Strategising iGaming Platforms for the World Cup

The World Cup serves as a significant catalyst for traffic on iGaming platforms. During this period, there is an increase in betting frequency and new audience inflow, creating an opportunity for product scaling.

Player Behaviour During Major Tournaments

According to the French regulator ANJ, the 2022 World Cup saw 54 million bets, a doubling from 2018, with the France-Argentina final generating €51 million in turnover. In Belgium, the World Cup period recorded 586,000 online players, approximately 43,000 of whom were new accounts. The daily player influx rose to about 1,500 per day compared to 500 before the World Cup. The average bet decreased to €15.63 from €17.15, indicating a surge in mass market traffic. Data from Kambi shows about 70% of turnover is from pre-match bets, 30% from live.

Impact on Betting Market

Aggregate statistics from BETBY's partner network indicate that GGR in pre-match bets can increase by up to 743% compared to the off-season. Betting frequency increases by 16-24% in the UK. World Cup 2022 bets accounted for approximately 7.2% of total French bets in 2022. The global sports betting market is valued at $111.2 billion, growing at ~11% CAGR. Global turnover on World Cup 2022 reached ~$35 billion, ~65% more than World Cup 2018.

Mechanics for Monetising Tournament Traffic

CRM Communications

The aim is traffic return and activation, a critical element during the busy match schedule. Key tools include push notifications and emails before matches, and real-time messages during games. Event-driven CRM communications can exhibit up to tenfold higher engagement.

UI/UX and Banner Strategy

The goal is to minimise the user journey to the bet. Core UI/UX solutions include a dedicated tournament interface, prioritisation of live bets, Quick Bet/One-Click Bet, match live streaming, and interface personalisation.

Banners include tournament hub banners showcasing upcoming matches and tournament sections, countdown banners effective two to three hours before top matches, live banners during the game, and cross-sell banners for casinos and quick games.

Cross-Sell Mechanics

These include free spins for bets, hybrid welcome bonuses, casino bonuses post-bet, and casino compensations post-loss using free spins, scratch-cards, etc.

Conclusions

The World Cup presents a short-term window for significant growth where products with high activation and retention speed succeed. The pivotal factor is not traffic volume but the ability to swiftly convert it to deposits, retain through product mechanics, and scale LTV through CRM and sportsbook-to-casino cross-sell.

Source: igamingceo Telegram