What must online operators do to win over Euro 2024 bettors?

More than one in 10 Brits said they are very or fairly likely to bet on the upcoming European football championship (12%). Another 10th are not very likely to do so, indicating some chance they might change their minds as the tournament, which kicks off in Germany on 14 June, draws closer.   

But how will these bettors place their bets? Half of them (50%) said they will use their mobile phones to place bets via sportsbooks. A slightly lower percentage (42%) will bet online via websites. Note that there is some overlap between these groups, bringing the total of those who will bet online to 81%. 

A 10% of all potential bettors will bet over the counter at bookmakers and a similar share will place unofficial wagers with friends/family (12%). About one in 20 bettors say they will use a self-service terminal in a bookmaker.

Given the dominance of online betting, it is worth looking at methods or strategies brands can develop in a bid to attract bettors to their sportsbooks. Opportunities to win over bettors certainly do exist, with 18% of potential online Euro 2024 bettors saying they would not consider opening a new account for the event.

Nearly two-fifths (38%) said tournament-specific betting promotions could get them to open new online accounts, while a third could be swayed by attractive sign-up bonuses (33%).

Free games could also score wins for betting operators, with 32% saying that special Euro free games such as daily free prize draws or free-to-play prediction games may win them over.

Loyalty schemes can also be a decisive factor (17%) as well as existing site features (10%).

Word of mouth is less of a consideration here than it tends to be for most other product and service categories, with only 11% saying they would open a new account due to positive reviews from other bettors.

There is also relatively muted interest in things such as personalised recommendations based on betting preferences (7%) and betting apps providing exclusive content such as star interviews or betting tips (7%).

Keep the offers coming

It’s clear that promotions and bonuses play the biggest role in winning new consumers over. But what happens if an online bettor’s existing bookmaker does not offer incentives of this kind? 

About a third of them said they would continue using the same firm even if it didn’t have specific Euro offers (34%). Roughly 15% expressed confidence that operators will have some types of offers running, while 14% will continue to use their existing bookmaker in addition to considering opening a new account to cash in on incentives elsewhere.

Only about a quarter of potential online bettors said they were likely to open a new account to take advantage of a new offer with a different firm without stating that they would continue using their existing operators (23%).

The data shows it is essential for online operators to keep delivering offers and bonuses to avoid losing market share.

Offers and incentives might be particularly attractive to new bettors given they are yet to develop brand loyalties or habitual usage of any operators.

Out of the potential online bettors group, 6% said they have never bet before, 9% have been in the sports betting game for less than six months and 12% have been in it for between six months and a year. 

Cumulatively, more than a quarter of potential Euro 2024 online bettors are either brand new or fairly new to the world of sports betting, making it crucial for brands to introduce and effectively market sign-up bonuses and offers.

Having worked for YouGov for more than a decade, Oliver Rowe has advised companies including Tesco and Barclays on their reputation management. He now brings that experience to a sector which includes the betting and gaming industry in his role as global sector head for leisure and entertainment.