SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Gavin Moore, regional manager at Better Collective – the operator of super affiliate bettingexpert.com, looks at how bookmakers are attracting punters ahead of the new football season.
SBC: With the football season back in swing, how have bookmakers been gearing up?
GM: It is clear to see that the bookmakers have been starved of a major football competition this summer, like the World Cup or the European Championships. They’ve been extremely active getting their enhanced odds & free bets campaigns out well in advance of the new season. The free bets and special offers section on bettingexpert has never been so full!
SBC: Bettingexpert keeps a close eye on all the sign up bonuses – what has been the best in your opinion?
GM: We certainly do, and the 100% deposit bonus or matched bet offer is always a good one, because as a punter, you can choose whether you wish to lay down a large chunk of money (some up to £200), or just a small amount to begin with, ultimately giving the punter the chance to bespoke the offer for them and take advantage of the bonus offer that suits their wagering requirements best.
Those who put more money in on their first deposit get the chance to play with more risk-free bonus money, and for those who are a little more cautious and wish to test the bookmaker in question, they can deposit a small amount to begin with and see if the service, odds and markets offered are something for them without having to deposit a large amount to qualify for a certain welcome bonus. Offers set up this way are popular because they are easy to digest and appeal to different types of punters.
SBC: Enhanced odds promotions are becoming more prominent than ever – are these a better recruitment tool than bonuses with a myriad of confusing T&Cs?
GM: For me, they are a clever way of dressing up the standard bonus offer differently and tying it in with a current sporting event / fixture, so the campaigns have a more “here and now” look about them. They capture people’s attention and they clearly work well, hence we’re seeing so many of them nowadays. Although in my opinion they work best when they’re saved for special occasions, rather than just pumping them out willy nilly.
SBC: Are bookmakers taking more care of existing customers with bonuses and promotions these days?
GM: They are, there is no doubt about it. Acca insurance, In Play free bets on certain markets, money back offers, % profit boosts are all great ways to keep users coming back for more. I still believe the best bonuses an existing customer can get are the ones available for moving to betting on mobile devices, like bet365’s On The Move bonus, where punters can bag themselves an extra 100% bonus after their initial 100% sign up bonus.
SBC: How important is football to the bettingexpert community?
GM: In a word a single word… “very”. We are currently getting in excess of 100,000 sports betting tips each and every month and football tips account for over 60% of that, so just like the bookmakers, we’re also very excited to see the football season kick off again this weekend!
After football, tennis, basketball and baseball are the other main sports the bettingexpert community like to place tips on.
Gavin Moore is Regional Manager for North West Europe and Australia at Better Collective.
