The future of event-driven betting

Growing up in South Wales, boxing always felt close to home. The sport has deep roots in Wales’ working-class communities, which have long produced and supported fighters. Some bouts still stand out in my memory – like Frank Bruno versus Joe Bugner in 1987, which I wasn’t allowed to watch. My brother smuggled a radio into my bedroom so I could listen secretly under the covers.

By the 1990s, boxing had gripped the nation. Joe Calzaghe, one of the greatest boxers of his era, came from the same village I grew up in, while the Benn-Eubank rivalry defined British sport. Boxing was more than a sport then; it captured the national mood and became part of our cultural life.

Fast forward more than three decades and the story comes full circle as Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank’s sons prepare for their own blockbuster rematch. Their fathers’ rivalry defined an era, and this new chapter has reignited that same fascination. The original fight became part of national sporting folklore; this weekend’s bout carries that same sense of drama and nostalgia.

For UK sportsbooks, it represents a perfect opportunity to drive engagement and revenue. Fights like these transcend sport, attracting both regular bettors and casual fans – classic examples of event-driven betting, where cultural moments spark surges in activity beyond the normal calendar.

Such one-off, niche events deserve strategic focus and should be an important part of every sportsbook’s planning cycle. Operators will always have rock-solid plans around core revenue drivers such as football, basketball and tennis. Yet these one-off, media-relevant events can drive powerful reactivation and retention spikes; they offer a chance to gain incremental wallet share from users who may not otherwise engage.

The impact on performance of small increases in engagement

The power of small gains was highlighted in my operator days. One festive season, I asked a question: what if every customer placed just one extra bet that month? The modelling showed that this alone would have turned a near miss on our annual target into a success. With performance finely balanced, that single extra bet was enough to shift the outcome.

The lesson was clear: even small increases in engagement can impact performance, and event-driven moments provide the perfect catalyst for that boost.

The challenge for operators is learning how to look beyond the predictable rhythm of a weekly trading cycle, which centres on the football schedule for most European and Latam operators, and identifying the moments that fall outside of it.

When we analysed betting behaviour during major boxing nights, the pattern was clear. On a typical Saturday, users would spend the day betting on football, with peak volumes around the afternoon kick-offs. Once the late Premier League match finished, the same audience became open to placing additional bets if there was a high-profile boxing bout. This presented an opportunity – to encourage one more bet per user through smart positioning and targeted messaging.

Operators can achieve this by aligning their real-time marketing strategy around the event. That means updating banners; ensuring quick links and featured events make the fight visible on the front end; and timing push notifications, SMS or email campaigns within the narrow window when users are most likely to engage. When executed well, this approach turns a quiet period into a source of incremental volume and activity.

This same operating model applies worldwide. Every market has events that fall outside the core sporting calendar yet command mainstream attention. Identifying and leveraging these moments can deliver meaningful gains.

In the US, likely candidates might include the Kentucky Derby or the Ryder Cup. In Latam, major boxing bouts featuring regional champions could provide similar opportunities. Political markets also have strong potential, especially when elections dominate local news coverage. Across Europe, events such as Eurovision consistently capture huge audiences, while in Asia, eSports World Championships or high-profile reality and talent shows generate comparable levels of interest.

Each of these examples qualifies as an event-driven opportunity. The principle is identical regardless of geography: find the event in your local market that commands public attention and incentivise your customers to engage with it. Aligning sportsbook presentation and communication strategies turns cultural interest into measurable betting activity.

Capture attention when it peaks

The benefit of event-driven betting far outlives the event itself. When operators plan acquisition or reactivation campaigns around these one-off moments, the newly engaged users naturally fall into the following week’s retention cycles and can be included in future cross-product campaigns. This creates a seamless transition from short-term excitement to long-term engagement.

The principle is simple but powerful. Event-driven betting acts as the spark; what follows is a structured retention plan that turns curiosity into habit. The key is to capture the attention when it peaks and then nurture it through ongoing personalised communications and timely offers.

An operator’s ability to hit its targets can often be decided outside of the core sports calendar. Success sometimes depends on capturing cultural moments that still resonate with the audience. These small wins can ultimately outweigh the peaks delivered by the biggest fixtures.

At Pragmatic Play Sports, we believe the true benefit of our sportsbook extends beyond the quality of the product. Through our range of managed services and the expertise of our team, we help operators shape their strategies. Event-driven betting should remain a consistent focus within planning cycles, and we are committed to supporting our partners in identifying and executing opportunities that turn cultural moments into commercial success.

Gareth Crook is senior vice-president of sports at Pragmatic Play. With more than 20 years of experience in the sports betting industry, Crook led the launch of Pragmatic Play’s sportsbook offering in late 2023.

Key achievements include market launches in Spain, Germany and the UK (with Brazil, Romania, Denmark and Greece to follow) and new releases such as horseracing, football player markets and esports. Crook also established Pragmatic Play Sports, a brand that brings together the provider’s growing range of premium sports betting products and services.