Montana sports betting might not be ideally constructed, but the restraints of the market have necessitated some innovative technology.
Specifically, players can only bet in licensed sales outlets. However, they can use mobile devices, which calls for precise geolocation. That is where GeoComply’s new PinPoint technology comes in.
The product essentially must geofence thousands of individual locations within Montana. It combines specially-designed Bluetooth beacons with GeoComply’s traditional device-location technology.
The tech will be used across all Sports Bet Montana locations. It will initially be rolled out to 145 taverns in the state, with an expected 2,000 premises going live in 2020.
Taverns become books in Montana sports betting
“PinPoint is an innovative solution that essentially turns the entire tavern property into a sportsbook and provides an exciting new element to the tavern experience,” said Sam Basile, GeoComply’s general manager for PinPoint.
“Tavern owners will now have the ability to really leverage the exciting nature of app-based sports betting to create some interesting new promotional opportunities for their business.”
PinPoint will be integrated with Sports Bet Montana’s tech provider, Intralot.
Geolocation works but the odds don’t
Geolocation aside, it’s fair to say Montana Sports Betting has gotten off to an inauspicious start. In March, it became the 17th state to take legal bets, but the Intralot-provided odds were far from customer-friendly.
The spread on a typical game had -133 juice on each side. That’s equivalent to a 12.5% hold, roughly three times higher than the expected hold on -110 odds.
Combine those odd with the lack of true mobile sports betting and Sports Bet Montana will have a tough time competing with the black market.
Intralot is the same embattled provider that will facilitate the mobile product for Washington DC sports betting as well. The district planned to launch its sports betting app in March but decided to wait until sports return before flipping the switch on the oddly named GambetDC.