
• Mixed impact: Pros and cons experienced
  • Resumption of football (e.g., Bundesliga) was beneficial
  • Focus on cost management to stay lean

Trends in eSports and Virtuals

• Virtuals: Rapid growth due to lack of real sports to bet on
• eSports: Persistent growth and conversion
  • Reached a new plateau in number of bets placed

Return of Football

• Changed Dynamics: No crowds, condensed game schedule
  • Home team advantage reduced
• Global Interest: Increased interest in German Bundesliga upon restart

Upcoming Events: Champions League

• Intense Period: Similar to European Championship or World Cup
  • Condensed game schedule might slightly reduce average interest per game
• Importance: Critical time for engaging users

Future Plans for Better Collective

• Healthy pipeline for mergers and acquisitions (M&A)
• Vegas Insider Relaunch: New site version set for NFL in September
• Ongoing Development: Continuous work with HLTV, post-acquisition

Outlook for Affiliate Sector

• Uncertainty: Need to observe sustained behavior from punters post-pandemic
  • Risk of a second wave of COVID-19 could impact sports again
• Overall more uncertainty and risk in the new world