Gaming firms dedicated to sports wagers are pouring significant resources into promotional campaigns, particularly during the bustling autumn and winter seasons. Their aim is to attract a maximum number of new patrons by allocating substantial funds to advertising, especially in the digital realm. They harbor hopes that this strategy will result in an upsurge in individuals registering and utilizing their platforms. However, the efficacy of this investment remains uncertain. It is crucial to ascertain whether these enterprises are generating a favorable return on their substantial expenditures.
Gaming providers are looking to increase their visibility by forming partnerships with athletic teams to showcase their emblems on stadiums, arenas, and scoreboards. It’s no surprise that television, digital, and radio are the mediums receiving the most marketing funds.
Television screens are being bombarded with sports wagering advertisements. As more states authorize sports betting, more capital is being invested in national television commercials. However, the television landscape is dominated by a few behemoths. Data reveals that five operators control at least 82% of the market share in each state. In Michigan, 14 operators are competing for market share, with the top five operators accounting for 90% of the total.
The battle for television exposure is even more intense considering the limitations sports betting companies face. For instance, the NFL only permits six sports betting companies to advertise per game on television and Amazon Prime, with one ad each before the start of the game, during halftime, and each quarter. Currently, the NFL has approved five advertisers: FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars, BetMGM, and FOX Bet. It’s easy to see that the competition for these ad slots is fierce.
According to a report issued by iSpot.TV in June 2022, US sports betting operators spent an estimated $282 million on television advertising from September 2021 to May 2022.
These ads generated over 18 billion views, and iSpot noted that over one-third of sports betting ad views were local ads.
This validates our prior viewpoint that state-level marketing strategies are vital due to localized benefits.
Digital advertising expenditure is the second-largest media channel for gaming businesses after television. Based on Pathmatics, in January 2022, FanDuel, DraftKings, Wynn, MGM, and Caesars collectively spent $25.6 million on streaming, display, and social advertisements.
Digital channels are highly attractive: the simplicity of user tracking and ad campaign execution enables clear, measurable return on investment, and most platforms allow advertisers to precisely target their audiences.
However, there are even more advantages. Retargeting advertisements allow sports betting companies to cultivate potential customers’ engagement over time, drawing them into their media network and then transforming them into paying customers.
Reaching specialized target audiences is a significant advantage of online advertising. Not only does it statistically improve conversion rates, but it also provides sports betting companies with a method to showcase responsible marketing and adhere to each state’s regulations to maintain compliance.
As sports betting becomes legal in more states, user numbers are expanding exponentially, and concerns about problematic gambling and underage gambling are also rising. In fact, the American Gaming Association (AGA) this year released a set of voluntary standards, the Responsible Marketing Guidelines for Sports Betting, to address these concerns and extend “its commitment to adherence.”
Online marketing, with its audience targeting features, offers a degree of safety for sports wagering operators in the present climate.
Television advertising spending is on the upswing. BIA Advisory Services raised its projection for sports gambling television advertising spending from $150 million to $164 million. In the week prior to the commencement of the 2022 NFL season, three sports betting firms were among the top 100 advertisers. DraftKings led the pack, ranking ninth with 28,945 AM/FM ad slots, the most ever for a sports betting advertiser. FanDuel came in 52nd with 11,268 ads, and Caesar Sportsbook ranked 86th with 6,766 ads.
Will the substantial marketing investments result in profitability?
Instead of a general response, let’s scrutinize some chosen operators.
FanDuel spent over $1 billion last year on marketing and promotion, and according to its parent company Flutter Entertainment’s most recent financial report, it has a 40% market share in the US. Flutter also declared that its average customer acquisition cost return on investment is 1.2x.
In fact, according to these reports, FanDuel is the first organization to attain profitability in a single quarter in the US sports wagering market. The company reported a $22 million EBITDA profit for its sports betting and online gaming operations in the second quarter of 2022. Finally, Flutter Entertainment anticipates FanDuel to be profitable for the entire year 2023.
However, other operators have yet to reach a point of financial success.
Operators often face difficulties in generating profits during their initial years of operation, as substantial advertising and customer acquisition expenses negatively impact their profit margins. Sports betting businesses generally anticipate a timeframe of two to three years to achieve profitability. As the market evolves, we anticipate an improvement in the overall return on investment.
There is a sense of urgency and pressure to become financially viable.
According to recent financial disclosures, DraftKings has accumulated a total debt of roughly $1.2 billion. In the company’s most recent quarterly report, its stock value declined by approximately 27%, and the company anticipates continuing to incur losses until the end of 2023, before achieving profitability in terms of EBITDA by the end of 2023.
DraftKings’ advertising expenditures for the second quarter increased by 16% to $197.5 million following expansion into new markets and significant investments in marketing campaigns aimed at acquiring new customers.
