Why is a betting product that was developed in Austria to be launched in the UK? This is the question everyone asks Walter Grubmuller, an Austrian entrepreneur and the driving force behind "The Global Draw."
His answer is simple: "The UK betting market is one of the least regulated in Europe. Because it has 8,000 betting shops, the market is strong and if a product succeeds here it has huge potential internationally. The London Bookmakers Show on September 8 is a natural launch pad."
"I like the UK," he added. "I own betting shops here and have run my own race horses at UK racecourses. But I developed The Global Draw in Austria because the technology is readily available, of excellent quality and price competitive."
The Global Draw is a fixed odds numbers game that's simple to play. Players can select up to five correct numbers from the six drawn from a choice of forty-nine available with a maximum payout of £500,000. Two London betting shops have been testing both self-service terminals and over-the-counter bets and report impressive results (in some cases more than fifty times the amount staked on the locally produced product). Outside of the UK a lottery company is seen as a more suitable distributor, and it is anticipated that one operator will become the exclusive European agent.
The Global Draw is designed for a world market. Walter Grubmuller is the first Austrian to operate a private satellite uplink. The Sirius II footprint covers Europe and the Middle East and negotiations are in place to link the signal to other satellites covering Asia and the Far East. The fully automated, satellite distributed draw takes place every five minutes on every day of the year.
The prototype betting terminals, which use Austrian, British and American technology, can be adapted to any currency and language. The technical flexibility allows for the rapid development of a whole new range of fixed odds games as the world market develops.
One of the really exciting aspects is the ability to bet, not just on up to the next twelve consecutive draws from the one slip, but to make a variety of wagers including doubles, trebles, even English multiple bets such as Yankees and Super Yankees. Dr Barry Stapley, The Global Draw's Technical Director, points out that mark-sense cards have become an accepted method of betting since the launch of the UK lottery and the UK's pari-mutuel Tote Direct service for horse racing, and that helps customer confidence.
"The Global Draw is totally secure," said Stapley, who has developed betting technologies all over the world. "It has the advantage of satellite delivery, fast and responsive terminals and, most importantly, it is not a static product. As the market develops, so will the fixed odds games, which will keep the player in the shop and enthusiastic."
Future plans include making The Global Draw available in other selected UK betting shops and suitable international outlets.