Category
8 min read

Gamification In Sports Betting: How It Works And What You Must Know To Succeed

Written by
Smartico
Published on
Jun 13, 2022

Updated on March 12, 2024

Gamification can be the strongest tool when it comes to stimulating sports fans to stick around for broadcasts because it encapsulates the spirit of sports betting without the risk of losing cash. This allows fans to compete in games even though they might not be able to afford to participate in every bet.

Sports betting has always had the power to connect people to games in special ways, and it has been instrumental in building a thriving community around predicting hundreds of possible outcomes in a single contest. Thanks to Gamification, fans finally have the chance to prove what they know and see how they fare against other knowledgeable minds. And as the landscape of media in sports evolves, it is crucial to be aware that customers are still within reach – they just need to be reached in new ways…

… and that’s where Gamification comes in.

In Sportbook and Betting, the implementation of Gamification strategies enhances the appeal and excitement of the initial experience, which leads to significant first-time deposits. By offering challenges that provide rewards or incentives tied to progress, these strategies induce new users to commence their betting activities with a compelling and positive interaction, resulting in larger initial financial commitments.

Gamification introduces gaming elements to non-gaming areas or products. This can come in the form of point collecting, winning rewards, competing with other like-minded people, fantasy betting for sports such as football, and anything else that takes a regular sports betting product and spices it up with a pinch of gaming.

Needless to say, by adding gaming elements into sports you also add an extra element of entertainment, excitement, and motivation to the experience, which makes it highly addictive to fans. Gamification has been used in many sectors to make more out of the user experience. However, in recent years it has also been introduced to online casinos and sports betting businesses.

Gamification encourages fans to be more immersed in the betting process while also driving customer loyalty and brand awareness. According to industry leaders, this is what customers want and Gamification is what the market currently demands as a means of raising business revenue. However, this also raises the question: Does introducing game elements to sports betting boost fun and rewards chasing, or does it push them to bet more or move to more traditional slots and casino games?

The answer is NO. Gamification simply utilizes a technique that leads users through standard experiences in a much more enjoyable and entertaining way.

Even before the advent of Gamification, Sports Betting already featured a strong Gamification element, which is the main reason it has remained so popular. The fun gaming part was the element of unpredictability when waging a bet.

However, some people in the bookmaking and software development business go beyond that by taking advantage of the three key aspects:

1. Social Betting

Social betting has been gaining steam in recent years, and while there are many factors at play here, communities are more often than not instrumental when it comes to brand loyalty.

With the advancement of digital technology, online sports have become modernized, which allows users to connect with other people with similar interests from around the world. And there’s no stopping it. In the future, there will be a major focus on creating features and techniques that provide Sports Betting fans to share their stories of success within their special social group. Exciting social communities will become part and parcel of betting apps, giving people the opportunity to unite under their shared love for Sports Betting.

2. Ownership & Possession

Another technique utilized by Sports Betting businesses is ownership and possession. The player may acquire a special surprise at the back of a promotion. This can be anything from free bonus points to extra bets. When it comes to digital apps, the user can unlock useful rewards by simply logging into their Sports Betting account or spinning the wheel of fortune after betting on their team of choice. This is an extremely powerful gamification technique that regularly turns people into loyal customers.

3. Scarcity & Urgency

Scarcity and urgency are ancient marketing techniques used by salesmen and companies of many, if not all industries. Some of them, however, don’t seem to know when to hold back a little…

The hotel/accommodation industry is a good example of this. Spend some time checking for places to stay in any area of the world, and it won’t be long before you see a sign flashing before your eyes saying something like: “There’s only 1 room left at this price. 3 people are currently looking at this room.” Needless to say, this can quickly motivate you to pull out your credit card and book the room immediately, even though the hotel likely has plenty of rooms available. That’s how offers and promotions usually work – they have a timer or are said to be limited in quantity, which pushes people to make quick buying decisions. And make no mistake, check their website in a week and they’ll have another urgent promotion going strong.

When used in a balanced way, this technique can be extremely effective, but don’t overdo it – people will soon enough catch up to it if you do.

When it comes to using Gamification within the Sports Betting market, you should always pay special attention to your target audience. It is crucial to understand who your players are and what kind of Gamification elements to apply to your website or app. If your business is focused on social interaction with fans, introducing Gamification elements with a social focus would benefit you greatly.