While this figure remains impressive, it represents a substantial decrease compared to last year’s 270% growth. Nevertheless, investors remain significantly apprehensive, as evidenced by the sharp decline in their stock price.
In February, Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg stated that the company would be reducing its advertising spending after allocating $1 billion to customer acquisition in the preceding months.
Caesars Entertainment implemented a generous promotional offer to attract new bettors: a deposit match of up to $3,000, along with a $300 bonus.
The promotional effort achieved a 40% market share in New York, but this was quickly followed by a substantial decrease in marketing funds and a subsequent drop in market share. Just one month after the launch of the campaign, the organization announced plans to reduce hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising expenditures, less than a year after launching a billion-dollar, two-year mobile app promotional campaign.
The expense of competing against rivals increased significantly in late 2021 and early 2022, leading to some initially impressive gains. However, as the situation stabilized, industry experts questioned the high marketing spending, with some suggesting that it would take longer than initially anticipated for these companies to become profitable.
**Self-Governance and Oversaturation Concerns**
There’s another issue to be concerned about. Currently, we’re experiencing a rush to acquire and retain new bettors. Intense competition necessitates a multi-channel presence and aggressive promotional campaigns to capture and retain sports fans’ attention.
However, public criticism has followed promotional claims like “risk-free” bets and other alluring but potentially inaccurate campaigns.
Over the past year, we’ve observed some high-profile operators abandoning the controversial “risk-free” term, choosing more accurate language that acknowledges that gambling can never be entirely risk-free.
This change comes after sports betting campaigns faced intense scrutiny and, in some cases, were criticized for being deceptive.
The notion of “risk-free” wagering, along with extensive promotional efforts, has sparked concern among some individuals. They fear that these campaigns might contribute to an increase in gambling addiction. Industry professionals also express worry about potential public backlash and calls for advertising restrictions, mirroring the situation in Europe.
Several states have enacted legislation to regulate the advertising of “risk-free” betting. This necessitates companies to exercise caution regarding their messaging and delivery.
Sports betting enterprises should prioritize customer satisfaction and employ targeted advertising to reach their desired audience. Prudent financial management is crucial, avoiding excessive expenditure.
**Strategies for Cost-Effective Marketing and Profitability**
Amidst financial pressures, businesses have shifted their focus from acquiring new customers to retaining existing ones. The current economic climate demands fiscal prudence.
Fortunately, cost-effective strategies exist for both customer acquisition and retention. Customer satisfaction and loyalty are intertwined, and marketing adjustments can effectively address both aspects.
PointsBet has devised a novel approach to address the ambiguity surrounding “risk-free” offers. This method ensures that new customers actively engage with the product.
This promotional offer provides new users with a $100 second opportunity wager for a consecutive five-day period. “You have five consecutive opportunities to become familiar with the product,” stated Rick Mattila, the company’s executive vice president of marketing and strategy, during an interview.
Indeed, the traditional saying that it is more cost-effective to maintain existing customers than to acquire new ones holds true for sports betting businesses. And the methods for achieving this should not come as a surprise: in-game wagering, social media campaigns, educational content, and live streaming are just a few of the tactics that have proven effective in driving engagement and ultimately leading to customer retention.
Boosting fan engagement, through interactive and multi-faceted experiences—communicating, participating, comparing, learning, and more—has rapidly become one of the top priorities for US betting providers.
In mobile applications, operators can interact with users through data-driven push notifications. Based on historical betting data and gaming preferences, they can categorize users and send them personalized, highly relevant, and timely messages. By collaborating with online ticketing vendors, operators can incorporate notifications about upcoming events and enable players to reserve tickets directly within the application. Additionally, location-based real-time push notifications can offer exclusive deals for live events.
However, the efforts do not end there. Incorporating a news feed into the mobile version of a sports betting website, which is relatively straightforward from a technical perspective, can educate users and establish regular points of contact for them.
Progressing in the right direction.
The year 2022 saw a significant influx of funds from sports betting enterprises aimed at acquiring new clientele. At that juncture, with the emergence of fresh markets and robust investor sentiment, this strategy appeared prudent. The anticipated expansion of the wagering sector suggested an abundance of financial resources.
However, as the economic climate deteriorated, numerous sports betting companies revised their earnings projections and curtailed marketing outlays. Nevertheless, this does not signify the end of the prosperous era; the US betting industry continues to expand at a remarkable pace, as digital offerings diminish the entry barrier for novice bettors and an increasing number of states embrace online wagering.
Concurrently, we observe a heightened emphasis on customer retention. This transformation is laudable, as a greater focus on customer engagement translates to a greater emphasis on providing an exceptional customer experience – a domain where we anticipate groundbreaking advancements in the future.
To address the query posed in the title of this piece: marketing expenditures will undoubtedly transition towards profitability – but it will be the discreet customer retention marketing strategies, rather than the extravagant customer acquisition campaigns, that propel profits.
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