Optimove iGaming Pulse – May 2019

May’s exclusive look at Optimove’s iGaming Pulse data sees research lab team lead Omer Liss examine a steady increase in customer activity across sports and casino

Looking at Optimove’s iGaming Pulse for May, we see the Spring trend, first highlighted in April’s edition, continuing.

Average deposit amount in sports and casino was 11% higher than in April (€36 to €40), while the average number of monthly deposits per player remained steady at 8.1, and revenue per player decreased slightly (down 3%).

May’s retention rate has increased by 3% month-on-month and 8% year-on-year, and the mobile bet rate remains stable at 54% on average for sports and casino. May’s conversion rate was slightly lower than that of April (down 2%).

This can be explained by the fact that many sports bettors registered and made deposits at the beginning of the season and in anticipation of the final stages of the Champions League, the semi-finals of which took place during May.

In casino, we see a rising trend in the average deposit amount of 11% (from €38 to €42). Accordingly, we see an increase in the monthly revenue per player to €105 (see below). 

The retention rate for casino has increased both sequentially and from the prior year, from 62% in April to 65% in May, rising steadily from 61% in January (see below).

In sports, the month-on-month average deposit amount shows an increase of 10%, but a decrease of 11% compared with May 2018. The number of monthly deposits per player increased 27% year-on-year and the monthly revenue per player rose 12% year-on-year (see below).

The retention rate showed an increase of 6% from May 2018, and 2% from April. Mobile bet rate was a solid 60%. Conversion rate decreased by 6% again probably due to sports players joining and making deposits early in the season, then playing with those deposited amounts (see below).

Looking at the Champions League participants, we see some differences between the rival countries’ betting patterns. In the UK, represented in the Champions League final by both Tottenham and Liverpool, the average deposit amount was €69 compared with €32 across all territories.

However, the number of monthly deposits per player was considerably lower than the average for all countries (4.4), explained perhaps by the fact that players registered to bet on a significant event, or series of events (semi-finals in the Champions League, for example), and made fewer deposits of larger amounts.

In the Netherlands, represented in the Champions League semi-finals by Ajax, we see an average deposit amount of €52, higher than the average across all territories of €32. That said, the number of monthly deposits per player in the Netherlands was higher than the average, 10.1 compared with 8.4 across all markets.

In Spain, another nation in the semi-finals (represented by Barcelona), we see similar average deposit amounts to the Netherlands, but the number of monthly deposits was actually lower than the average in general category.

KPI closeup: conversion rate
Conversion Rate is defined as the number of first-time depositors divided by the number of registered players in May. This KPI gives a good indication of how many players actually registered in order to play.

In sports betting this number usually rises before significant sporting events like the World Cup and Champions league, since they attract new players who register specifically to bet on these events and do so shortly after registering.

Omer Liss:
Omer Liss leads the Strategic Services research team at Optimove, helping leading marketers optimize their customer retention strategy. As a marketing data scientist, Omer has vast experience consulting clients, analyzing their customer data and revealing actionable, data-driven marketing insights. Omer holds a BSc in Industrial Engineering and Management, specializing in Information Systems.

About iGaming Pulse:
iGaming Pulse is an industry benchmark tool for the gaming sector. iGaming Pulse enables gaming operators to accurately assess their overall performance against industry-wide key performance indicators.
Its figures are updated on a monthly basis. It enables gaming operators to gain a clearer understanding of how their KPIs compare against the rest of the industry, broken down by geography and game type. This type of data, which is made publicly available for the first time, provides operators with the ability to conduct comparative analysis and derive insight into how their performance compares with industry averages.

iGaming Pulse comprises of data collected from over 200 online casinos and sports betting companies, including industry giants and boutique operators, providing an accurate, statistically significant sample of the industry. Access to this information is vital for operators that are limited to only their own data. Optimove’s iGaming Pulse is now fully accessible, ensuring operators will have a clearer overview of how they compare to the industry.