The surprising way bookies market their products through AI

Artificial intelligence has seen wide adoption in many different industries, with sports betting being no exception. Companies worldwide are using AI to examine existing and predict future behavior patterns to modify their marketing strategies accordingly. There also have been numerous cases of marketing professionals working in the gambling industry who have admitted to using marketing tools to analyze betting enthusiasts' habits and optimize their marketing tactics to maximize profit. One of said individuals cynically revealed that bookmakers are not actually interested in providing a better user experience, just making more money.

While many gambling and betting aficionados worldwide are still in the dark on how their favorite brands are able to display such targeted ads to them, it's no secret that every online move they make constitutes a powerful weapon for betting companies to give them advertising material they are more likely to prefer. One of the most common and effective ways companies  are able to have players' consent for use of their data is through extremely lengthy terms and conditions along with fine print that nobody ever bothers to read. Many digital marketers working in the gambling industry have confirmed that a betting or gambling platform is one of the most efficient ways for marketers to get thorough insights on what users like, and provide them with a completely personalized experience they can't refuse.

However, the gambling industry is also known for using several cheeky marketing tactics to reach more players, even ones that identify themselves as problem gamblers. The phenomenon of third-party companies selling customer data to bookmakers surely doesn't come as breaking news. These companies will sell email lists of up to 100,000 people who have voluntarily given their details, so marketers can help boost promotions and send marketing materials to them. These lists are often segmented according to detailed buyer personas marketers have created to send the right email to the right person based on certain buyer characteristics of that person.

The recent Cambridge Analytica scandal came as a representative example of how third-party data companies manipulate data often leading to potential leaking. The GDPR poses a good opportunity for people to claim their right to know how their personal details are being used and how long the company will retain them in their database. The coin of the  current marketing technology has 2 sides and uses. One is using it to tell if a person demonstrates problem gambling behavior. The other one, and admittedly the one used more often, is to get data allowing more effective, personalized and targeted marketing.