Mobile Sports Bettors Have High Incomes, but TransUnion Suggests Sportsbooks Probe Players

Posted on: August 31, 2022, 05:01h. 

Last updated on: August 31, 2022, 02:36h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More

Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

More than half of mobile sports bettors in the US earn $100K or more annually. But TransUnion suggests that online sportsbook operators better know their customers.

Chicago-based TransUnion, one of the “Big Three” credit agencies, ventured into the US gaming industry last year following 12 years of monitoring gaming in the UK and Europe. TransUnion has since provided insights into the casino and online gaming industries with its latest research focused on internet sports betting participation.

While 54% of mobile sports bettors make a six-digit salary, 79% told pollsters that they’re concerned with their ability to pay their current bills, loans, and other debts in full in the months ahead. That’s far higher than the 52% of the general population worried about their liabilities, TransUnion said.

Customer Insights Needed

The TransUnion study, which was conducted by third-party research firm Dynata, concluded that sportsbook platforms should know more about their online customers’ finances.

It’s important in the current economic climate for operators to better understand their players and to encourage responsible and sustainable play,” Declan Raines, head of US Gaming at TransUnion, told Casino.org in an interview.

Raines added that state regulators might be smart to require that licensed online sportsbooks conduct affordability assessments on players, which is common in the UK and Europe. Affordability checks, which provide operators with a deeper understanding of a player’s personal finances and financial well-being, could allow online sportsbooks to reach more educated conclusions in determining how much a customer can afford to wager.

Raines also believes operators must better inform their customers about responsible gaming resources and available programs. The belief is that would better assure that their sports betting activity remains fun and a form of entertainment. Paired with affordability assessments, the TransUnion Gaming exec believes that would better safeguard consumers and limit gambling’s potential societal harms as the industry expands its reach on the internet.

Credit Critical

TransUnion naturally circled the mobile sports study back to what it does best, analyzing the data and information related to credit. And for the mobile sports bettors concerned about paying their bills, the rating house stressed the importance of minding one’s credit health.

“Payment history and credit utilization rate, a measure of how much of available credit someone is using compared to their total credit limit, are two of the major credit scoring factors,” explained Margaret Poe, head of consumer credit education at TransUnion. “Missing payments and running up credit balances can have a severe, negative impact on a consumer’s credit score.”

Raines says the financial resiliency of mobile sports bettors is already being tested amid record inflation. And though the majority of bettors are likely to play responsibly, more oversight would prove valuable.

“At face value, most of the consumers engaging in mobile sports betting can likely afford to do so. At the same time, our findings demonstrate how important it is, especially during a time of economic uncertainty, that operators utilize comprehensive data to identify both resilient and distressed consumers.

“Doing so can help operators protect players and provide a safer experience to consumers engaged in regulated betting,” Raines concluded.