Kambi data shows soaring bet builder popularity in 2024
Supplier’s figures show both pre-match and in-play bet builders have continued to grab customers’ attention, while number of legs is ramping up compared to previous years
Kambi has reported an increase in the popularity of bet builders across its operator network during 2024, with product accounting for more than 30% of NFL pre-match bets in December.
Data collated in the firm’s sports betting trends report for 2024 showed players were more inclined to create more complex bet builders with multiple legs when compared to previous years.
Kambi said nearly 30% of bet builders placed in 2024 had five or more legs, compared to 5% for the back in 2021.
The supplier added that just under 40% of bet builders were made up of two legs, as opposed to 2021 when 70% of bet builders placed had just two legs.
Kambi noted pre-match bet builders continued to grow but “at a slower rate than previous years for certain major sports”.
The firm said pre-match turnover derived from bet builders peaked during the NBA and NFL play-offs last year.
The product’s rising popularity was also felt during the major football tournaments that took place in 2024 in the form of Euro 2024 and the Copa América.
For the Euros, 32% of pre-match bets placed were bet builders, nearly triple the 11% recorded for the previous tournament in 2021.
For the Copa América, 39% of pre-match bets came in the form of bet builders, up from 17% in 2021.
Across the year, a larger percentage of live bets placed came in the form of bet builders when compared to 2023.
Kambi’s live bet builder was most popular during February 2024, coinciding with the NFL playoffs.
During the month, bet builders’ share of live bets more than doubled, rising from 5% in February 2023 to 11% in the same month in 2024.
In the US and Canada, basketball was the most popular sport for Kambi customers when analysing the number of bets placed, followed by American football, baseball, football and tennis.
American football dominated the most popular betting events in the region, with Super Bowl LVIII, the NFC Championship and AFC Championship making up the top three.
The divisional playoff fixtures between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, and the Green Bay Packers versus the San Francisco 49ers rounded out the top five.
Super Bowl LVIII was also the most popular event for first-time bettors in North America, followed by week one NFL fixtures played between the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, and the Philadelphia Eagles versus the Packers.
Football emerged as the most popular sport in both Latam and Europe, with the Copa América and Euros finals being the most popular events both overall and for first-time bettors in the respective regions.
Kambi’s data also showed customers gravitating towards player-based markets more often in 2024.
As per the supplier, 12% of pre-match bets on the 2024-25 Champions League have been player-specific, compared to 6% in 2021.
Player’s shots on target was the prop bet most favoured for the 2024 final, with player’s shots and player’s fouls conceded also featuring in the top five.
So far during the 2024 NFL season, seven of the 10 most popular bet builder markets are player props.
The research also showed that the number of esports bets almost tripled between 2023 and 2024, with efootball becoming the fastest growing market within the vertical.
In fact, efootball has generated more bets than almost all major football leagues in the 2024, edging out La Liga and Serie A and only behind the Premier League.