Technically complex? We just get on with it

Rutger Hogenhout has worked at Nederlandse Loterij for more than nine years. He started as Product Owner for Lotto and seized the opportunity within Nederlandse Loterij to move into sports. Today, as Technical Product Owner, he works with his team on TOTO Sport’s sportsbook, a technically challenging platform that brings together hundreds of thousands of sporting events every year. When the existing sportsbook no longer offered the speed and capabilities they wanted for players, the team saw an opportunity to build it themselves. “We thought we could do it better. But then, of course, you still have to prove it.”

From an idea to our own sportsbook

Previously, the sportsbook was managed by an external supplier. The team wanted to develop new features more quickly and have greater control themselves. For Rutger and his team, that meant taking on a significant technical challenge.

“We’d been saying for a while that this was what we wanted and that we thought we could do it. When the decision was made, I thought: brilliant, now we’re actually going to build it. But we still had to prove that we could.”

So the team started with the parts they expected to be the most complex. Within three months, they had a proof of concept. “That was when we knew: OK, if we can do this, we can do the rest too. We were given the trust to carry on and see it through properly.”

Making complex things work together

Within eighteen months, the in-house sportsbook was fully live. It’s an achievement Rutger is still proud of. “Beforehand, people would say: you don’t want to build your own sportsbook, it’ll take years. We did it in eighteen months. And we can see that it performs better than the previous version.”

According to Rutger, that achievement says a lot about his team. “The mentality is basically: we can build pretty much anything. Is it complex? Bring it on. We’ll make it work.”

Everyone also looks beyond their own area of expertise. Developers, testers and designers share ideas and challenge one another. “Everyone can have a view on each other’s work. Not by saying: this is bad. But by asking: could we do it this way instead? Or: have you thought about this? That’s how we make each other better.”

Live in a matter of weeks

As Technical Product Owner, Rutger is the link between Product Management and the development team. But ideas flow both ways. “We’re not a factory where the business asks and we simply deliver. It’s a real conversation. What developments are we seeing in technology? What can we do with them? And how can we use them for the sportsbook?”

Since bringing the sportsbook in-house, the team has been able to move much faster. “Sometimes we can take something from idea to live in two, three or four weeks. That speed, combined with the dynamics of sport, makes the work really interesting.”

That really comes together during major sporting tournaments. “During a World Cup, we have a dedicated group made up of people from different departments. If something happens, communication lines are very short and we can respond immediately. That’s when you really feel you’re doing it together.”

The freedom to do it ourselves

Working this way requires trust. And Rutger experiences that at Nederlandse Loterij. “Of course we align on things, but nobody is looking over our shoulder. The trust is there: you know what you’re doing and what you’re capable of.”

He recognises the same mentality more broadly across Data & IT. “People are genuinely invested in the product. There’s an intrinsic drive within the team. Ultimately, we simply want to create a better experience for our players.”

Technology that reaches players directly

For Rutger, it’s precisely that combination that makes the work interesting. “If you want to work with high volumes, performance and new features, while having a direct impact on the player experience, this is where you want to be.”

The organisation behind the product matters to him too. “Nederlandse Loterij contributes its proceeds to Dutch society, creating opportunities through sport and good causes. That’s an important personal motivation for me.”

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