Sportsbet Leans on TikTok to Engage with Young Women

TikTok is a popular social media platform that has been growing rapidly since its release several years ago. The social media app that has been downloaded more than a billion times on Google Play and is available not only for mobile but for desktop devices as well, prohibits the promotion of gambling activities.

Yet, TikTok made headlines late last year, after confirming an exception for a popular Australian online gambling operator called Sportsbet, allowing the company to conduct a gambling ad trial. At the time of the announcement, TikTok explained that the “closed pilot for sports betting” came after the operator was given explicit approval from the platform.

Novelty Bet Markets

Now, a new report by The Guardian cites the opinion of marketing and gambling research experts, revealing that a gambling promotion ran just before the recent Super Bowl. Reportedly a video published by Sportsbet featured a young woman that reveals details regarding a special “novelty bet” market. This market presented different options for the performance during the half-time of the Super Bowl by the famous singer Rihanna.

This new ad reportedly was seeking at engaging with the young female audience and helping Sportsbet diversify its predominantly male customer base. Although in general, betting on sports is an activity favored by sports fans, men are mostly interested in it. However, offering markets on Rihanna’s half-time performance is undoubtedly a good tactic, as it can catch the attention of clients outside of the sports vertical. At the same time, such markets can prove to be appealing to the female audience, which is precisely what Sportsbet was hoping for.

The recent report included the opinion of the advertising expert Toby Ralph. According to him, by using the TikTok trial ad option, the gambling operator sought to increase its profits and engage with new audiences.

Ralph pointed out that this is achieved by capturing “new markets.” He explained that although women may not have sports knowledge, they can easily place a novelty bet on Rihanna’s performance. Finally, Ralph said “Does this lead to ethical concerns? No. From an advertising perspective, if it’s legal, they will go all in.”

Elsewhere, in the United States, an investigation in Minnesota busted an illegal gambling operation that used TikTok. An Edina man allegedly ran an operation collecting subscription fees and live-streaming his betting activities. The man allegedly charged a subscription fee and a percentage of each deposit, then live-streamed his gambling activities.

Occasional live-streamed videos from casinos on TikTok aren’t uncommon. On the other hand, there are many users that stream the scratching of lottery tickets, an activity that is quickly getting attention on the social media platform.