(AsiaGameHub) – By: Christian Brooks
For years, sports betting operators have fixated on outbidding each other for new users. The real battle isn’t for betting market share—it’s for people’s limited free time. The industry pours huge sums into customer acquisition. Few stop to ask how they’ll keep those users long-term. That’s the quiet crisis hanging over every regulated sportsbook right now.
BETBY CCO Chris Nikolopoulos told SBC News operators belong to the wider entertainment sector, not just sports betting. He says they compete with every platform that grabs user attention, from TikTok to Netflix. Nanointeractive research found 61% of bettors use YouTube and fan sites for betting tips. Sensor Towers’ 2025 mobile report lays out the scale of the competition. Users engage with 26 apps monthly, seven per day on average. 2024 saw 136 billion app downloads, down 1% year-over-year. Gambling isn’t in the top 20 fastest-growing app sectors. Bettors often switch to social media while placing bets.
The upcoming World Cup is the perfect test case for this shift. Operators can’t just rely on high CPA acquisition anymore. They need a retention plan ready before they spend a single dollar on ads. Nikolopoulos says waiting 48 hours to start retaining users after a peak event means you’ve already lost them. BETBY launched Stories last month, modeled after Instagram and Snapchat, to target 18-34 year olds who grew up with social media features. The company also boasts that 17 of the top 20 crypto casinos use its sports trading tools, giving it an edge in risk management. Tighter regulation and margins mean operators need partners who can balance user engagement and profitability. The industry’s next leaders won’t outspend rivals on ads—they’ll build habits into their users’ daily scrolls.
Author bio: Christian Brooks, a prominent financial and business lead commentator who covers global gaming and tech industry trends.