SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
FREEBETS.com have reported a significant slump in the number of total bookmaker offers available in April 2014 compared to March of this year.
Total money-back offers from the 19 bookmakers analysed by the FREEBETS.com team were down from March’s high of 726 to 684. In contrast to March ─ a month dominated by four days of the Cheltenham Festival and a plethora of elite European and domestic action (there were double the amount of Champions League games compared to April, for example) ─ last month was far quieter.
The Grand National meeting rarely captures the imagination of punters in the same way as the Cheltenham Festival and bookmakers were less keen in offering the sort of money-back specials and promotions that made March such a bumper month for value finders.
FREEBETS.com found that April also had the third lowest monthly total of unique offers since their monitoring began in May 2013. There was a decrease from 105 to 84.
Although April’s figures dipped, Paddy Power retained its dominant position in the market, with the Dublin-based firm scooping the Bookmaker of the Month accolade for the seventh time. Their main rival in the honours list, bet365, who have been leading bookie four times, were second, with William Hill regaining third place from Stan James.
Paddy Power’s ‘Money Back if Romelu Lukaku scores at anytime v Arsenal’ offer was rated Money Back Offer Of The Month in April. The promotion was also the most likely free bet trigger, enhancing their claims to the crown.
Despite the significant decline in unique offers from the majority of the 19 featured layers, Paddy Power still offered 18 unique offers, twice the number of nearest competitor Betfred. But it was Betway that led the way in the mobile exclusive money back offers.
In order to determine its bookmaker of the month for money-back offers, FREEBETS.com uses an algorithm which takes into account the number of offers available, the maximum free bet or cash refund value and the likelihood of the scenario to happen, in addition to the number of events and range of markets which qualify for the offer. The team draws on over 50 years of experience in the betting industry to attribute weightings for the various factors in the formula in order to provide comparative values to the complex array of promotions.
FREEBETS.com’s Managing Director Iain Coward said: ‘It perhaps wasn’t too much of a surprise to record a notable drop in money-back offers from a busy March to a quieter April, but punters must have been disappointed that the decrease was so noticeable.
“Paddy Power, though, once more underlined their supremacy in this arena with yet another Bookmaker of the Month title, although Betway continued to impress us with their mobile offerings.”
