Mobile sports betting has been a game changer in Europe. Bet shop operators communicate consistently with customers in a way that grows revenue.
The U.S. and Latin American are the frontiers for this technology, Neale Deeley, vice president of sales and gaming for SportRadar Group, told an audience at Juegos Miami.
SportRadar supplies data technology and sports betting data services. It also contemplates risk management, pricing and audio visual to market rights holders of various sports leagues.
Deeley, who’s based in Chicago, told operators and suppliers at Juegos Miami that mobile sports betting is a timely issue after the U.S. Supreme Court declared a 1992 law as unconstitutional and paving the way for sports betting around the country.
“That seems to be the only conversation people are having at this conference,” Deeley said. In addition to Juegos Miami, which caters to Latin America, Clarion Gaming also hosted GiGse at the Biltmore Hotel.
Gaming grew by 10 percent in the United Kingdom between 2016 and 2017 and mobile has helped fuel that rise, Deeley said. That trend is “very solid” and it’s well accepted that people like using their smart phones, he said.
“The drive for in-play sports betting has been driven by mobile and creating the demand,” Deeley said.
Mobile sports betting also contributed to the rise in wagering handle in Nevada, which, up until last month, was the only U.S. state able to offer legal full-scale sports books.
In 2017, Nevada sports books took in a record $4.87 billion in wagers and collected another record, $248.8 million, on those bets, holding a little more than 5 percent of all wagers.
Michael Lawton, senior research analyst for the Nevada Gaming Control Board, told Legal Sports Report.com in January that nearly every major casino and sportsbook in Las Vegas now has a mobile sports betting application.
Deeley said mobile wagering provides operators the ability to better communicate with their customers. It allows them to have a conversation.
“People are prepared to take a direct communication from gambling companies into their pocket, and that’s is a massive shift from where they were,” he said.
Communicating via e-mail with gamblers was like dealing with people on the Ashley Madison dating site, Deeley said. They wanted to keep their activities discreet and unknown to loved ones.
“They used it for activities that they were ashamed off or didn’t want anyone else to know about,” Deeley said.
Deeley, who has worked for William Hill, among other companies, said when promotional activities were e-mailed, the open rate was less than 5 percent.
“People didn’t want to talk to us,” Deeley said. “When you move to mobile, it’s like sitting next to the guy at the bar. They want to talk to you, and they’re prepared to open up and give access to push notifications on a constant basis.”
Maximizing control over that communication daily with clients is vital, he said.
Bettors want to hear about the opening line, as well as injury updates, team changes, line changes, and weather reports up to the start of the match. There are updates on scoring and gamblers are willing to have communications 10 to 30 times a day.
“Companies mastering that communication channel is huge,” Deeley said. “There are very few industries were the customer wants to talk to the business as often as they do in gambling space.”
Operators are designing “trigger events” on when to contact customers who also have the option of opting in or out.
“Operators know they’re going to bet on the game or know they have a vested interest in that game,” Deeley said. “I’m going to be able to touchpoint six times during that game, and they will be accepting of it. It’s a huge opportunity to boost revenue.”
It’s one thing to be accepted into someone’s pocket to communicate with them, but doing it too often is a risk as well, he added. The key is to balance of how often propositions can be put in front of customers.
In Europe, one feature helping to grow revenue is the “cashing my bet” option. The choice allows people anytime during the bet to accept an offer from the bookmaker to cash out rather than awaiting the outcome. It allows people to collect a portion of their winnings if they are leading and want to limit their losses if they expect to lose.
“It’s a massive innovation that’s only allowed because of the mobile device,” Deeley said. “They will look at (the device) multiple times during the game. Mobile is the perfect place to communicate with your client. It allows you to determine what kind of offers you put in front of customers, what kind of products and how do you get them cycling their cash on a faster basis. That’s what mobile brings to the table.”
As for mobile in the U.S. markets, Deeley said it will be driven by legislation.
“In New Jersey, you will see these products by the end of the year,” Deeley said. “We’re saying to legislatures in the U.S. that you have to bring mobile to the party. That is where the illegal market is today. To replace (illegal gambling), you need to provide the same channel with competitive products.”
