YOUR TRUSTED GLOBAL SPORTS DATA PARTNER

By Sean Donkin, Commercial Marketing & Account Manager, Podium 

There is a category of sporting events that sits apart from everything else on the annual calendar. Not the Grand National. Not the Super Bowl. Not Wimbledon. Those are all major events with commercial significance, and an important anchor point in any operator’s annual plan. But operators know they are coming routinely plan for them.

The sporting events I am referring to are different: The FIFA World Cup, The Ryder Cup. The Rugby World Cup. The Olympics. Events which happen every few years.

These are the moments that reach far beyond the typical betting audience as they capture casual fans, lapsed bettors, and first-time depositors who wouldn’t normally engage with a betting product. They arrive less frequent and create a retention opportunity that the industry has never fully tapped into.

The spike is predictable. The drop-off still catches operators off guard.

Major tournament betting volumes are extraordinary. During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, more than 90 million* bets were placed in the group stage alone, a surge of engagement from audiences who are not part of an operator’s regular active base.

What happens next is predictable, and that is precisely the problem. Most casual bettors acquired experience the event, then leave, so operators lost a potential regular customer having done the initial hard work of acquiring them.

The key challenge is the absence of a natural follow-up, as the annual sports calendar creates its own migration bridge. When the event is finished, there is no comparable event waiting in the wings, making it a key challenge for operators, meaning they need to create a reason for them to return.

The framework: from tentpole to year-round

Operators who handle tentpole retention well share a common approach. They treat the event not as a campaign endpoint, but an opportunity for customer engagement & retention.

Before the event: segment by intent, not by deposit

Retention planning must begin pre-tournament. Setting up to capture key behavioural signals will support long-term value such as capturing cross-sport browsing, in-play market engagement, bet builder usage, session frequency on non-marquee fixtures, because if you can’t tag curiosity during the tournament, you cannot act on it when the tournament ends.

The bettor who watches the Olympic 100m final and then browses athletics markets the following morning is telling you something important. Segmentation by behavioural intent is where the difference between a spike and a retained user is made.

During the event: build habits, not just turnover

The temptation during any tentpole event is to maximise short-term volume. The smarter play is to use that engagement window to establish repeatable behaviours.

Promoting in-play derivative markets, predictive content, and same-game multis encourages deeper product interaction than match-result singles. A bettor who builds in-play habits during a World Cup is more likely to bring those habits to domestic sports when the tournament ends. Retention is habit-led, not promotion-led.

Immediately post-event: the seven-day window

The most critical retention period after any tentpole event is the first seven days and this is where the annual sports calendar earns its strategic value.

The World Cup ends in July. The racing calendar does not. Horse racing offers daily high-frequency events, strong in-play opportunities, and derivative markets that mirror the engagement patterns established during football tournaments. It is one of the most effective post-tournament bridges in any operator’s toolkit, and it is available every single day. Domestic football returns in August. Tennis Grand Slams continue through the summer. The annual sports calendar is dense enough to sustain engagement, but only if the operator has built the bridge before the final whistle.

The Ryder Cup, the Rugby World Cup, the Olympics, all create the same dynamic when they arrive. The operators building the infrastructure now are the ones who will not be caught out again.

Shift from promotion to content: weeks two to eight

Post-event churn accelerates when operators respond to declining engagement with heavier promotional activity. The cost rises. The margin falls. The users who stay for a bonus do not necessarily stay beyond it.

The operators who sustain engagement in the quieter weeks embed real-time data, premium statistics, predictive insights, and personalised in-play prompts into the user journey. Longer session times, stronger in-play participation, and reduced dependency on bonus activity follow. In regulated markets where promotional scrutiny is intensifying, this shift is not just commercially sensible, it is increasingly necessary.

Sources

*https://igamingbusiness.com/sports-betting/stopping-the-churn-user-retention-after-big-tournaments/ 

Podium, a leading global provider of trusted sports content and data solutions, has today announced an international deal with Woodbine Racetrack; one of North America’s top racing venues. The agreement marks the first time Podium’s services will be used to enrich the betting experience of North American audiences and represents a broadening collaboration with global racecourse rights owners.

Under the expansive new deal, Woodbine Racetrack will integrate Podium’s Edge Form content to bolster the digital experience it delivers to passionate racing fans, providing a more consistent experience across international racing.

Edge features comprehensive pre-race insights, including expert comments, selections and runner verdicts. Woodbine will also have access to Podium’s enhanced data services, such as past performance indicators, placement history and silks.

The deal with Woodbine Racetrack builds on Podium’s existing partnerships in North America and reinforces its role as a trusted provider to the global racing landscape.

