GVC-owned UK bookmaker Ladbrokes has created a new accumulator bet that combines elements of Fantasy Football and Football Manager.
5-A-Side allows fans to build a team from any English Premier League match, with the bet also covering the UEFA Champions League, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga and French Ligue 1.
Players get to choose from one of six team formations and pick five from nine types of player to build their 5-A-Side team. By selecting a different statistic to bet on for each player, they generate an accumulator price.
The game was created after Ladbrokes undertook an extensive programme of research to understand how customers wanted to create bets based on player statistics.
Ladbrokes’ own in-house sportsbook team created the game in conjunction with two long-term suppliers, Banach and Opta. An algorithm developed by Banach powers the pricing of the product, powered by deep level team and player statistics provided by Opta.
“Our research shows that fans love following their favourite players throughout the match and this bet was developed with that in mind,” said Ladbrokes’ head of brand marketing Stew Townsend. “We wanted to create a product that centred upon player ability and Ladbrokes’ 5-A-Side combines elements of Fantasy Football and Football Manager.
“It means that just like those, fans will get rewarded for their knowledge and insight. It’s unbelievably fun to play and gives fans full control over what they bet on and tests their player-picking ability to the maximum.”
The launch of Ladbrokes’ 5-A-Side will be supported by a new marketing campaign in the UK across TV, radio, print and digital, plus significant activity in out of home advertising spanning all major UK cities, all pushing the campaign’s “An epic new way to bet” message.
Shares in GVC Holdings plc (LSE:GVC) were trading 0.19 per cent lower at 854.00 pence per share in London Friday morning.