Live streaming technology has changed how fans experience live sports. Broadcasters have to make sure data is transmitted live without any delays. Latency is a key aspect of sports streaming and betting across the world. A 1-minute delay is enough to change the advantage of a bettor in both fantasy and traditional sports wagering.
Latency results in videos streaming slower than the real-time gameplay. This delay, when intentional, has a big impact on sports betting.
Latency in Streaming
It is almost impossible to eliminate latency completely, and most operators in the industry are competing on who has the least latency in live streams. Latency in online casino live events helps operators to broadcast quality footage and manage betting integrity.
In esports betting, the level of data is asymmetrical, meaning that one team does not have full visibility of their opponent’s match activities. This prevents spying on the opponent to ensure a fair match. To achieve this, operators such as Betway add a delay in their streams to stop stream snipers who hack into the opponent’s stream, giving themselves an advantage.
The added delay detracts from the punter’s gaming experience but is good for gaming integrity. In live dealer games, adding latency ensures all players receive quality streams and at the same time.
Betting Patterns
Latency can have an overarching impact on the betting patterns of online casino players. Traditional games which happened in real-time include in-game bets that casino players wager as the game unfolds. These kinds of bets depend on how fast data gets to the player streaming.
A delay in the video feed means a casino player will miss out on the odds feed and eventually miss a moment that could put them at an advantage. When two Betway players are wagering on the same match, and one has a latency of 30 seconds and the other 1 minute, the one with a 30-second latency will make better betting choices.
A single minute in a game can impact the outcome of a match and how odds change. For example, if a key player gets red carded, the casino player with 30 seconds of latency can decide to cash out before the odds change or change their bet on the player before the VAR check is complete. The casino player with 1 minute latency will miss out on the opportunity to cash out or change their bets before the odds change.
Betting Integrity
Live streaming operators have harnessed modern technology to keep latency to a minimum by optimizing every part of the streaming process. Latency is important in maintaining betting integrity and quality of streams, but can be damaging when done intentionally.
To continue upholding integrity, operators have to make sure there is an international agreement on delays, especially for traditional sports betting. For esports, operators must ensure all players have the same latency when streaming to promote fairness.
Conclusion
Online casino players always opt for operators who have the least latency in streaming. A low-latency platform positively impacts the betting patterns of players.