Josh Sparke, Managing Director at Podium, says:

 “I’m proud of Podium’s reputation for fast, engaging data that elevates the racing experience for fans. Woodbine is one of North America’s leading racetracks and the premier location in Canada. This new partnership reflects our commitment to supplying high-quality data that deepens our expanding global network. As we move into new markets, integrity, reliability and quality will remain at the core of our business and the innovative data products we offer partners.”

Klaus Ebner, Director at Woodbine, says:

“Woodbine is committed to delivering a best-in-class digital racing experience for our fans, and partnering with Podium allows us to further enhance the depth and consistency of our racing content. Podium’s Edge will bring high-quality insights and data that align with our standards and supports our ambition to connect Canadian racing with a truly global audience. We’re excited to work with Podium as we continue to evolve how fans engage with our product.”

In our latest staff Q&A, we find out about Sam Wilson, Director of Operations

Which athlete do you think demonstrated the strongest mindset under pressure?

Ben Stokes. Headingley. August 2019. An unbelievable display of character, stamina, and calculated risk taking under pressure to win a match single-handed and keep the Ashes alive. I regularly revisit the TV highlights and Test Match Special commentary of the final hour of this match to relive the drama and pure joy I felt as Stokes slowly took his team towards victory. And to see the Aussies’ faces as he was doing it

What’s your favourite sports tournament and why?

I have fallen in and out of love with football over my adult life and generally think there’s far too much of it now, but there is still something magical about a football World Cup. Every four years I tell myself I’m not going to be as bothered about it as I used to be, but every time I get sucked in and end up watching most matches and am a bag of nervous energy when England play.

Have you ever played sport competitively? If so, what did it teach you about performance, pressure, or teamwork?

I used to play tennis at junior level to a pretty high standard. The thing that held me back was my temper. Looking back now, if I had not shown my emotions and kept my cool in more pressure situations, I may have won a few more tournaments, and kept a few more racquets intact!

Did you collect anything growing up – stickers, kits, memorabilia?

I was a big Panini football sticker fiend in the early to mid 90s. The thrill of filling up a sticker book and the promise that came with the purchase and opening a new pack of stickers was unmatched. I only ever managed to complete one book though.

If you could play any position in any sport professionally, what would it be and for which team?

Striker for Manchester United and England. Being a grassroots football coach (I coach my 10-year-old son’s team), I have a respect for any position on the football pitch and love seeing a creative midfielder or fast and skilful winger in action, but I have always had a special place in my heart for a clinical goalscorer. Football is about scoring goals, we need more out-and-out goalscorers in the modern game.

What’s the first sporting event you remember watching and what impact did it have on you?

Italia 90 – I was 9. I vividly remember watching the opening game, Argentina v Cameroon, and was instantly hooked. The stadiums, the colours, the wide array of great players I’d never heard of, Gazza’s tears, Italia 90 had it all.

Is there a rivalry in sport that you find especially compelling? Why?

I mentioned earlier about how I think there’s far too much football on now, and I think it’s a problem across many sports, mainly my other love – cricket. With so many franchise tournaments on now, the top players and teams play against each other far too much for international matches or series, and rivalries, for it to really matter. That’s why the Ashes still stands out and should not change. I am a big advocate for change in many ways, but traditions are equally important. England v Australia in Test cricket has so much history and is still seen by many players as the pinnacle. I really hope that never changes.

What’s one sporting rule or format you’d change and why?

Spending my weekends heavily involved in grassroots football and helping children develop a love of sport, before any skills the most important thing I teach the kids is values and respect for one another, the opposition, coaches, and referees. My biggest issue with football generally is the lack of respect shown towards officials, and it starts on the field in the professional game. I would personally stop coaches from being allowed to criticise referees in the media and give officials the power to send a player off for any bad or confrontational language, and for any form of cheating. Immediate red cards and a non-negotiable three-match ban would stamp out a lot of disrespectful behaviour quite quickly.

What type of bet do you think brings the most excitement – a last-minute winner, a long-shot outsider, or a perfectly predicted accumulator?

A perfectly formed accumulator that you have invested time in building on a Friday night or Saturday morning is a thing of beauty when it comes off. It’s a pity that’s a rare feeling for me!

How do you think data and analytics are reshaping the way fans interact with sport?

Every fan has an opinion. The increase in availability of data and analytics has given more fans the information to support their opinions, which can only be a good thing. Just please don’t talk to me about XG in football. Goals win football matches, not expected goals. If a team has 20 shots to the opposition’s one and the opposition wins, they deserved to because they put the ball in the net, you didn’t.

Connect with Sam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-wilson-45b98a72/