Sportsbooks must stay ahead of the curve and be proactive when it comes to managing marketing budgets. Preventing fraudulent traffic can be one of the fastest and simplest ways to drive return on ad spend with greater conversions.
The rise of mobile apps in the sports betting industry has created a lucrative opportunity for operators. It has become easier to target, attract and gain a wider audience with digital campaigns. With that comes increasing competition and companies are having to invest more in the app incentives they’re offering to truly seize the growth opportunity.
The market is expanding and opportunities to generate revenue are growing; revenue for sports betting in the US is expected to exceed $10 billion by 2028. Companies are relying on free bets, boosted odds and attractive promotions to keep a competitive edge. However, these incentives are attracting fraudsters who want to take their share of such a high-value industry.
For sports betting companies running mobile app campaigns, trusting a mobile measurement partner’s (MMP’s) attribution data alone may leave them vulnerable to threats. The anti-fraud tools they deploy, only operate at or after the app install attribution, not the impression or click level, which can skew engagement metrics.
New challenges are surfacing constantly, and sportsbooks must stay on top of methods to protect themselves in the ever-changing competitive market. Examining all areas of revenue leakage, including losses to invalid traffic, is vital in prioritising return-on-ad spend (ROAS) and maintaining genuine audiences.
Proactive Prevention
Research carried out by The Gambling Commission found that 74% of in-play bettors in the UK use a mobile phone to gamble. For the US, the story is similar with the number of sports bettors placing online bets forecast to reach 23.1 million this year according to Statista. The convenience and ease of placing bets through apps is attracting not only more users, but more fraudsters who seek to go unnoticed. Sportsbooks must take control and prevent any further funds from flowing through to fraud.
Ad fraud protection is a central step in streamlining the advertising ecosystem and improving the efficiency of marketing teams’ budgets. Gaining trust and confidence in the data that is being used to scale will help to drive conversions and see crucial return on marketing investment.
Taking the steps to combat fraud will lead to:
- Optimised marketing campaigns by using accurate data
- A newfound level of confidence that clicks are from conversion-ready leads
- A reduction in time spent on manual volume reconciliation
- Visibility with advertising partners and stakeholders
Taking Back Budget Control
From the NHL Stanley Cup Final in the US to Horse Racing in the UK, sports betting is rife across the globe. Opportunities to maximise ROAS and gain wider audiences are huge, but both visible and hidden vulnerabilities are holding companies back from unlocking true results.
Sportsbooks diversifying their operations to keep up with the world of mobile apps should be building a strong defence against fraud if they want to maintain a competitive edge. It’s time to unlock previously lost budgets and convert them into genuine customers and advertising spend that counts.
By: Richard Metcalf, Global VP, Sports Betting & Online Gaming, TrafficGuard
Richard Metcalf is the Global VP, Sports Betting & Online Gaming, at TrafficGuard, an international platform provider for detecting, mitigating and reporting on digital ad fraud. With over twenty years of experience in Sales and Business Development in the digital industry, Richard strives to achieve the highest level of results for the team. He has represented brands as their public face, managed entire sales cycle processes and delivered solutions to stakeholders to ensure business growth and develop the teams around him.