Trends in cyber football betting in BETER report
Last summer’s major football tournaments, such as the UEFA EURO and Copa America, attracted the attention of millions of football fans and bettors around the world, becoming the world’s top sporting theme. This period is also an important one for the sports betting industry, with operators looking to meet increased user demand and offer new opportunities for fan engagement, including cyber football betting.
Cyber football betting content provider BETER has compared betting trends during the iconic EURO 2024 and Copa America 2024 tournaments in an in-depth report. This comprehensive study, based on tons of bets, reveals key insights into the growing influence of cyber football in the betting industry, comparing betting trends during the landmark EURO 2024 and Copa America 2024 tournaments. It reveals key insights into the growing influence of cyber football in the betting industry.
Betting margins on cyber football have increased significantly
During UEFA EURO and Copa America 2024, online bookmakers’ customers showed an increased interest in cyber football events (esoccer), which was reflected in the growth of all key indicators: betting turnover grew by 13.4%, the number of bets by 12.8%, and the number of new bettors by 11.2%. At the same time, margins on cyber football content remained consistently high, providing operators with high GGR figures.
The peak of cyber football popularity among bettors was recorded immediately after the championships were over. On 14 July, ‘Super Sunday’ took place, which included the final matches of both tournaments and the highest turnover of cyber football betting was recorded on 15 and 16 July.
Similarly, high results in cyber football betting were seen during UEFA EURO 2024, especially on days without games and during the decisive play-off matches.
Steady level of engagement
In terms of time indicators, the number of bets and average turnover on cyber football events increased during the day in all time slots without exception. The most significant growth among BETER customers was observed in the evening, right after the end of the evening EURO matches. For example, between 10 pm and 11 pm, the average turnover increased by 23% and remained high in the following hours.
Another peak was seen at night after the Copa America matches had finished. Thus, esoccer served as an alternative for bettors when their interest in real matches went down.
An essential feature of betting on cyber football is the stable level of interest during the day. Despite the fluctuations described above, cyber football maintains a relatively even level of engagement 24/7. As a rule, the difference between the most and least active hours in terms of engagement is no more than 100%.
During major tournaments, due to a significant increase in bettor activity in the evening, the difference between the most and least active time slots increases. However, the general trend remains unchanged – cyber football fans remain engaged throughout the day, and operators get a stable and predictable turnover.
Alignment with the football betting audience
As noted in the Abios study, there is a significant overlap between the football betting audience and the cyber football audience. Given the behavioural patterns of bettors and the considerable overlap between these audiences, it can be assumed that cyber football is an effective tool for engaging football audiences.
This is especially true in periods of increased interest in football, both during and immediately after major football events. At this time, the volume of football bets decreases, but the audience remains engaged and wants to continue playing.
Operators who incorporate this data into their marketing and content strategies can gain additional benefits and better monetise esoccer content.
The ‘next goal’ market has grown by 20 percent
Speaking about the betting markets, BETER analysts note the stability of the structure of betting on cyber football during EURO: more than half of all bets are traditionally placed on totals. An interesting exception was the ‘next goal’ market: the volume of bets on this market grew by more than 20%.
This growth is explained by the fact that bettors are looking for additional opportunities for quick bets. Esoccer provides such opportunities, and the ‘next goal’ market is one of the simplest and most straightforward options with minimal settlement time.
The national teams of Argentina, the Netherlands and France were leading in terms of average turnover per match during EURO 2024.
Ranking of teams in cyber football.
Source: BETER.
During the analysed period, the 2×4 format remained the most demanded and popular among bettors, with the average turnover of its matches growing by almost 15%. In turn, the 2×6 format showed even more impressive growth in both the number of bets and turnover – by 15.2%.
In conclusion
According to a study by analysts at BETER, a leading provider of content, data, and betting solutions for the iGaming industry and a nominee for the SiGMA America Awards, betting on cyber football is a promising area of development for online bookmakers. Betting on esoccer is especially in demand during the world football championships, as it gives fans the opportunity to continue the game and realise their interest. According to BETER’s customer results in 2024, quick bets, such as on the next goal and the 2×6 format, are gaining popularity.
This article was first published in Russian on 25 April 2025.
