As you likely know, since you are on here, online sports betting is a sector that is expanding at an impressive clip. Per Grand View Research, a well-respected San Francisco market examination company based primarily in Pune, Bengaluru, and Jaipur, this is an industry that is swelling at 11% per year. Without argument, that pace gets chiefly driven by the accessibility of mobile apps, and this pastime becoming less taboo around the globe on account of governments wanting to rake in all the tax revenues it can produce. But one thing that cannot get neglected is how sphere experts and operators are using things like psychology to get gamblers to bet more.
Those familiar with online gambling know that platforms use various tricks to prolong engagement and maybe even prompt loss-chasing. They have strategic tools that are in place to boost their revenue by exploiting human nature, impulses connected to reward-seeking, and the like. Below, we look to uncover some of these for those new to this landscape who have yet to spot them. Knowing these can be extremely beneficial to those with addictive tendencies, individuals who are prone to overindulging in dangerous activities. So, let’s get into this topic, educating you on these industry tricks, getting you better equipped to identify and not be manipulated by them.
Personalized Push Notifications
This is something we have heard about some US bookies using but have not seen at most of our crypto-reviewed ones. Allegedly, U.S. bookies may leverage your betting history to send tailored push notifications. What does that mean? Well, they may send you strategically timed alerts that aim to prompt you to bet on something.
For example, if your favorite team is leading at half-time, the one you most frequently wager on, you may get a strategically timed alert that you have an opportunity to bet on it. This can be done subtly, like its event getting promoted in your in-play interface, looking to create urgency and exploit the fear of missing out, which we have talked about loads here. For the most part, the tactics used here are tried-and-tested ones that the e-commerce sector has been utilizing for decades.
Gamified Rewards
This is not so much gamification, but again promoting activity by promising rewards through a non-loyalty system promo. For instance, if you make five or six bets on the NBA, you will get one on the house. That is the incentive for you to keep betting, and when you fulfill the set goal, you get a prize, which evokes a sense of achievement and, in truth, is a benefit. Various studies on behavioral addictions have shown that things like leaderboard rankings and badges make people participate more, as it gives them a sense of progress.
Live Betting’s Real-Time Rush
Now, this is something that a few of our reviewed sites have and use to great effect. These are dynamically shifting odds for live events, with flashing red and green lights to inform if the odds are going up or down. That is also added to create immediacy and hopefully lead to impulsive betting. Flashing graphics, countdown timers, and real-time stats all play a role in this, and the fact that in-play wagering gets seen as more dangerous – more likely to create addiction has given rise to discussion about banning live betting. That is nothing new, as Australia’s Federal Government, for example, was heavily against this form of gambling in the 2010s.
Frictionless Deposits
Everyone with experience in betting or playing casino games on the internet knows that gambling sites do their best to make depositing as simple as can be, while they can drag you through hell when you ask for a withdrawal.
That is so because frictionless payment correlate with higher spending, of course, and they are happy to have you risk your money but not as overjoyed when they have to pony up. Many online slots even have a gamble feature, such as those in the famous Book Of series that allow gamblers to keep gambling their winnings, giving them a shot to double them up on games with 50/50 odds. Yet, one misstep, and they have lost it all.
Odds & Accumulator Boosts
We often talk about these promo types here, which are one of the more established ones in the sphere. Are operators doing you a favor by giving you these promos, or are they trying to bait you? Well, the reality is that these promotions create the illusion of value through optimism bias, one that attempts to mold a habit of engagement.
Acca boosts, in particular, exploit psychological vulnerabilities that look to drive riskier betting. Most veteran gamblers stay away from them altogether, as the probability of all legs succeeding remains low, especially since virtually all of these promos ask for at least three for a low boost of 5%.
Bet-Builder Tools
This ties in with the accumulator point, but where accas let you combine selections from different matches, technically bet builders differ because they let you combine selections/markets from the same one. They too get advertised as appealing to smart gamblers, ones who know how to leverage data, but the fact remains, the more things you bet on, the higher your losing chances become. For success with a bet builder, one should limit themselves to only two-three correlated outcomes. No experienced gambler will tell you to make more than three selection parlays. Remember that.
Immersive App Design
Haptic feedback and intuitive swipes are things that get talked about a lot in smartphone design, and gambling operators have implemented them to make wagering feel effortless. It is a fact that the majority of online gamblers, casino, and sportsbook ones today, and in the past decade, gamble on their phones, which is why operators have fine-tuned mobile-first designs, and apparently, these are more likely to boost regular use.
We assume the fact they are simpler makes gamblers more focused. Plus, most people nowadays are constantly on their phones, so accessibility to online gambling is higher than ever. Twenty years ago, people had to sit down in front of a PC, but now they can gamble on the bus, at work, etc.
Micro-Betting
We will be honest and tell you that we do not have much experience with micro-betting, which is wagering on things like an upcoming free throw, but we will tell you that this option, no doubt, tries to exploit humans’ craving for immediate feedback. That is the thing that has made slot gambling the number one casino gaming genre, and this type of betting, as it gets more established, will probably appeal more to younger users, those with shorter attention spans that are more easily influenced by online marketing.
Top Bitcoin Betting Sites
BC.Game
Welcome Bonus: Four-part deal up to $1,600
18+ – Gamble responsibly – GambleAware.org – T&C’s apply
