Colombian operator BetPlay has partnered with interactive payment provider TAPPP and satellite television provider DirecTV to launch the first in-broadcast betting experience available directly from a television screen.

The product, which went live on Colombian Division A soccer games last week, enables BetPlay customers who subscribe to DirecTV to open an overlay on their TV screens while watching a live soccer match and place a bet within the same screen.

TAPPP’s patented payment technology facilitates the transaction between the broadcast and BetPlay, within both linear TV services and DirecTV’s streaming platform for the first time.

Reflecting on the launch at SBC Summit Americas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last week, TAPPP Chief Executive and Founder Sandy Agarwal said, while the product has only been live for six games, initial data shows that 14.5% of people watching the games clicked, age-verified, and accessed the betting experience. Moreover, 6.5% scrolled through to see what kind of bets were available and 37.5% showed intent to bet by linking their accounts.

Agarwal also said that early data from trials showed that when viewers placed even a modest bet, their engagement with the game rose from an average of 10 minutes to 21 minutes.

The technology has the potential to revolutionize the way that bettors engage with sports and entertainment on TV, enabling a more intuitive and social online betting experience.

BetPlay board member Paola Echeverri said the operator hoped to see the offering expand across sports and entertainment programming. “A year from now, this is going to be a lot bigger, and it’s going to be a lot more entertaining and a lot more fun than we’re seeing right now,” she said.

“That overlay will hopefully have transformed into a new way of consuming sports and a new way of expressing your passion, which is what our brand is all about, betting on your passion. We are completely betting on transforming that passion in our customers and hopefully, with TAPPP and DirecTV, creating something completely new that we can’t envision right now, but that we completely feel coming our way.”

The project has taken almost 18 months to deliver after DirecTV accepted TAPPP’s proof of concept in January 2024. Describing the process as “very complex, business wise and technology wise,” Agarwal said it took a team of 60 full-time engineers nine months to deliver the product ready for launch.

However, with sports betting rolled out, Agarwal is ready to expand TAPPP’s innovative payments technology to multiple use cases. “We want to be ubiquitous,” he said. “We’ve taken practice swings with almost every sport. The platform is, in lot of ways, plug and play.”

TAPPP has received investment via two funding rounds. The first was in 2018, followed by a $10 million Series B funding round co-led by Accomplice and Verance Capital in 2022.

Other backers included Stephen Pagliuca of the Boston Celtics and Peter Tomozawa of the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Sounders. As well as Permit Ventures, London-based Oakvale Capital and ADvantage, which counts sports betting entrepreneur Laila Mintas among its venture partners.

EGT Digital is expanding its presence in Colombia. The Bulgarian provider’s casino content is now available to visitors of Betplay, one of the leading betting sites in the country. The slot titles made a very strong debut, immediately capturing the attention of players, according to representatives of the operator.

They added: “We are very happy to collaborate with a world-class company like EGT Digital. The thematic diversity, high winning chances, and attractive bonus options of their games have won the hearts of our customers. I believe that the provider’s gaming solutions will continue to unleash their potential and contribute to increasing our platform’s popularity among the local audience.”

Silviya Marinova, Director of EGT Colombia, also gave a positive comment regarding the partnership: “The collaboration with Betplay is a great success for us, as it gives us the opportunity to reach even more players in Colombia and to strengthen our status as one of the top iGaming providers not only in the country but also in the LatAm region. I am confident that we have laid the foundations of a very fruitful cooperation, which will bring many benefits to both parties and the players themselves.”

SYNOT Games has announced its further expansion into the Colombian market through a partnership with BetPlay. This alliance highlights SYNOT Games’ commitment to increasing its presence in Latin America and providing its engaging and innovative games to a wider audience.

Through this partnership, BetPlay’s online platform will feature a curated selection of SYNOTGames’ top-performing titles, including fan favorites like Aztec Jaguar, Diamond Fever, Realm of Lions, Respin Joker 243. This integration is designed to diversify BetPlay’s gaming offerings and deliver a richer, more varied gaming experience to its customers.

In addition, the company announced that BetPlay will be the first operator in Colombia to launch the SYNOT Progressive Bonus. This innovative, four-level progressive bonus game offers a flexible and premium gaming experience available to all players across all SYNOT slots games.

Kristína Ďaďová, Sales Manager at SYNOT Games said: “We are excited to team up with Casino Betplay as we expand our presence in the Colombian market. This partnership is pivotal for SYNOT Games as we look to establish a strong foothold in Latin America. We are confident that our innovative gaming solutions, including the new SYNOT Progressive system, will resonate well with local players and contribute significantly to Betplay’s offering.”

“Adding SYNOT Games to our casino offerings aligns perfectly with our commitment to provide our customers with the most entertaining and secure gaming experience. SYNOT’s games are known for their quality and innovation, which we believe will greatly appeal to our players and enhance their gaming enjoyment,” Geovanni Florez, Sr Director Product and Operations at BetPlay, said.