YouGov: How the Sky Bet brand has continued to rise in recent years

Just about three in 10 gamblers in the UK have an online account with Sky Bet, and nearly one in five have used it in the past week, according to data collected by YouGov. Sky Bet is not only the most popular betting brand in the UK but it has also proven to be a standout over the last four years, increasing its Consideration score before the pandemic and maintaining it throughout the crisis while others saw decreases.

YouGov’s BrandIndex, which tracks consumer sentiment toward thousands of brands daily, shows Sky Bet’s Consideration score has grown by 21% among the UK population since March 2018. Our Consideration score is based on the question: ‘When you are in the market next, to use or visit a brand site, from which of the following would you consider?’ This metric is key as it represents the top level of the purchase funnel.

Sky Bet proved to be a brand to beat, perhaps as a result of some key marketing decisions. Also, early in the timeframe of our analysis, The Stars Group purchased Sky Betting & Gaming in July 2018. The brand did see a dip around the time of the acquisition, but it quickly bounced back and widened the gap between itself and other brands. The Stars Group was subsequently purchased by Flutter Entertainment, bringing Sky Bet into a stable of brands which includes FanDuel, Paddy Power and Betfair. These promising brand metrics are proof that these were sound business acquisitions. The brand saw gains in mid-2019, around the time Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League final. The brand also saw an increase in 2021 that coincided with England’s appearance in the UEFA Euros final against Italy.

Top pick

Let’s take a closer look at this group considering Sky Bet. For starters, they skew younger compared with those considering other major betting brands, with 34% of those eyeing the brand being 18-34 years old. They are also more likely to have a higher monthly budget for online gambling, with 30% saying they spend between £100 and £140 per month online, compared with 20% of consumers considering any of the other top sites.

But we’re not just cherry-picking flattering data for the brand – Sky Bet has also seen significant gains in other metrics over the last few years. Ad Awareness of the brand increased by a similar amount, 20% since 2018. That metric is based on the question: ‘Which of the following brands have you seen an advertisement for in the past two weeks?’

The number of Brits who tell us they’ve visited the brand, which is measured by the Current Customer metric, has also increased by 24% since March 2018.

YouGov’s Global Gambling Profiles, which offers an in-depth look at the attitudes and lifestyles of bettors in 24 markets around the world, can tell us which factors gamblers in the UK consider to be most important when choosing which gambling company to use.

No matter the age, an easy-to-use website or app is the key factor for the consumer, with a third telling us as such (33%). Younger gamblers, those between 18 and 34, are more likely to place importance on a site’s selection of slots and games to play (11% versus 8% of gamblers in general). Those 35-54 are more likely than the younger crowd to be on the hunt for sites with the best odds (35% versus 32%).

Other factors important to gamblers in general are good promotions (18%), good selection of betting types (17%), a concern for customer wellbeing (12%) and live dealing (8%). Our data shows 14% of gamblers simply use sites out of habit – it’s the one they know best.

Having worked for YouGov for over 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.