Perfect Picks the new social sports prediction game

During the last few years, the world has seen an increase in popularity of Social Sports Prediction and Pick’em Games. Players are enjoying the chance to enter contests, make picks, compete against friends, and even win prizes. Perfect Picks is one Pick’em app which is quickly gaining in popularity. Gamblers Post had a chance to talk to Mat Allen, the founder of Perfect Picks, to share his thoughts on the growth in the social sports prediction industry.

It is the summer of 2019 and while waiting for a flight from Heathrow to Belarus to attend a poker tournament, Mat Allen believes he has had a lightbulb moment.

“We have Facebook to share our life experiences. Strava for exercise achievements. Instagram for images. But there was nothing for sports,” he explains to Gamblers Post, the thought occurring to him having been mundanely scrolling through various social media apps on his phone in the departure lounge.

“There wasn’t a sports-based social app that allowed me to make game predictions and then boast to my friends about my successes,” he elaborates.

Allen is the owner of London-based software development company Grand Slam Digital Limited and, following this Terminal 4 epiphany, subsequently the creator of Perfect Picks, a sports prediction pick ‘em game he is hopeful can fill that void.

Having worked in the online betting and casino industry for almost 20 years, Allen is well placed to know what a positive user experience looks like in this sector and how bettors typically interact with sports betting apps.

“The role technology has played in sports betting since the turn of the century, from the exchange boom spearheaded by Betfair to the more recent growth in popularity of daily fantasy games on platforms such as DraftKings, means sports bettors have never had it so good. The choice is vast.

“However, sports betting apps are constricted to real money gambling and offer no social sharing element. They do not provide a way for users to boast about their successful selections or challenge their friends in any meaningful way.

“Winning in sports betting can earn you money, but it does not earn you peer recognition.”

Seeking recognition from our peers, colleagues, friends, or family, is human nature. I am certainly not alone in frequently checking the number of ‘likes’ my posts receive on various social platforms.

“Sports bettors who place real money wagers typically do so to make games more enjoyable to watch, seek the satisfaction of being proved right, and to understand if they are good, or bad, at predicting sporting outcomes. As well giving them something to talk about with others.”

Perfect Picks has been created with the aim to replicate these experiences, and if done well, Allen believes it will be immaterial that real money wagers are not involved.

While offering weekly £1,000 jackpot prizes, Perfect Picks is free to play.

“Much lower down the list of reasons for sports gambling is to win money. Most bettors realise that, in the long run, the house always wins,” he correctly identifies.

Sports pick ‘em games are a simple concept. Users predict a team to win, and in the case of Perfect Picks, also the winning margin. For example, Real Madrid to beat Barcelona by two goals, or Kansas City to beat Tampa Bay by 11 points.

Other apps launched before Perfect Picks debuted in the app stores in September 2020, they usually require users to predict player or other stat-based outcomes in addition to game results.

Ultimately however, all sports prediction pick ‘em games reward users for the accuracy of their selections, usually in the form of points.

“Beyond individual game results, we wanted Perfect Picks to allow users to compare themselves against one another and gain a world ranking based on the average of their performances over time.

“This required a consistent scoring system that measured users’ predictions in a uniform way across all sports. None of our rivals were doing this.”

All major Soccer competitions, NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL are currently offered on the Perfect Picks app, each with a 100 points-per-contest scoring model.

“This scoring model – I believe – is the successful foundation of the app.

“Irrespective of how many games are in a contest, regardless of the sport, the maximum score is always the same: 100 points. This breeds familiarity and comparability.”

And the social element?

“We have worked hard on how best to populate a news feed that brings the app to life. Just like more prominent, well established social media apps do.

“We provide users with regular contest alerts, both their own results and those of other players in their network, as well as ranking moves and league updates. Furthermore, users can share their picks and results on their personal social media channels.”

Allen explains that Perfect Picks users are offered the opportunity to compete in public leagues open to all players or create their own private leagues for family and friends to join. Alternatively, branded leagues are available for website, business, or podcast owners at no extra cost.

“In sports betting, no one is aware of your success or failure. It is a very solitary experience. And of course, it comes with the very real prospect of losing money.”

“Perfect Picks aims to offer the total antithesis of this experience, whilst still appealing to a largely similar target audience.

“It’s early days, but we are confident it can be a success.”

Perfect Picks is available to download from the App Store, Google Play Store and via the Perfect Picks website.