Like most things today, sports betting has largely moved online. Betting shops are still an important feature of every British High Street, but more people than ever are choosing to place their bets online.
Most of the classic High Street bookmakers have moved into the world of online sports betting, so loyal bettors are able to stay with their trusted favourites. The freedom of operating online has also made it possible for tons of independent new sportsbooks to appear on the market. This diversity of options has been great for bettors.
Bettors have options when it comes to how they bet online as well. Desktop and browser betting are still incredibly popular, but betting from mobile is rapidly becoming the preferred betting method.
The question that bettors and bookmakers alike are now asking is how much having an app matters and if it leads to bettors having a better experience with a bookie. In this article, we’ll break down what the keys are to bettor satisfaction with an online bookmaker and what the overall benefits of having an app may be.
The ideal bookmaker is one that always has long odds in your favour that always pay out. Unfortunately, that’s just a dream and none of us are quite that lucky! There are several factors that contribute to a positive customer experience. Some of this comes down to personal preference but there are some standards online bookmakers must meet.
The first of these is the markets covered. Bettors want to be able to place bets on all the events that they’re interested in, not just top tier leagues or major tournaments. Some bookmakers specialise in certain sports, while others have a general coverage of markets.
Bet types are also important. Bettors want the ability to place a variety of bets. The best sportsbooks offer single event bets, complex bets, accumulators, prop bets and more. More sportsbooks have begun to offer bet builders, so customers can be more creative with their bets.
Having competitive odds is also central to a positive bettor experience. If a customer loves everything about an online bookmaker’s app but can never get decent odds on their bets, they won’t continue to bet with that bookmaker.
Lastly, bettors want an online betting site that works well consistently. No one wants a sportsbook that glitches frequently and loses their bets or doesn’t register live bets in time. This includes paying out consistently. There have been some highly publicised cases of sportsbooks choosing not to pay out winning bets with long odds. In some cases, this is because the site registered the odds in error, but in other cases, the reason is less clear. Bettors want to know that their bets — and any potential winnings — are safe.
For the last decade, the usage of apps versus browser sites has been growing consistently. Research has shown that apps are much more popular than browser sites for smartphone and mobile device users. Overall, when people have favourite sites that they visit on their phones, they’re likely to want an app to visit that site.
One of the main selling points of an app is that it offers a more controlled environment where everything is centrally located. You can keep an app open in the background and not have to worry about accidentally closing your betting tab in the final minutes of a live bet or having to deal with payment issues across platforms.
For sports bettors who like to have multiple accounts for the various sports they bet on, having separate apps for each sportsbook makes this much easier. This may not be the majority of bettors, but it does matter a lot to some.
In order to attract new customers, many online sportsbooks have added special features to their apps that can’t be found on other betting sites. These include things like specialised bet builders and the option to request odds. Apps also tend to have a dedicated customer support team for technical issues that is separate from the general website support team. This can lead to issues being handled more quickly.
There is really only one negative of having an app instead of a website, which is user burnout. Today, it feels like every company has an app that users need to download to fully access their content or participate in a reward scheme. This can lead to annoyance and feeling burnt out with the sheer number of apps on your mobile device.
Apart from the minor risk of users being tired of having so many apps, the only other negative of an app is technical issues. Again, this is a fairly minor issue since it can impact any app or website, not just those of bookmakers.
At the end of the day, some people prefer to bet on browser and some people prefer to use an app. The best option for a bookmaker is to have a fully optimised browser site as well as an app. This ensures they have something that appeals to every player.
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