Jessica Mills, Head of Product Proposition at SIS, highlights how a close-knit audience of numbers betting fans is fuelling engagement across social media channels and revitalising the heritage 49’s live numbers game for betting clients… 

Social interaction amongst bettors is a key driver of engagement, and the numbers betting environment has this in abundance.

The online slots sector takes credit for the way in which it has established a close connection between the overall product and end users. Game developers are well known to seasoned players, with the affiliate world driving awareness and social media playing a part too. More recently, live streamers have extended that relationship further, much to the benefit of operators who receive greater visibility of their content as well as increased engagement and loyalty.

In the world of numbers betting, it is arguably even more prevalent. Avid fans of live draws turn to social media and online forums to take their experience to another level. From speaking directly with the presenters via their social media profiles, to predicting the outcomes of upcoming draws on unofficial forums, there is a significant community of bettors who enjoy interacting with each other that helps to enhance the overall spectacle that traditionally comes with a live draw.

In many ways, this community is like no other in the betting and gaming industry. Social media engagement and impression rates are much higher compared to other forms of gambling-related content. This strong engagement creates high crossover from social to website offering huge affiliate opportunities.

This sense of community is not restricted to one territory either. While numbers betting is traditionally seen as a UK-centric product, there is huge engagement online in other parts of the world, most notably in Africa.

Building a rapport with presenters

One aspect of engagement that a high proportion of bettors enjoy is the ability to interact with the presenters of live draws.

In online casino, chat functionality has become the norm in live dealer rooms, whereby players can instantly message the presenter as they wait for the outcome of the next spin. Within the numbers betting community, the relationship between presenters and the end-user can often prove to be much closer with certain products.

In particular with the 49’s live draws that are now owned by SIS, including the Original Live Draw that takes place twice a day, fans know so much more about each presenter as they appear regularly and are also highly active across social media, where they are able to engage and interact with numbers bettors on a day-to-day basis. In our experience, the quality and personality of presenters can make a real difference in forming a close bond between a product and bettors. Someone who is comfortable appearing on-screen, can connect strongly with customers and is willing to extend their profile outside of draw hours is appreciated by the numbers community.

Several of our main 49’s presenters have actively grown their social media presence as a result, posting updates and videos more frequently via Twitter and Instagram, which helps to lift the lid on their personality. This results in greater retention, particularly with bettors who enjoy interacting with certain presenters and are more likely to place a bet when they are involved in a draw. With 49’s, the presenters are essentially the face of the brand, and they have often worked on the live draws for many years, which only helps to increase customer loyalty.

Driving engagement for operators

Ultimately, embracing this community and creating platforms in the digital space that allows for further engagement is highly beneficial to operators. Numbers betting activity continues to increase in popularity, with social media and online forums playing an important role in its growth.

Perfectly suited for both online and retail channels, the vertical complements sports betting and casino, allowing operators to provide an exciting form of betting entertainment at quieter periods, such as when there are fewer live sporting fixtures taking place or when casino players look for alternative content after a session playing slots or table games.

Since SIS acquired the 49’s business and invested in a brand refresh earlier this year, which included the rollout of a fresh and contemporary look and feel, and a new improved website, betting engagement has increased significantly. The demographic of bettors enjoying these live draws has broadened, illustrating its appeal to a wide audience.

49’s is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year and is as popular as ever. The premium feel and customer credibility that comes with the longest-running fixed odds lottery product on the planet has remained after all these years. Its future is cemented too as we continue to evolve the product offering, including an innovative Fast 15’s draw that will deliver a live betting opportunity every 60 seconds, set to be rolled out with more operators across 2022.

For operators, there is an opportunity to tap into this community and provide a platform where they can engage further with the brand and continue to participate in the live draws. The new 49’s website features information about the latest draws and upcoming schedule, and operators are increasingly seeing the value of affiliate programs via the website to attract the numbers betting community to their sites. In fact, the ability to provide a premium product and help drive customers to it on our partner sites is quite unique and is highly beneficial for operators.

Understanding the numbers betting community is key in maximising the potential of this vertical. With such a loyal and active customer base interacting closely with the product on a daily basis, operators would be remiss to not explore further ways to become part of the conversation.