In the competitive world of online sports betting, Fair Go and other sportsbooks are constantly looking for ways to differentiate themselves and offer added value to players. One area that has seen massive growth in recent years is live in-play betting, also known as in-game betting. This allows bettors to wager on events and outcomes as a game unfolds in real-time.
For modern sportsbooks, implementing live betting capabilities can lead to increased customer engagement, higher revenue, and an enhanced reputation. As the demand for live wagering accelerates across major sports, operators who do not offer this service risk falling behind rivals who do. This article explores the major advantages of live in-play betting for sportsbooks and strategies to capitalize on this trend.
Driving User Engagement
One of the biggest appeals of live sports betting is the sheer entertainment value for players. Watching a game becomes exponentially more exciting when you have action riding on every play, turning casual viewers into intensely invested fans hanging on every possession or at-bat. This added level of excitement translates into significantly higher user engagement metrics:
- Increased time-on-site: Live bettors watch events longer to monitor wagers
- More return visits: Players check back repeatedly on ongoing games
- Higher referral rates: Engaged users share and discuss games with friends
By offering in-play options, sportsbooks can expect users to spend far more time actively using their platforms compared to only offering pre-match betting. This engagement opens up many cross-selling and retention opportunities.
New Revenue Stream
The ability to wager while a matchup unfolds also represents an entirely new income source for sportsbooks. In-game betting now accounts for over 75% of handle and revenue on many major European sports betting sites. Compared to only betting before an event starts, live wagering volume is often 5X as high or more.
This revenue growth comes from increased betting opportunities and higher turnover of bankrolls during a single game. When bettors can wager between points, innings, periods, etc., this dramatically increases the number of bets placed compared to only having one bet for the entire game.
Odds and lines also fluctuate rapidly during live games based on the changing dynamics. This creates advantageous spots for savvy bettors and leads to far more frequent placing and cashing out of wagers back and forth.
Risk Management Opportunities
While the added action increases exposure for sportsbooks, in-play betting also allows implementing risk management strategies not possible with pre-match wagers alone. Tools like cash-out options give users more control to lock in profits or cut losses mid-contest.
For operators, these tools help reduce liability on large wagers and encourage users to hedge around key events like a final drive or 9th inning rally. Instead of a bettor winning or losing a huge pre-game bet riding on one outcome, there are opportunities to take smaller wins and losses along the way.
In-play data and modeling have also advanced rapidly, allowing books to adjust odds and lines in a more informed manner as contests evolve. Although the margins are smaller on live bets, the overall revenue split still provides an advantage over the long run.
Competitive Necessity
As live sports betting continues to explode in popularity across the globe, operators who do not offer this service will quickly find themselves losing traction with bettors. Nearly all major sportsbooks now provide extensive live jogo aviator options as standard practice.
Key sports leagues have also adjusted their data distribution models and television advertising policies to support and benefit from the added fan engagement of live wagering. The ability to legally bet while watching games is becoming an integral part of the viewing experience worldwide.
Without a robust in-play betting platform, any sportsbook hoping to succeed in the 2020s and beyond will struggle to attract and retain players who have come to expect this capability as a given.
Strategies for Implementation
For operators ready to add live betting or expand existing in-play offerings, here are some key strategies to deploy this service successfully:
- Obtain fastest, most reliable live data feeds
- Develop intuitive bet slip and display UI/UX
- Provide dynamic cash-out and auto-hedging tools
- Establish initial risk limits and models for new markets
- Train live trader team on rapidly adjusting odds/lines
- Use enriched in-play data to improve pre-match models over time
The technology and personnel investments here serve as a barrier to entry but also allow established sportsbooks with robust live operations to differentiate themselves versus upstarts. Partnering with an experienced platform provider and committing internal teams to support live wagering are key to roll out.
Conclusion
Already massive overseas, live in-play wagering is gaining serious traction in legal US markets as more states move to regulate sports betting. Savvy operators are wasting no time deploying sportsbook platforms with innovative live betting capabilities to attract this increasingly valuable customer segment.
Those who embrace this opportunity stand to gain a significant competitive advantage, while laggards risk fading into obsolescence within this rapidly evolving industry. Offering immersive real-time betting represents the future of sportsbook experience and long-term business models. Operators must prioritize plans for robust live wagering to thrive in the years ahead.
