Cross-selling between sportsbook and casino players is a crucial marketing avenue for operators looking to increase their ROI. But what are the differences between the two verticals? What are the characteristics of sports bettors that play at the casino, and how can you effectively cross-sell between them?
Using Delasport’s own analysis to answer these questions, CEO Oren Cohen Shwartz explains more.
What are the characteristics of sports bettors that play at the casino?
To get a holistic view of our sports bettors to learn more about their interactions with our online casino offering, we have conducted a dive through analysis and looked at over 100k players across a dozen brands. In the segment we have included players that are active for more than three months and who bet 70% of their wager on sports, with the remaining 30% in casino. We found the following:
• The majority (43%) were between the ages of 26 and 35, with a further 29% being between 36 and 45.
• Live casino was the most popular with 46%, followed by video slots at 39%. RNG table and card games accounted for 8% of all play.
• Only 25% of the bettors played across both live and video slots.
• Live casino, roulette and blackjack were the most popular.
• Within all players analyzed, a majority of 59% played with combo bets, with 32% going with single bets.
• The Sports theme of video slots did not make a difference and did not create traction on its own.
• There was not a clear preference regarding video slots volatility. It was found that in general players in this segment tend to wager low.
• The average wager in live casino was 30% of the average wager in sports and significantly lower in video slots with 2.5% only.
How do sports bettors play at the casino?
As well as the types of games they play at the casino, we gained insight into how sports players go about it. For instance, we found a correlation between those who make single bets in sports, and on the favourites to win team/player. They typically play safer also in the casino. For example, stick with basic strategies in blackjack. We also discovered that more ‘loose’ players who bet on combo bets and on underdog team/players tend to take more risks also in the casino. For example, place inside bets on straight up and split bets.
In terms of video slots volatility, there was no distinct correlation found between slots volatility and the betting behaviours of sports bettors. In general, sports bettors have a more recreational attitude towards video lots, with a lower average wager.
Why it is important to understand the differences between sport and casino?
When it comes to effectively cross-selling sports bettors to casino, one must understand the sports bettor sentiment toward betting in general and casino in specific. The average sports betting enthusiast likely views gambling in a completely different light than those who play at online casinos. For instance, those who bet on sports are often passionate about them and are highly engaged in the sport that they wager on. They read and analyze up-to-date news and combine it with historical data. They incorporate a lot of knowledge that helps them decide on the bet and wager. Sports bettors are betting on real-life events, and in recent years, bet more in-play (while the game is on). Sports bettors also have more patience as they often must wait longer for settlement.
Conversely, casinos players enjoy immediate gratification as they play fast-paced games of chance that are available 24×7. Sports bettors may tend to find that a video slots games are rigged as they are full based on software and Random Number Generator and therefore not as trustworthy as a real-life sport event. For this sentiment alone it will not make sense to introduce to sports bettors to play a high volatility video slots game for the very first time.
How can operators cross-sell successfully sports bettors to casino?
Understanding sports bettors and the differences between sports events and casino games, we have found out the following key points for successful cross-sell activities
• Offer casino promotions over the weekend when there are relevant fixtures
• Offer to play the promotion of casino games when there are no relevant sport events, or during game intermission (in-play)
• Start with the 24-35 years old segment
• Identify players by their betting type (“persona”) and offer them relevant games and promotions
• Offer free best and free spins bundle
• Point to roulette and blackjack
• Offer free spins for recreational games like Starburst
• Offer cross-product engagement like tournaments that allow collecting points from both sports and casino wagering.
What should be considered as a good rate of cross-sell between sports and casino?
A company with a strong online casino cross-selling strategy should have the capability to allow players to seamlessly swipe between sportsbook and casino content. Casino games should be integrated right into the sportsbook so that players can make quick bets during pre-match or during halftime, time-out etc. The most important aspect of this is how quick and easy it would be to jump between sports betting and casino and how accessible and relevant the offering is. A good percentage for sports bettors who play at the casino will be 10% of total sports bettors. As the CPA for sports bettors is lower by 50%, this brings a great opportunity to reduce costs by inviting sports bettors to also play at the casino.
What else do casino experiences offer to sports players that may be new to them?
Gamification is something that is generally more developed for casino players, so bringing sports bettors into this world has a significant effect. Achievements, leagues, and tournaments let them feel like they’re part of a community while also encouraging healthy competition, resulting in a genuine sense of accomplishment when specific goals are met. Gamification in online gambling can foster stickiness (repeated visits and interactions), rewards, retention, loyalty, and can even train players on the usage of a specific product or platform.
Why is adding sports to casino important?
As online gambling and sports betting continue to become a mainstream pastime around the world, the competition only gets tougher, and the opportunities to find new customers become fewer. By examining the synergies between sports bettors and casino players, operators can provide attractive alternatives to existing players and harness the hard-won engagement already in place.
Adding a sports product does not cannibalize existing casino revenues but creates a new stream and helps protect existing ones. Casino operators that do not offer Sports risk losing players looking for a brand that offers to bet on both casino and sports. Our research has shown that the Sports market is very valuable, and operators should not miss out. For instance, sportsbook GGR in the UK alone is worth €2.3bn per year, €800m in Italy and €1.5bn across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Ontario.
What does it take to add a sportsbook to a casino operation?
There are several misconceptions around integrating and operating a sportsbook as a casino business. For instance, operators may think that it is too complicated and time-consuming to integrate and manage, that it is technically complicated to integrate in the first place, and that lack of sports knowledge and hence control is also an issue.
Fortunately, this is not the case at all. While we support complete turnkey solution of sports, casino and PAM we also offer a Plug & Play Sportsbook iFrame. From an integration point of view, one of the key benefits of a Sportsbook iFrame is that it is straightforward and quick to add. For this reason, we named it Plug & Play. It is mostly the same process as adding a new slots provider. Also, it is not a fundamental requirement to know about sports and the operational side of things. We provide all our partners access to a team of professional trading and risk managers who will oversee the whole operation for them.
What would you say are the key takeaways from all the above?
The iGaming industry is a fiercely competitive and increasingly saturated environment. More than ever it is imperative for operators to allow a higher value from their existing player bases amid the constant challenge of rising acquisition costs. Cross-selling between sports and casino is notoriously difficult with most operators struggling to do so in a meaningful way – but it doesn’t have to be. A deep knowledge of sports bettor’s sentiment toward sports and how they grasp casino games; What they like to play, why and how, and build the cross-sell activities around it.
A Sportsbook Plug & Play iFrame allows casino operators to get all the benefits of adding a sports product to their brand, quickly and without having to have technical or sports knowledge. The Sportbook iFrame blends seamlessly to the operator’s website, has the same colour, fonts, and other elements. The operator is in complete control over his exposure through limits configuration and reports and can enjoy adding a new revenue stream that does not cannibalize its existing casino one, with a lower acquisition cost and higher over time margin.