News

Betting on New Customers: Are Returning Users Damaging Sportsbooks’ CAC Strategies?

Published

2 years ago

October 30, 2023

The Rise of Female Bettors: What Does This Mean for Marketing Campaigns?

By: Richard Metcalf

In the fast-paced, highly competitive world of sports betting, operators have to ensure they’re maximising Return-On-Investment (ROI) in their digital marketing campaigns. The challenge is to target new customers and not waste budget on returning users that they’ve already engaged.

Campaign spend within sports betting should be laser-focused on driving customer acquisition and making every click count, but with existing users inadvertently driving up Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC), this is becoming a huge challenge. Predictions from Statista suggest that the online gambling market will consist of over 233.7 million users by 2027. This makes it imperative to protect against existing customers from draining budget and free up budget for new customers

If a sportsbook doesn’t have visibility into the traffic it’s generating through its ads, it could be losing millions to users who are already engaged and using its site. Returning users need to be managed to ensure sportsbooks can make the most of their budgets and gain new converting customers.

Returning Users and ROI

What percentage of your digital marketing budget is engaging returning users through your ad as an entry point? The chances are this number is very high. We recently saw a company where 97% of their spending on branded keywords was linked to clicks from existing customers which drained their budget and meant they saw close to no new conversions.

Repeat clickers and returning customers, who navigate to your site using ads, rather than organic search results, are driving up the cost of genuine new clicks from first-time depositors. Although these are enthusiastic and engaged customers, they are clicking on your ads excessively and driving up your CAC and Cost Per Acquisition (CPA). This ultimately dilutes your campaign’s effectiveness and wastes spend on engagement that will never convert.

The Secret to Success with Custom Validation Rules and Shadow Campaigns

To drive the performance of sports betting advertising efforts, companies can set custom validation rules that limit the number of times a user clicks on a paid ads campaign. Once that threshold of clicks is met, the users are stopped from seeing that campaign for a set period of time, helping to eliminate the high CPC rates sportsbooks experience.

This effectively means that once the threshold is reached the user is precluded from seeing ads and will only see the brand’s organic listing on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Alternatively, by implementing shadow campaigns, an operator can create a duplicate of the existing brand keyword campaign in Google ads just for these returning users who are precluded from the original brand keyword campaign. So, rather than being shown the organic listing these users will see a paid search ad on the SERP but at a lower cost to the advertiser.

Shadow campaigns are a powerful tool that allow advertisers to take appropriate actions to protect their brand, optimise their marketing efforts, and ensure compliance with marketing strategies. By using custom verification rules and shadow campaigns, budgets are saved for genuine users who are more likely to convert resulting in maximised ROI.

Transforming and Optimising Campaigns

No sportsbook wants returning users burning their marketing budgets. In a market that is growing ever more competitive, it is vital that advertising traffic is controlled for businesses to capture more ROI across campaigns. By implementing shadow campaigns, sportsbooks will uncover a new level of visibility to minimise CAC and maximise new customer engagement.

It’s time to unlock unparalleled success, optimise your PPC campaigns to their fullest potential and transform your Google Advertising strategy.

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.

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Conferences

New Sponsorship Opportunities Announced for the EEGS Affiliate Conference

Published

2 days ago

July 10, 2025

George Miller

New Sponsorship Opportunities Announced for the EEGS Affiliate Conference

The EEGS Affiliate Conference, now in its 4th edition, is pleased to announce the launch of new sponsorship opportunities. As the region’s only event dedicated exclusively to affiliates, this conference serves as a vital platform for industry professionals, brands, and affiliates to network, share insights, and drive growth.

Part of the prestigious Eastern European Gaming Summit (EEGS), the Affiliate Conference will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria, on the 25th of November. This event continues to grow as an essential opportunity for those seeking to expand their presence and influence within the affiliate marketing ecosystem.

The new sponsorship packages are thoughtfully designed to provide maximum visibility, targeted exposure, and valuable engagement opportunities for partners looking to connect with a focused and dynamic audience.

Bronze Sponsorship
Silver Sponsorship
Gold Sponsorship
Platinum Sponsorship
Fun Mirror Sponsorship

For more information, please click HERE or visit EEGS website https://eegamingsummit.com/

If you have any questions or would like to discuss customized opportunities, reach out to the organizers at [email protected]

The EEGS Affiliate Conference eagerly anticipates welcoming new partners and making this 4th edition in Sofia the most successful yet.

Affiliate Program News

Let’sBet Partners with NetRefer for its Affiliate Marketing Platform

Published

4 days ago

July 8, 2025

George Miller

Let’sBet Partners with NetRefer for its Affiliate Marketing Platform

Emerging US sportsbook operator Let’sBet has partnered with NetRefer, the industry’s leading data-driven, AI-powered affiliate marketing platform, to support the launch and long-term growth of its affiliate programme.

Headquartered in Maryland, USA, Let’sBet is a dynamic new entrant to the regulated US betting market. Built with a player-first mindset, the operator delivers a seamless sports betting experience across all major US and international events – including the NBA, UFC, UEFA Euro Cup and Formula 1– via a mobile-optimised platform designed for both desktop and on-the-go bettors. The brand also offers extensive live and in-play betting options, keeping users engaged in real time.

