While certain similar services will still be available on the operator's official website, the X-based service will no longer be supported
Sky Bet, a British-based gambling company, announced the end of the #RequestABet service. While certain similar services will still be available on the operator's official website, the X-based service will no longer be supported.
#RequestABet was an X/Twitter service that monitored customers' requests for certain non-existing betting options.
According to the official #RequestABet X account, the service has been discontinued and the inbox will no longer be actively monitored.
Our #RequestABet service is no longer available. This inbox is no longer actively monitored, so we are unable to respond to messages or requests through this channel.
The gambling operator apologized for the inconvenience and advised customers to direct their questions toward SkyBetHelp.
In the meantime, a range of RequestABets and specials will still be available on the operator's official website, the company confirmed.
The SkyBet #RequestABet account also changed its "About" description to mark that the service is no longer available.
The idea for such a service was conceptualized in 2012 when Sky Bet was flooded with requests for wagers it didn't offer.
A few years later, the operator decided to launch an official feature and, in 2015, #RequestABet became a reality. For almost a decade, the service allowed bettors and sports aficionados to request certain wagers.
However, as time went on, interest in the service declined.
Alun Bowden, the senior vice president of strategic insight at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, a gaming analytics company, said that the end of the service marks the end of an era. He suggested there could have been several reasons why Sky Bet has opted to discontinue the service. However, the expert said the most likely reason is Sky Bet's integration with Paddy Power, which might have made the promotion of the bet builder feature a priority.
Bowden regretted that #RequestABet is no more, saying that it was a remnant of a more fun gaming era when the industry took itself less seriously.
It was organic, often mispriced, even more often horrific value, always fun to bet on and felt like something that was interactive and more like a game than a sports bet. It changed how people THINK about betting. And now instead we have... bet builders.
Bowden admitted that bet builders are not the worst thing ever but said that they are kind of "boring" in comparison.