Design53 and Betfred launch an innovative iWatch app
You sure must have noticed that one of the must-have presents this Christmas 2015 was (oh, surprise!) the Apple Watch. Well hold your breath, now it offers the possibility to make sports bets via the app of one of the largest booking operators – Betfred. The latest addition to the Apple store was developed in partnership with a Manchester-based digital agency. The company is called Degree 53, read on to find out more.
The innovative app is a first for both – the developers and the gaming operator. They seem to have done a good job though as now players can enjoy an extensive list of features on their device, including cash out any available bets. Fancy that! We know Betfred’s dedication to providing an up-to-date service to their customer base, so this came as no surprise. The timing was good as well – the release was just before the crazy holiday shopping and to celebrate the new app, the operator gave away some Apple watches to the lucky customers who made at least £10 bet before the end of 2015. The manager of the company’s mobile portfolio, Stuart Magowan, advised that this app was specially developed for sports betting, but as the CEO of the brand, John Haddock, added – soon they will be adding horse racing.
To get you in the know, Degree53 is backed by Betfred’s founder – Fred Done. The design firm had a smashing year, acquiring big clients and growing the number of their employees to 50. Not bad at all. They serve customers of all walks of life in a number of industries, striving to “to deliver premium digital products and solutions for both consumer and enterprise clients”. Not many know that what is now quite a big player in the digital world started not so fat ago as part of The Sharp Project – a project by Manchester city council to provide affordable office space for rent to companies that in the area of IT. Degree53 branched out last year and got it’s feet under some serious gaming contracts, apps and software for pharmaceutical and financial companies. Founder Andrew Daniels said: “We’re committed to backing young talent in the city and have just welcomed our first apprentice. We’ve also recruited a university student as part of his Bsc software engineering sandwich course.”
The company started in 2011 and has been going at steady 20% yearly growth since. Whether it is due to the backing from Betfred or did it work the other way around – they got backed because of their talent – we’ll never know. But what’s important is the end result. We can safely say the two companies’ latest collaboration materialised in the iWatch app is something that all players who can get their hands on it will enjoy!