Panning for Gold: How to Maximise One-time Punters at the Grand National

This article has been written by Harry Cott, CEO at beBettor,

The Grand National is one of the most high profile events in the UK betting calendar, attracting 500 million global viewers for the three-day festival, including 70,000 in-person spectators at Aintree. Among the sea of bettors sits a demographic of customers who display behaviour that Entain refers to as ‘small bets, big thrills’ in its 2024 report. In the report, data reveals that nearly 30% of participants in last year’s event were either making their first sports bet, depositing for the first time or returning after a break since the previous year’s race, which it claims proves the event ‘serves as a gateway for newcomers’. 

While many of those wagering on the Grand National may be once-a-year punters, the opportunity lies in identifying those with real potential for on-going engagement. Within this group there will be many punters with untapped capacity, who could be nurtured into long-term, highly valuable players. This is where customer wealth data can open up new opportunities. beBettor’s wealth scores help companies to identify and nurture these valuable players, deliver hyper-personalised engagement journeys and allocate free bet promotions more intelligently. The key is to move quickly by having systems in place to act on data gathered before or during the event.

A goldmine of opportunity

Casual punters who place bets once a year on the Grand National can hold immense value for operators if engaged correctly. Though their engagement in the National Hunt horse race may be historically fleeting, player wealth data has the power to change this, and reveal lucrative opportunities for operators to build a sustainable customer base of affluent bettors.

beBettor wealth data allows CRM teams to gain an instant view of a player’s wealth and potential value. A score of between 1 and 10 is assigned to each player, with 10 representing those in the top 10% wealth bracket in GB and 1 identifying those in the bottom 10%. 

By enhancing player segmentation with distinct wealth group data, operators can work to boost their engagement throughout the year, reducing the number of bettors who become dormant after the Grand National has finished. 

By integrating customer wealth scores into their CRM strategy, operators can leverage the Grand National as a platform for a growing and more profitable customer base.