In this thought-leadership article, Rick Wolf, SVP of US B2B Partnerships for Spotlight Sports Group, explores the role that free-to-play games have in helping engage and entertain your audience.
The opportunity
Free-to-play games are an essential component for companies looking to engage with and educate potential sports bettors. Sports betting is growing throughout the United States and companies are looking for ways to establish themselves in this market.
Free-to-play games provide companies with a way to engage their audience, grow their marketing database, provide sports betting education in a fun way, and drive sports betting revenue.
The US marketplace offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for companies to take hold of a very lucrative market for the long term by creating community and driving value. The companies that prove to be trustworthy destinations for sports betting content, tips, and sportsbook offers can earn themselves repeat customers for years to come. This, in turn, will make the companies higher-valued partners to sportsbooks.
The need for education
Engaging general sports fans in sports betting is not as clear-cut as it may seem. While many people in states with legalized sports betting already jumped into the activity, there are just as many who have shied away from betting.
This is due to a variety of factors, some of which companies have no control over. However, a major reason that some people stay away from sports betting is a lack of understanding as to how it works. Popular betting terms such as parlay, money line, teasers, and other common words in the sports betting vernacular can be overwhelming to a novice.
FAQ articles are helpful and should be utilized by all companies looking to educate their audience and generate sports betting revenue, but they are not the best solution. Instead of just educating audiences, companies have a responsibility to entertain them as well. This is where free-to-play games come in. Educating and building trust with an audience is a difficult task that can be made exponentially easier through free-to-play games.
People tend to learn better by participating and free-to-play games are fun risk-free options for companies to provide their audience with sports betting-related questions. Providing your audience with engaging games that are sports betting focused will increase their familiarity with the terminology and increase their confidence seamlessly.
Millions participate in NCAA basketball bracket challenges each March, while the squares game is nearly as popular during the Super Bowl and a consistent flow of pick ‘em and multiple choice question games throughout the year will keep your audience coming back for more.
Prizes are an added benefit that free-to-play games allow for. Providing the top performers in your bracket challenges, pick ‘ems or other games will incentivize your audience to get involved. With your games focused on the education of sports betting, participants can slowly learn everything they need to know before they start their sports betting journey.
At SSG, our games engine is built with the ability to create any free-to-play game at a moment’s notice and is completely white label. This allows our partners to provide their audience with the games they’re looking for with no tech support needed.
Building a community
Beyond the educational benefits of running free-to-play games is the ability to build your marketing database organically. While online sports betting is being legalized across the country there are still plenty of states that won’t legalize it for years to come.
However, free-to-play games are legal everywhere and are a great tool to utilize for building a marketing database. People who want to compete in your games will create an account, providing you with essential first-party data and growing your marketing database organically.
This can help you in any jurisdiction and provides you with a simple and effective way to grow your audience in specific states or nationwide. Not to mention that free-to-play games can generate revenue too.
Our games engine allows you to sell sponsorship placements and in jurisdictions with legalized sports betting or paid fantasy sports options, sportsbook offers can be embedded into your games seamlessly.
The growth of sports betting in the US will only happen once, you don’t want to miss out. Get ahead of the game with our free-to-play games that are proven to engage, educate, and entertain sports fans throughout the year.