What you'd ideally want to do here, is to make Sports Betting more dynamic for veteran players and less intimidating for newbies. For example, you can allow players to gain followers when placing a bet and show how many people have made the same bet. Players could also be given the option to join a chatroom with others who have made the same bet.

Gamification is a priceless tool for creating a thriving online community that connects and ultimately keeps returning to your site to place their bets, interact with like-minded people, and enjoy the Gamified experiences that you’ve created for them.

At the end of the day, no matter how your platform operates, Sports Betting is sure to benefit from Gamification. In addition, after seeing the rewards from a site, Sports Betting fans can be motivated to also move on to play some online casino games. And needless to say, this is welcome news for iGaming platforms, because there’s much more money to be made through casinos than from Sports Betting.

With all this said, to get the best results and turn your business into a dream come true, you’d want to have a Gamification platform by your side that can guide you through the process and guarantee you success…

Global Gambling & Gamification Statistics in 2024:

  • Global Participation: ~26% of the world has gambled at some point.
  • Annual Gamblers: About 4.3 billion gamble at least once a year.
  • Recent Gamblers: 56% reported gambling in the last 12 months (study across 44 countries).
  • Online Gamification: 75% of online gamblers enjoy gamification elements.
  • Australia's Gambling Rate: 74% of adults gambled in the past year (highest rate).

Active Gamblers by Country:

  • United States: 59 Million
  • Germany: 30 Million
  • United Kingdom: 29.5 Million
  • Canada: 19.9 Million
  • Australia: 7.2 Million
  • France: 5 Million

China's Gambling Scene: Significant number of active gamblers due to Macau and overseas casinos, though exact numbers are unknown.

When it comes to the world of Gamification, Smartico is one of the fastest-growing platforms and a leader in its own right. Armed with a massive set of extremely powerful Gamification tools boosted by CRM automation and AI modules, Smartico has taken the iGaming sector by storm. As a 1# ranked Gamification software, it is an all-in-one solution for all your needs, whether they be Sport-Betting, Casino, Lottery, Fintech, or any business, both online and offline, that could benefit from Gamification and loyalty expertise.

How Smartico Can Benefit You And Your Business

Smartico has a wide arsenal of unique features that set it apart from the competition and can do wonders when it comes to keeping users engaged while maintaining a constant flow of traffic.

At each stage of their Gamified journey, users are offered highly-alluring incentives such as bonuses/rewards, tournament play, badges, and other elements that keep players motivated to become better players and climb the leaderboard ladder and win big. In turn, this also nudges them to spread the word and bring in new potential customers.

In Smartico’s virtual marketplace, you can spend your points in exchange for real cash bonuses, free spins, vouchers, gift cards, electronic devices, and more.

As a leader in the Gamification industry, Smartico also offers:

  • Various intuitive challenges and gaming techniques
  • High-value incentives that encourage long-term loyalty and retention, elevate player value, strengthen engagement, and boost user acquisition
  • Multi-Currency/Language/Deep Brand Support
  • Missions – Engage players with fun real-time solo or multiplayer tasks
  • Points – Encourage players to keep coming back through point-based incentives and unlockables
  • Badges – Stand out from the rest with sleek badges and earn free spins for each earned badge
  • Levels – Players gain experience and special perks after each successful level or tournament completion
  • Incentives – Motivate players to come back for more with unique rewards and bonuses
  • Marketplace – Players can actualize their points by cashing them in for free game spins or other awards such as online shopping vouchers
  • Mini-Games – Players can reset their senses through short, award-earning games
  • Tournaments – Set your own qualification rules and offer your customers a powerful endorphin rush with Smartico’s special tournament system
  • Leaderboards – Set daily, weekly, and monthly prizes and watch your user engagement skyrocket
  • Bonus Engine Integration - Cash bonuses, free spin bonuses, and more

And that’s just a taste of what Smartico can do for you to set you apart from the rest.

Join the winners club and start your journey to the top by booking your free demo today at: https://smartico.ai/request-a-demo/.

Share this article with your friends!

Want to find out how our event triggered campaigns can raise your customer engagement through the roof? Contact one of our experts for a free demo.

Ready to use Smartico?

Join hundreds of businesses worldwide engaging players with Smartico.