Pre-Match Bets Back Above 50% for Kindred Group in Sweden

The 2022 World Cup is nearly finished, and its impact has been felt all around the betting world. While official figures are still yet to be released showing the full financial impact of the event, Swedish operator, the Kindred Group has reported that pre-match betting has increased back above 50% during the tournament.

The Impact of the World Cup 

The Kindred Group has revealed that pre-match betting activity has returned above 50% for the first time in several years. The industry has seen a huge increase in live betting in recent years, with more customers preferring to engage with live-action events. 

The biggest reason for the swing towards pre-match betting is the ongoing FIFA World Cup. The event, which started on November 20th and will finish on November 18th, is being held in Qatar. The tournament is the first of its kind to be held in the Winter months. 

Kindred, who operates popular betting brands like Unibet, believes that the event will have attracted a lot of casual punters, which could be a big reason for this change in betting behavior. 

A Unique Climate for Bettors

The 2022 World Cup has presented bettors and operators with some unique betting conditions. Firstly, the tournament has taken place in the middle of the football season, putting a halt to many leagues across Europe. This has meant that the tournament has managed to capture an already engaged audience. 

Secondly, the timing of the matches in Qatar has meant that in-play betting has been difficult for those in Europe. Only the late kick-offs have been outside of European working hours, while the group stages held three games during the working day. 

The belief is that these kick-off times have forced players to place early bets, with more in-play betting taking place during the late games. 

A Change in Product 

Kindred also believes that a change in its products could also be factored in. The company has put an emphasis on bet-builder products in recent months, something which has proved particularly popular throughout the World Cup. 

Bet Builders allow players to build their own multi-bets using different markets. The number of bet-builds among pre-match bets increased by 35% between the group stage and the round of 16. The product also made up 29% of bets during the tournament. 

Kindred spoke about the popularity of the product. They said that the bet-builders often see players giving attention to individual player prop markets. Teams like Brazil and France, with stars like Neymar and Mbappe respectively, are both popular in this respect. They also said that under/over lines were the most popular type of bet used in Bet Builders, while 1x2 came in second place. 

Kindred is one of many operators to have experimented with different marketing strategies and promotions during the tournament. Flutter anticipated huge returns in the UK and Ireland, with Fanduel and Sportbet both expected to attract more bettors in North America and Australia respectively.

Liam Hoofe

Published: 13 Dec 2022

 | Updated: 13 Mar 2023

Liam is a skilled writer and journalist, highly regarded for his perceptive examination of the gambling industry. He specializes in online casinos and sports betting, and his work has been published in top-tier publications. Here at GoodLuckMate, Liam covers the latest industry news and has also authored various gambling guides, offering both beginners and experienced players in-depth analyses of games and strategies.

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