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Taking the gamble out of Accelerating Growth: Maximising Your Marketing in New Sportsbetting Markets
By: Kalen Bushe VP Customer Growth at TrafficGuard
Too many sportsbooks are wasting their marketing dollars. As new markets open, they have to make every dollar count when it comes to winning to new players. Regions like the Middle East and Latin America (LATAM) are opening, and it is critical that sportsbooks optimise their marketing to win market share.
These emerging markets present sportsbooks with a golden ticket to expand into a new region and increase profits. These opportunities are being matched with new complexities in their digital marketing activities. Invalid traffic (IVT) is as a barrier to expansion by draining digital advertising budgets and reducing ROI without sportsbooks recognising it.
IVT encompasses any activity originating from sources lacking genuine user interest, including ad fraud, bots or returning users. While invalid traffic goes unchecked, sportsbooks won’t see the full value of their digital advertising campaigns and lose a competitive edge in new markets.
70% of surveyed iGaming operators reported to be expanding into online gaming markets in Central and South America in the next three years according to a GBG survey. This means there’s a lot to win by getting marketing right and not wasting advertising spend on attracting the wrong audiences, fraud or bots.
They key is to understand potential opportunities and recognise risks in digital marketing. Every sportsbook needs to maximise ROI on every dollar they are spending, and it becomes even more crucial when trying to gain critical mass in newly opened markets.
Bots, Timewasters, Fakers and Fraud
Legislation is loosening worldwide, over the past few years North America has seen numerous states legalise sports betting. Similar changes have happened in Brazil, where online gambling regulations were passed in late 2023. These changes have paved the way for sportsbooks to explore exciting new markets.
However, sportsbooks are being fed inaccurate campaign data by IVT. This inflates impressions and impacts future ad campaigns as sportsbooks funnel ad spend into projects that aren’t performing as well as it would seem, giving competitors the chance to take the lead in new markets.
IVT includes non-human traffic which typically takes the form of bots powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Bots can create a multitude of fake accounts and use them to exploit promotions undetected. Despite the implementation of rigorous registration verification checks by many operators to combat this issue, it remains a significant challenge. This poses a hurdle for sportsbooks seeking to attract users and carve out a presence in new markets, especially with bonuses, which can lead to a drain on their campaign resources. On average, around 5-7% of sports betting campaigns suffer from this form of media loss.
Bots aren’t the sole concern for sportsbooks in safeguarding against inauthentic engagement. Navigational traffic stemming from returning users, who are already part of the customer base, also poses a significant challenge as they unintentionally deplete budgets. When these users try to reach a site via search engines, they inadvertently click on paid brand advertisements, consequently inflating customer acquisition costs (CACs) without contributing to conversions, thereby causing losses for the sportsbook. Without an effective strategy to manage returning users, optimising campaign value becomes considerably more difficult.
Taking Down Barriers to Growth
For sportsbooks to flourish in emerging markets, the first step is to counter IVT. IVT damages budgets by remaining undetected, therefore it’s crucial that sportsbooks maintain visibility into their traffic.
Monitoring traffic as it passes through systems is key. Through this, sportsbooks can identify any irregularities, such as traffic from an unknown origin. This could be an indicator of IVT, which can then be identified and dealt with before the campaign can be interfered with.
The increasing frequency of non-genuine engagement is difficult for teams to monitor unaided. An ad verification platform can fill in the gaps and accurately pinpoint any threats and mitigate them directly. These platforms work to validate traffic in real-time, determining the origin of traffic and blocking it from entering systems if it’s suspicious to proactively protect budgets.
It is also possible to control the number of times returning users interact with your campaigns without risking damaging the relationship they have with sportsbooks. Setting custom verification rules is an effective method of limiting the number of times an ad can be clicked on by a certain user. Once the user reaches the threshold for clicks, they’re prevented from seeing it, which significantly reduces cost-per-click (CPC) rates.
This can be further expanded upon by deploying shadow campaigns. These are an effective way of maintaining optimal engagement by duplicating current campaigns set up with lower CPC. This funnels returning users away and prevents them from driving up costs. The budget saved can then be committed to growth in new regions.
Winning Big in New Markets
The sports betting industry is opening doors worldwide for sportsbooks to gain audiences in places they never could before. Excelling in newly legalised markets against a multitude of competitors is a difficult task, only being made harder by the interference of IVT.
By tackling non-genuine engagement, sportsbooks give themselves the advantage back over competitors. With full visibility and control over campaigns, their full potential can be realised to ensure sportsbooks can focus on global expansion.
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Quick Custom Intelligence Unveils One Big Beautiful Bill ‑Optimized Win/Loss Toolkit – A Simple Path Through the 90% Cap
Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) announced the release of its trade secret protected BBB‑Optimized Win/Loss toolkit, a new package available across QCI Host®, QCI Marketing®, and QCI Player™ that helps casinos and their patrons navigate the upcoming 90% wagering‑loss cap contained in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” (BBB).
Built With Gaming‑Tax Experts
Working hand‑in‑hand with nationally recognized gaming advisors, QCI has engineered a turnkey toolkit that will ensure that more than 99% of players experience zero to minimal tax impact—from penny‑slot enthusiasts to high‑limit table gamers.
