Post-Super Bowl, Sportsbooks Can Ignore Most Bettors

Posted on: February 6, 2025, 03:54h. 

Last updated on: February 6, 2025, 03:54h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

In advance of the Super Bowl, sportsbook operators often ramp-up marketing activity with some shelling out big money to run advertisements during the game. Data indicate gaming companies can cool it after the big game because some bettors simply aren’t worth chasing.

The NFL logo on a football field
The NFL logo on a football field. A research firm said sportsbooks should focus on mid-tier bettors after the Super Bowl. (Image: CBS Sports)

By some estimates, $1.7 billion in legal wagers will be placed on Super LIX, but when it comes to operators’ top-line growth, that will be driven be a scant percentage of bettors.

Optimove Insights’ analysis of over 1.28 billion NFL bets from more than 9 million bettors during the 2024–2025 season shows that 3% of players generate 82% of the revenue for sportsbooks for big events like the Super Bowl,” notes the research firm. “Conversely, 60% of bettors contribute only 1% of revenue, while the remaining 37% account for 17% of revenue.”

Those percentages imply that gaming companies need to not only capitalize on the Super Bowl as a client acquisition tool, but develop solid customer retention because football is the most wagered on sport in the US and when the season ends, some bettors don’t wager on sports at all.

After Super Bowl, Sportsbooks Should Focus on this Group

A separate report by Optimove indicates that the Super Bowl often lures casual bettors that only get involved with the big game and are unlikely to be sticky, long-term clients. That’s a segment gaming companies shouldn’t focus on, according to the research firm.

Likewise, operators don’t need to devote significant resources and time to VIPs because they’ve already displayed their loyalty. Rather, the post-Super Bowl period is a time for gaming companies to focus on the 37% of bettors that account for 17% of football wagering revenue, according to Optimove.

“They can contribute meaningful lifetime revenue and be converted into top-tier players,” said Optimove of mid-tier players.

The research firm recommends gaming companies focus more on strategies that encourage customers to make deposits rather than using free bets as a client acquisition strategy. The reason behind that advice is some customers will simply use the free bet and leave where as loyalty bonuses, deposit matches, and other retention-oriented strategies can create long-term clients.

iGaming Big Post-Super Bowl Opportunity

Online casinos could be a significant post-Super Bowl opportunity for gaming companies because data indicate 14% of clients will migrate to iGaming when football season rooms. That implies significant room for growth, assuming operators execute on cross-selling.

According to Optimove, another 48% of bettors will move to other sports after the Super Bowl. That’s important as well because when the NFL ends, there’s still a significant portion of the NBA season remaining, March Madness, and the Kentucky Derby in May, among other marquee sporting events  over the next several months.

“The post-NFL season is make or break for retention. While VIPs are locked in, the real focus should be on Mid-Tier players—they’re engaged, they contribute solid revenue, and they’re open to sticking around with the right incentives,” concludes Optimove.