World Cup reflections: Positives All Round for Sports Betting Industry

This year's World Cup was unusual for a variety of reasons. It took place in the run-up to Christmas. The overall verdict on the tournament from the betting industry was positive.

TM and AB were surprised by the World Cup results. World Cups have been a success for operators. The number of shocks has helped drive a good margin for the operators, especially in Brazil. England games outperformed their expectations. The acquisition window was longer for this World cup. There was a lot of engagement across social, web and app channels. It was also helped by England's start against Iran.

AB and TM see a strong appetite for Bet Builder-style bets. They also see the popularity of group stage bets with a combination of teams to win all their games or players to score x numbers of goals across multiple matches. 1X2, total goals and pre-tournament, the outrights including Winner and Golden Boot are still the most played markets.

TM offers a variety of products to complement the World Cup, including Virtual Sports and Esports. AB recommends conversation and updates with audience on social channels and via product notifications. i.e. questioning if a player should have been booked for a particular foul and celebrating together when legs come in.

The Morocco World Cup was a success for both the operators and affiliates. The industry will focus on improving the user experience and integration of stats and data to support building Bet Builder-style bets. The next task is to ensure the retention rates are maximized going into the busy Christmas period.