“Our customers asked how to keep their players engaged once the BBB Act takes effect. We worked through the long weekend and delivered a compliance‑ready answer that puts actionable information in both the patron’s and the accountant’s hands—while keeping our intellectual property secure,” said Andrew Cardno, Co‑Founder & CTO of QCI.
Key Features
Proprietary Tax‑Optimization Engine – Automatically aggregates each player’s activity using QCI’s confidential methodology, delivering precise win/loss figures compliant with BBB requirements.
90%‑Cap Readiness Dashboard – Highlights any year‑to‑date gain total that exceeds 90% of losses, flagging potential “phantom‑income” exposure before tax filing day, and suggests remedial actions that are available to the player.
One‑Click CPA Export – Generates a clean PDF/CSV packet suitable for Form 1040 attachment—eliminating the need for manual spreadsheets.
Rapid Roll‑Out – Delivered as a standard content pack; no schema changes, no downtime.
Availability
The BBB‑Optimized Win/Loss toolkit is shipping today to all cloud and on‑prem customers running AGI55 or later. Operators can enable it in hours via routine configuration.
Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) builds award‑winning operational, marketing, and player‑development tooling for the global gaming industry.
All-Cash Transaction Unlocks Significant, Unrealized Value for Boyd Shareholders
Boyd, FanDuel Extend Market-Access Agreements through 2038
Boyd Gaming Corporation announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell the Company’s 5% equity interest in FanDuel Group to Flutter Entertainment plc for cash consideration of $1.755 billion.
The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025, subject to regulatory approvals. The Company intends to use net proceeds to reduce debt.
Keith Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boyd, said: “This transaction unlocks the tremendous unrealized value that our investment in FanDuel has created for our Company. As a result, we are in a significantly stronger financial position to continue executing our strategy of investing in our properties, pursuing growth opportunities, returning capital to our shareholders, and maintaining a strong balance sheet.”
In addition to purchasing Boyd’s equity interest in FanDuel, Boyd and FanDuel will terminate certain existing market-access agreements between the parties and enter into new agreements to provide, among other things, for an extended term through 2038. The agreements will also provide Boyd with a fixed fee per state from FanDuel’s mobile sports-betting operations in Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana and Pennsylvania, as well as FanDuel’s online casino operations in Pennsylvania, upon the close of this transaction. FanDuel will also continue to operate Boyd’s retail sportsbooks outside of Nevada through mid-2026, after which time Boyd will assume responsibility for these operations.
Under terms of the revised market-access agreements with FanDuel, the Company now expects its Online segment will generate $50 million to $55 million in operating income and Adjusted EBITDAR for the full year 2025, and approximately $30 million in 2026.
Smith added: “The partnership between Boyd and FanDuel has been a remarkable success for both companies. FanDuel has emerged as the nation’s clear leader in online sports-betting, while Boyd has been able to leverage this partnership to profitably participate in the rapid growth of sports betting across the country. It has been a privilege to work with the Flutter and FanDuel teams, and we look forward to supporting FanDuel’s continued growth and success through our market-access agreements across the country.”
Moelis & Company LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to Boyd Gaming on the transaction. Morrison & Foerster LLP served as legal advisor to Boyd Gaming on the transaction, with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP advising on the commercial agreements.
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Pavilion Payments Partners with Pawnee Nation to Deliver Seamless Casino Funding Solutions Across All Three Properties
Pavilion Payments, the leading omnichannel payment solutions provider in the gaming industry, has announced a partnership with Pawnee Nation, launching a suite of VIP Preferred funding solutions at their three properties: StoneWolf Casino, Trading Post Casino, and TeePee Casino and Smoke Shop.
Through this partnership, Pawnee Nation will leverage Pavilion Payments’ industry-leading VIP Preferred eCheck and Choice4 deferred settlement services at both the cage and VIP Financial Center self-service kiosks. Cash advance will be available at the cage, while the kiosks will offer multi-factor authentication (MFA) and ATM access, providing players with secure, convenient, and flexible funding options. Additionally, Pawnee Nation will implement VIP Shield, Pavilion Payments’ comprehensive Title 31 compliance solution, to enhance security and streamline regulatory compliance.
“We’re proud to partner with Pawnee Nation and support their ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional guest experiences. Our mission is to empower operators with secure, efficient, and forward-thinking payment technologies. We’re honored to support Pawnee Nation as they continue to drive innovation in the gaming space by streamlining transactions, strengthening compliance capabilities, and enhancing player satisfaction,” said Dan Connors, Chief Executive Officer of Pavilion Payments.
“Partnering with Pavilion Payments allows us to offer our players flexible and hassle-free funding options backed by trusted, industry-leading technology. This partnership aligns with our commitment to deliver exceptional guest experiences while supporting operational excellence across all three properties,” said Robert Wallar, CEO of Pawnee Tribal Development Corp.
By deploying Pavilion Payments’ integrated solutions, Pawnee Nation is making it easier for guests to access their funds and enjoy a more seamless and secure experience—while giving casino operators more control, insight, and efficiency in their payments environment.
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