The cost controls of operating a sportsbook platform are viewed as standard procedures, yet could this current approach harm engagement with recreational customers?
This observation led to discussions on “the sportsbook experience of the Average Joe,” led by Bryan Bennett, former COO of Betfred USA.
By adopting standardised strategies to compete and scale in saturated markets, have sportsbooks become homogenous platforms that simply calculate the risk/reward of a customer, but little else?
“Everyone wants a strategy to engage casual players, but don’t we just end up defining who is sharp and who is casual?” Bennett questioned.
The observations hold a “certain truth”, according to Luka Maricic, the Head of Live Score Products at Superbet, regarding how sportsbooks initially engage their customers.
Don’t chase an outcome
“I often see a sportsbook believing that the customer has arrived because of a price or incentive. But the reality is that casual customers don’t compare prices or incentives across competitors.”
Maricic does not underestimate the importance of price or incentive, yet he states that there are numerous factors explaining why the customer has been activated.
“Everything should not be about optimising for the outcome that the bookmaker wants. It’s not linear; your customer won’t just double his bet. You need to get them inspired by your product.”
Analysing customer journeys with Superbet, Maricic recommended that bookmakers focus on individual trends, such as “how is the customer engaged when watching a sports event, and how is that engagement matched by your second-screen experience?”
Avoid a US scenario
Although sportsbooks seek to have individual engagements with customers, Bennett noted that casual players continue to be targeted as an all-round player segment. Can sportsbooks really guarantee a return on investment from casual customers on their platforms?
“If you’re relying on marketing, then you can forget about generating a return,” noted Rohini Sardana, CEO of Wisewager Ltd. “It’s a long-term play, and you need product quality, or you will lose the customer.”
Treated as a segment, ‘casual customers’ are considered to be ‘cost-effective and low-risk’ for bookmakers. However, in reality, most campaigns fail to activate these customers.
Sardana pointed to a fallout, particularly in the US market, where high-spend campaigns failed to activate casual audiences, leading to dissatisfaction with operators’ overall offering – “The US market taught us hard lessons in catering to these customers, as customer acquisition costs were unimaginable.”
Meaningful UX and Innovations
Though a challenging segment to cater to, Vladyslav Andrusenko, Head of Sport at GR8 Tech, views casual customers as redefining the sportsbook experience.
“We have seen many operators try to implement social functions that were very limited. For me, a second-screen experience has yet to materialise, and we are still in the experimentation phase.”
However, Andrusenko notes that “the player is not yet conscious of this, but it will be a key factor. Our research tells us that once onboarded, the casual customer is ‘trust-focused,’ wanting fast deposits and withdrawals, good support, and a seamless user experience”.
Yet as sportsbooks continue to evolve, focusing on engaging casual customers in meaningful and innovative ways will be key to driving long-term success. Tomorrow’s leaders will prioritise user experience, trust, and personalisation as key dynamics to build lasting engagement with this crucial player segment.