New players are welcomed with a 100% deposit bonus, and frequent bettors can look forward to being handpicked for the Let’sBet VIP Club – a tiered programme offering access to personal account managers, dedicated promotions, express payouts, and exclusive VIP events such as race days and hospitality experiences.

Licensed by the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency and operated jointly by Veterans Services Corporation and Bee-Fee Limited, Let’sBet is committed to delivering a secure, compliant, and intuitive betting environment. Its infrastructure is monitored 24/7 by a dedicated Information Security team, with robust measures in place to protect data and ensure safe, frictionless transactions.

Let’sBet also maintains a strong commitment to Responsible Gambling. Its platform is equipped with a comprehensive suite of player protection tools, including deposit, wager, loss, session, and single-bet limits; timeout periods; and voluntary self-exclusion through Maryland’s state-run programme. These tools are supported by a customer service team trained to guide users toward healthy betting behaviours.

Marcin Doszczeczko, Director of Sports Betting Operations at Let’sBet, commented: “Choosing NetRefer as our affiliate platform provider was a natural step in building Let’sBet into a standout name in the US sports betting market. Their technology gives us the clarity and scalability we need to launch a high-impact programme from day one. It brings together everything we need to grow a successful affiliate operation – clear reporting through ASR 1.0 API and smart, actionable insights from NetRefer CoPilot AI. Just as we’ve built Let’sBet around trust, service, and user experience, we see those same values reflected in NetRefer’s platform and team. We’re excited to grow this partnership together.”

Amanda Camenzuli, Manager of NetRefer’s Account Management team, added: “We’re thrilled to welcome Let’sBet to NetRefer. They’re an operator that blends innovation with a strong sense of player responsibility, they’re exactly the kind of forward-thinking company we’re proud to support. With a growing footprint in the US market, Let’sBet will benefit from our platform’s ability to deliver real-time insights, data clarity, and the flexibility needed to scale sustainably – while also strengthening NetRefer’s presence in this key region.”

This collaboration marks a significant step forward for both companies, combining the momentum of Let’sBet in the US market with NetRefer’s 20 years of experience in affiliate marketing technology. Together, they aim to build a programme defined by transparency, performance, and long-term growth.

Affiliate Success

Casino Guru secures Safer Gambling Initiative of the Year at iGB Affiliate Awards

Published

5 days ago

July 7, 2025

George Miller

Casino Guru secures Safer Gambling Initiative of the Year at iGB Affiliate Awards

Casino Guru is proud to announce that it has won the Safer Gambling Initiative of the Year at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2025, for a third consecutive year.

The distinction further highlights the company’s commitment to building a sustainable future for the gambling industry, not only through its dedication to providing players with the most complete, real-time-updated database of online casinos curated by trained experts, but also through its efforts to influence business standards and responsible practices across the sector.

As a leader in informed play, Casino Guru has dedicated a significant portion of its time and efforts to building a casino database that uses safer gambling as one of its core metrics for assessing a brand’s reliability, sustainability, and treatment of customers.

Casino Guru’s Head of Sustainable and Safer Gambling, Šimon Vincze, was excited to share his appreciation for the award: “As someone closely involved in responsible gambling and safer play at Casino Guru, I can say this award is a true testament to our work. We’ve worked tirelessly to leverage our market position to produce tangible outcomes in terms of awareness and impact of safer gambling practices, player complaints, and the availability of blocking software. We are a trailblazer in safer gambling among affiliates, but collaboration with other like-minded companies has enabled us to stay at the forefront.”

Casino Guru could not be prouder of this moment, which once again reinforces the company’s leadership in helping to set safer gambling standards industry-wide.

Daniela Sliva, Public Relations and Creative Projects Director, commented on the distinction: “Winning the Safer Gambling Initiative of the Year for a third consecutive time was an emotional moment and a well-deserved one. Casino Guru has worked tirelessly to establish itself as a leader in promoting sustainable and responsible play. We truly believe we are setting new standards for responsible gambling, not just within the affiliate space, but across the wider industry. Our company ethos places safer gambling at the heart of everything we do, from our Complaint Resolution Center to the Safety Index, and especially through initiatives like the Casino Guru Awards, which further reinforce this commitment.”

Among the achievements that Casino Guru has to be proud of are the Casino Guru Awards, which have established clear competitive guidelines for safer and responsible gambling and distinguish companies that adhere to the Casino Guru’s ethical guidelines and best practices.

Furthermore, Casino Guru established the Gamtegrity platform, which reunites all of the company’s safer gambling projects in one place.

Among Casino Guru’s notable achievements are the Casino Guru Academy, which offers upskilling programs with a focus on responsible gambling, the Global Self-Exclusion Standards Initiative, an active list of partners with some of the leaders in the responsible gambling space, including Mindway AI, and much more.

“An industry-wide commitment to responsible gambling is not only possible: it’s within reach. Casino Guru’s achievement at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2025 is yet another reason for us to double down on our efforts and work even harder to make this vision a reality,” Silva concluded.