Andrew Dagnall, CEO, Bettorlogic.

The sportsbook market is highly competitive and those who win the battle in delivering the best user experience will stay ahead of the competition. Euro 2020 and the Olympic Games in Tokyo are the two standout events that sportsbooks will be targeting to increase betting activity and acquire customers this year.

Understanding consumer behaviour is the way to achieve these goals and then adapting your offering for what people truly want. Thankfully rich data is in the hands of sportsbooks thanks to the sheer number of transactions bettors make and this can be used to shape a personalised consumer experience that is actually enjoyable to navigate. During 2020 we can expect the rise of light versions of sportsbooks as operators create a streamlined option for not just the UK, but the US and Africa as more countries regulate gambling.

Current landscape.

Today’s European sportsbook experience is very much a one-size-fits-all approach. Sportsbooks are wedded to what they already offer. It’s worth noting that there are considerations for sportsbooks as many depend on third party suppliers, which can limit creativity. The entire infrastructure is set up to leave much of the site redundant and too many hurdles to negotiate. At a Chelsea game over the festive season I timed my guest when trying to place a bet and it took a staggering nine minutes.

Our Bettorlogic research reveals the majority of sports bettors usually know what they wish to bet on before opening an app or heading online. Despite this knowledge, there are often numerous stages to pass before execution and bettors will look elsewhere if the user experience isn’t making life simpler – even if you’re offering the best price.

This time to place a bet can be cut significantly by removing unnecessary stages, markets and by focusing on the popular markets dictated from betting history. A step further is using geo-location. Currently if a bettor is in a country without legalised betting they cannot access the site, so why not turn this into a positive and use mobile data to work out which stadium a bettor is at, show them the right pre-match markets and then in-play depending on what stage the game has reached.

We’ve been through the market arms race thankfully where sportsbooks desperately set out to offer as many as possible. The idea being that if someone wishes to bet on a volleyball game, then they can. So few people actually want this type of niche market that it makes no sense offering it. Instead offer a gateway to the full sportsbook thus leaving a streamlined version for the others. Tailored versions of a sportsbook is the way forward.

Building a bespoke sportsbook.

Collecting betting history data on behalf of sportsbook clients means Bettorlogic can use this to create multiple streamlined versions to meet real demand. We know from data Bettorlogic has looked at on transaction history that for one operator 92% of all football bets were on just three markets, 1×2, both teams to score and total goals.

This data can be used to frame a sportsbook in a way that focuses on these markets by doing away with markets that slow down the betting process. This trend can be extended to sports as a whole and which markets and events within that market garner all the attention. If providing relevant choice then adding exotic bets or other events is more likely to be noticed. How often when visiting a sportsbook whether it is online or mobile, do bettors pay attention to the home page which is the most valuable real estate – not often I suspect because they know where they want to go.

US opportunity.

This strategy can be adapted for new sports betting markets too. The US market represents a massive opportunity for operators who play it the right way. The expansion of sports betting will continue to move at a rapid pace with at least a dozen more states reconsidering legalization, potential referendums in states like California and Maryland.

Currently US operators are heavily reliant on European providers and these overly complicated user journeys are made worse given US bettors disregard for most European markets. Soccer and Tennis are the only two markets that resonate across the Atlantic, so why offer a wide selection of markets which will never be looked at?

New US sports bettors need a well-defined betting experience. There is no point displaying Asian handicap markets as they simply are not understood. A lighter version of a sportsbook would be able to filter out these irrelevant markets and ensure much better traction and improved user experience.

How are these built to adapt to local markets.

Bettorlogic’s SportIT and Truwave have just finished building a light sportsbook for Betlion in Africa. Understanding the local audience and market nuances meant the partnership delivered a mobile sportsbook with low download cost and speed for Africa’s sports bettors.

Africa’s sports betting market has surged in popularity thanks to mobile internet, but is being held back by mobile internet speed and expensive data. Understanding the nuances of local markets means we are in a better place to deliver a suitable solution. Research has shown that nine out of the top 10 countries for data compression mobile browser Opera Mini are from Africa. 

Google has also launched its Google Chrome Lite browser to help users save on data costs. Google Chrome Lite has similar limitations as Opera Mini. Africa also has a huge number of feature phone users and most of the feature phones have Opera Mini or Kai OS browsers as default browser. Sports betting sites that are not compatible with these low data consuming browsers and feature phones miss out on a big chunk of online traffic.

Other challenges facing sports betting operators lie in the fact that the majority in Africa have launched sites using white label sports betting platforms – much like the US. This enables operators to quickly launch in the region, but has considerable limitations for tailoring your offering and ability to make changes to the user experience. This inability to shape individual brand identities and unique user experiences results in a wave of very similar sites without differentiation.

Platform providers have predefined web and mobile site themes to choose from which are not optimized in terms of page size, load time, seamless mobile user experiences, new channels such as social media and chat platforms. The result is higher page load time and average user experience, which contributes to high bounce rate and loss of customers.

This need to truly understand the market and audience before launching in a new market remains the same whether working in Africa, the UK or the US. Understanding the local market and what people want from the off means we can quickly deliver a product that will satisfy demand. It’s all about knowing your customer and moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach. Light sportsbooks are quick to build and can feature only what the customer actually wants.

Conclusion.

The customer is key and a one-size-fits-all approach is having a negative impact on sportsbook bottom lines. User experience is everything in such a competitive market and ensuring a site or app is simple to navigate is a major part of the solution. Light sportsbooks are the way forward as they are malleable enough to adapt according to change in customer preference on sports, market and bet type. There is an action-packed calendar of sports ahead and those operators which offer the best experiences will win the battle for acquisition and retention.