Free-to-play specialist unveils ingenious new football game to improve fan engagement for rising-star operator

SportCaller, the leading free-to-play (FTP) sports-game provider, has rolled out a cutting-edge game, The Ladder, to instant acclaim and spikes in fan engagement for UK operator, Virgin Bet.

The game is the latest in an ongoing partnership between the pair, which began with the launch of LiveScore6 in early 2020. The Ladder is a live-quiz product, tailored exclusively to Virgin Bet’s thriving Sports base, which asks customers to test the strength of their football general knowledge and compete over 10 questions for a wide range of easily-attainable free bets or prizes which are awarded at the start of any given weekend.

In order to collect, players must submit their answers within a 10-second timeframe, as a live countdown clock unwinds for each question. However, true to the quiz’s easy-trigger nature, players can enjoy a helping hand from a series of Power-Ups which offer them valuable lifelines as they progress through the game. These unique features include Go 50-50 (taking away two multiple-choice answers), Free Pass (the answer is automatically provided) and Extra Time (extending the time permitted to submit an answer).

Incorrect participants slip down The Ladder for the day or week, while correct respondents are required to complete the full 10-question course to win their share of a big prize pool, or one of many other smaller free bets. The signature limited-time countdown, coupled to varied question-alternating functionality and a deep well of topical football data, guards against system-manipulation and improves the customer experience with its fun, intuitive gameplay.

SportCaller has also added live leaderboards, which update in real-time, allowing players to keep track of their performance and join in a daily battle for bragging rights against their friends or peers, thereby organically driving brand loyalty, repeat visits and core retention for Virgin Bet.

This innovative live-quiz product showcases SportCaller’s flexibility and capacity to deliver softer marketing functions with which to responsibly maintain player engagement and digital dwell-time. Accordingly, it constitutes another agile and timely component for the market-leading supplier’s progressive portfolio and marketing strategies for both leading operators and media partners.

Cillian Barry, MD at SportCaller, said: “We’re delighted to both extend and evolve our current collaboration with Virgin Bet by launching The Ladder. This general knowledge live-quiz format has proved particularly popular and versatile for operators and their players, not only during the lockdown but also as sports have returned. The pent-up passion among fans is palpable.

“Our array of games and mechanics now allow any client to offer a softer, and more accountable, means of keeping players engaged with their key products of interest. Indeed, this recent movement is part of a wider trend that’s very encouraging to witness – in that most of our games with Tier-1 operators in mature markets are aimed at securing retention in a sustainable and responsible way. It’s vital for our industry to promote consumer protection and education.”

Richard Leask, Marketing Director for Virgin Bet, added: “We’re thrilled at The Ladder’s immediate connection with our customers, as they pit their wits against each other on these rapid-fire tests of trivia. SportCaller’s live-quiz configurations are as engaging as they are simple to play, and this has quickly shone through in some impressive weekly repeat-visit rates for the game.

“SportCaller offer us flexible formats that responsibly sustain players’ attentions and allegiance, fostering long-term loyalty that comfortably outstrips those customers who have never enrolled in games like The Ladder.”

SportCaller has now launched almost 100 games across 47 countries and in 20 languages in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, Australasia and North America. In the past 12 months it has also rolled out 44 new games, doubling the total number of games offered across the previous three years.