European Football Championship: Insider reveals top marketing strategies of betting providers

The upcoming European Football Championship is an event of international significance. Millions of fans are expecting exciting matches between the world's best teams in the sport and are only too happy to cheer them on. This presents sports betting providers with a wide range of business opportunities, which is why they are beating the advertising and marketing drum. But how does it actually work? An insider from Sportradar reveals.

It is clear to everyone that tournaments with such immense attention as the European Football Championship are not just about sport. Large companies sometimes invest tens of millions in sponsorship, partnerships for merchandising or product labelling with logos and other promotions that are directly related to the event. The potential for customer acquisition and brand awareness is correspondingly huge. But there is also a lot of money to be made in the wider environment: Special offers for the European Championships, competitions, special theme parties or public viewing are typical.

Sports betting providers are logically extremely active at all levels during the four weeks or so of the event. This is because European Championships or World Cups always generate record turnover for these services (partly because a particularly large number of occasional bettors become active). Betano, a major Central European bookie, is at the forefront as one of the official sponsors of the European Championships. The cooperation was heavily criticised long beforehand and it was questioned whether a betting provider could be a suitable sponsor for the Euros? Advertising for sports betting at the European Championships is a contentious issue that has been smouldering for a long time.

Alongside Betano, almost all other bookmakers will be trying to get as big a slice of the pie as possible. Once again, attractive welcome bonuses or odds boosts for top matches are two of the most obvious ways to attract customers. However, there are many more tools and must-haves that bookies often organise into long-term marketing strategies. An employee of the Swiss market analysis company Sportradar (which incidentally also works with UEFA) recently revealed in the trade press how this works and which best practices are (or should be) followed.

This is how the marketing of betting providers for the European Championship is structured

►Around four weeks before the tournament kicks off

Sportradar's data on Euro 2020 shows that betting intentions among potential bettors increase around four weeks before the start of the tournament, as soon as the national fixtures have been finalised. Accordingly, some bookmakers are starting their campaigns early to capitalise on this growing interest long before kick-off.

►Investment in brand awareness increases

Sportradar says that operators who invest in brand awareness have significant advantages in acquiring new customers. Increased activity in this direction would create trust and increase the chances of winning bets by more than 20 per cent, according to the company's data. Target groups therefore tend to receive more messages from sports betting providers via relevant channels shortly before the European Championships. There is an increased focus on catchy media such as video and audio.

►More budget for more promotions

According to Sportradar, bookmakers increased their monthly marketing budget by a whopping 94 per cent at the last European Championship. This is also to be expected at the 2024 tournament, as last time they had almost three times as many customers in the four weeks of the event as in conventional operations. The investment is therefore likely to pay off immensely. For players, this means that they can expect a real battle in the market for the best odds, the richest bonuses and the most favourable service. In view of the potential, many bookies will accept a corresponding increase in costs or an increased risk of loss in order to be at the forefront of customer favour.

►More personalised promotions

Sportradar explains that those interested in betting with different requirements (should) also be addressed by the bookies in a specific or, at best, personalised manner. The company's analyses of Euro 2020 showed that 40 per cent of deposits came from active customers (who had placed a bet in the previous 30 days), 36 per cent from new customers and 24 per cent from occasional bettors (registered customers who have not placed a bet in the last 30 days). According to the Swiss analysts, all of these customer types have different experiences and expectations and would represent specific opportunities for further business in the long term. Bookies that know their players well would therefore approach them with highly personalised campaigns in order to maximise the number of deposits. The personalisation of advertising messages, bonuses and other marketing elements would be more efficient and targeted than ever before thanks to data and artificial intelligence (AI).

► Many bonuses shortly before the games

According to Sportradar, most first-time deposits at the last European Championship took place at 18:00 local time on match days. Overall, 176 per cent more initial deposits were recorded during the tournament than in the eleven months surrounding it. In addition, the average amount of the first deposit was 36 per cent higher than in a typical month. Accordingly, the target groups will be able to collect a lot of attractive bonuses, especially shortly before the matches. The bookies will ensure that they get as much as possible out of these increased turnover opportunities.

► When the German team plays, things really get going

Sportradar has noticed a significant increase in betting activity on match days in countries where the national team is playing: Data from the last Euros had shown that daily first-time deposits can rise by more than 70 per cent in a country whose national team has qualified for the knockout phase. In Germany, the volume of promotions is therefore likely to be particularly high when the national team is on the pitch. According to Sportradar, betting providers use clever automation tools that enable them to update their campaigns with localised promotions and messages at lightning speed. They will capitalise on the national excitement and anticipation of the games to drive target market campaigns.

►Data, data and more data

Sportradar expects the use of data for sports betting marketing to reach an all-time high during the upcoming European Championships. The bookies will use this information to organise their activities more flexibly and precisely. It is explained that at the last Euros, massive fluctuations in acquisition costs were observed at various stages of the competition, which correlated strongly with the progress of the respective local teams. According to the experts, these and other developments could be recognised or estimated at an early stage and used profitably by collecting specific information through real-time analyses.

Conclusion

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