The World Cup this summer represents a golden opportunity for betting apps with up to one in three Brits making a bet on the tournament, according to exclusive new research from Onfido. But while that will offer many of the industry’s key players a chance to capitalise, they could lose out if they fail to offer a good customer experience, particularly for first time gamblers.

The poll of 1,000 UK adults conducted in January 2018, reveals that while a majority will place bets online rather than in bricks-and-mortar bookmakers, many will not remain loyal to any one company that does not give them the right quality of service. More than half of all those betting will do so exclusively online; one in four will use both traditional shops and the rest will alternate between the two said Onfido’s research. One in four punters (26 per cent) say this will be the first football tournament they have ever bet on, emphasising the potential market growth for providers.

Nearly half of those surveyed – 46 per cent in all age groups, rising to 67 per cent of those under 30  – like to bet. This ranges from 13 per cent who bet every week across the age groups, to 23 per among those under 30. Many of those in the industry will see this year’s tournament as one of the biggest betting events of recent years, as the ease and availability of online gaming apps has never been higher.

Firms such as Ladbroke’s and William Hill, who are among the biggest bricks-and-mortar bookmakers, are also among the biggest online providers thanks to their established names and reputation. But online only providers, such as Marathon, Bet365 and Paddy Power, are also increasingly recognised by new betters thanks to their high profile marketing, PR and advertising.

Loyalty is key for many who want to attract – and keep – new customers. But Onfido’s survey also revealed that just 21 per cent say they are loyal to a single app provider. Overall, 16 per cent say they will switch to a different provider if the experience is better, a figure that jumps to 43 per cent of those aged 30 or under.

These new figures are revealed by Onfido ahead of the ICE Totally Gaming exhibition at London’s Excel Centre on February 6-8, the annual iGaming event which, last year, attracted more than 30,000 attendees.

Husayn Kassai, CEO and co-founder of Onfido, said: “This summer marks a watershed for the online betting industry. The World Cup in Russia is a high profile tournament for football fans, many of whom will be using it as their first foray into online betting. Our survey clearly shows that unless companies provide a reliable, easy-to-use betting service, new and established customers may not remain loyal for long.”

Onfido helps online gaming companies scale their businesses with a seamless, scalable and trusted customer onboarding process. With only a mobile phone camera, users take a photo of their government issued ID and a selfie and Onfido’s machine-learning technology verifies and checks the identity against other databases at the request of the betting provider.  Online gaming companies can verify new users with a trusted, easy-to-use technology platform.

Kassai added: “The 2018 World Cup is the time for betting companies to shine. Without putting the right solutions in place to keep up with customer demand around the tournament, online gaming providers could lose millions of deals and users. Onfido helps companies make customer onboarding easy and reliable, so online gaming providers can focus on the best deals and customer experience to keep betters loyal long after the tournament ends.”