Other major sporting events will be in full swing during the World Cup. How will this affect betting on the tournament in markets such as the UK and Europe?


In some ways, I think too much has been said about the time of year the World Cup is taking place. Tere are fewer sporting events happening in November and December than there would be during the normal World Cup midsummer period when from a UK perspective you have the likes of Royal Ascot and Wimbledon tennis clouding the picture. Te bulk of the English Football League continuing during the tournament will benefit the World Cup period for operators, with firms able to cross-sell bettors, especially those that like to place accumulators, to their World Cup markets and odds.


It will likely have a bigger impact on US operators, with the meat of the NFL season taking place and plenty of fast-paced NBA action still to play out. Te impact for me on World Cup performance in this region will be negative but that is of course with the proviso that soccer is not the top sport in the US so World Cup betting activity would always be secondary to their home-grown sports. Of course, in Europe and other regions like Africa and Latin America, the World Cup will be the dominant sporting event taking place so will provide most of the betting action throughout November and into December.


What acquisition strategies will we see around the World Cup? Will this differ from market to market? How can operators differentiate here?


Successful acquisition tactics will focus on the quality of the product and the overall wagering and entertainment experience provided to players. Bet builders are going to prove vital with players wanting to personalise their wagering experience and this product offers great scope for them to curate their bets as precisely as they require. For operators, they are a high-margin product that can act as a powerful differentiator when the experience is high-quality. At FSB we’ve recently partnered with premium sports data and odds specialists Ableson Info.


Teir famous Goalscorer Pricing and Settlement service allows us to offer a broad range of goalscorer derivative markets within our proprietary Create a Bet tool significantly expanding the reach of what can be offered within the product. Te likes of Bet Boosts and Price Boosts will also play a role but ultimately acquisition at scale will only be achieved by the operators offering a rounded, 360-degree experience to players and that comes down to having a superior product.


For me, the era of wall-to-wall, big bonus marketing has come to an end. Perhaps the 2018 World Cup was the closing bookmark on that kind of landscape in the UK and since then we’ve seen our industry come to understand that self-regulation and Responsible Gambling practices should be integral to its identity.


Since the 2018 World Cup I think the industry has been more considered on how it represents itself and the messages that are communicated to fans, bettors, and the general public at large.


Chris Graham Head of Marketing FSB


“Since the 2018 World Cup I think the industry has been more considered on how it represents itself and the messages that are


communicated to fans,


bettors, and the general public at large. Bonuses and


promotions will still play a part in acquisition and retention campaigns, but any offer must be underpinned by a world- class product and especially for operators in established


markets such as the UK where players are mature and know exactly what they are looking for.”


Bonuses and promotions will still play a part in acquisition and retention campaigns, but any offer must be underpinned by a world-class product and especially for operators in established markets such as the UK where players are mature and know exactly what they are looking for.


What should operators be doing when it comes to retention? Is it all about big bonuses?


Retention comes down to the quality of the product and experience offered. If it is not up to scratch, bettors will simply wager elsewhere. Of course, operators need to incentivise players to return day after day and the World Cup provides the ideal format for this with four games back-to-back each day for the first two weeks.


Operators that can combine a quality product with smart, automated bonusing within this fast-moving tournament are well-placed to retain customers at scale. It comes down to


WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS P29


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