BetCity: providing iGaming players with instant withdrawals
Founded in late 2021, BetCity is one of the Netherlands’ leading online betting providers.
The company sponsors Jumbo Visma, an elite cycling team that participates in the famous Tour de France, as well as the Dutch football team Vitesse Arnhem. In doing so, BetCity has built up brand loyalty across the Netherlands, gaining 20% market share in online casino and sportsbook betting in the country.
The iGaming brand has grown from just 15 people and a ping pong table to a team of over 100. The ping pong table is still in the BetCity offices, but Leon Voogt, Product Director at BetCity, explains the journey from startup to established operator:
“We were one of the first seven operators to get an online gambling licence on the first day Dutch regulators began handing them out in 2021. Since then, we’ve built everything from the ground up, invested in an amazing Customer Support team, and have worked hard at becoming data-driven in all of our decision making. And, just as importantly, we’ve built a brand.”
The challenge
As one of the first Dutch iGaming providers, BetCity needed to quickly find and onboard suppliers across their operations.
While the company was able to get up and running quickly, one key service it wasn’t able to offer was instant withdrawals. Customers had to wait up to 24 hours to receive their winnings whenever they requested a withdrawal, and even longer at weekends. This often resulted in a wave of tickets for the BetCity Customer Support team to resolve.
“We realised instant payouts was an area where we were in danger of falling behind, especially when all operators in the Netherlands are trying to find a competitive edge wherever they can.
Leon Voogt
Product Director
Leon’s assessment lines up with TrueLayer and YouGov survey data. Across Europe, 55% of players would move to a provider that offered instant payouts and, most importantly, 28% of players would deposit more money if they could withdraw their winnings instantly.
In short, payouts aren’t a box to tick, but a potential driver of growth.
The solution
This realisation kicked off a hunt for a payouts provider that would enable those all-important instant withdrawals. Leon had two key factors in his search:
“One part of the equation is the commercial outlook. Is the solution cost effective? Will it cost a lot of time and resources to integrate and operate? The other thing is, simply, can I see myself working with a provider day in, day out? We have a strong network of suppliers, so relationships are vital.”
And with that in mind, Leon decided on TrueLayer as BetCity’s instant payouts provider of choice. After speaking with TrueLayer’s team, Leon felt confident that TrueLayer Payouts would be able to deliver everything the betting provider needed.
“The TrueLayer team, from day one, was communicative, transparent, and technically adept. I knew that we could work with TrueLayer, and that they understood our exact integration needs.
Leon Voogt
Product Director
And understanding those needs was critical. Integrations are understandably a fundamental part of adding a new provider to your payments tech stack. But Leon had very good cause for being extra diligent with his search for a supplier: BetCity needed to turn on instant payouts in time for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. One of the biggest sporting and betting events of recent years, and — at this moment in time — just weeks away.
The results
With the Qatar World Cup on the horizon, BetCity and TrueLayer set to work. Integrating with Bragg Gaming’s Player Account Management (PAM) iGaming platform — a key BetCity integration partner — TrueLayer Payouts were turned on in time for the big event. In total, the integration took just eight weeks from start to finish.
“I always felt like my needs were completely understood as we worked to this deadline. We wanted to shout about our new instant payouts capabilities from the rooftop, and I could always rely on getting timely and expert technical support from TrueLayer as the integration progressed. As I hoped, the integration was completed in time for Qatar 2022.”
And TrueLayer’s Payouts haven’t just been a success during a single major event. Leon has seen the choice to partner with TrueLayer as an obvious one:
“In hindsight, it was a no-brainer. We’ve had 20% fewer support tickets relating to withdrawals since we launched Payouts. That means fewer frustrated customers, which helps us build and maintain brand loyalty over time.
Leon Voogt
Product Director
The future
In 2023, BetCity was acquired by Entain, one of the biggest iGaming operators in the world, and has plans to capitalise on this new partnership, offering new experiences, fresh content and further engaging products to its loyal customer base.
“Still to this day, I can drop my contact at TrueLayer a message if I have any technical questions and I’ll get a swift response. It’s just a very easy and straightforward partnership,” concludes Leon.