by Joel Pattison
Sports Content Executive
1 August 2024
With the T20 World Cup having recently concluded in the West Indies and United States, cricket fever has left a lasting impression on fans and the betting industry alike. The tournament ultimately saw India triumph over South Africa in a thrilling final at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, while England’s run ended in the semi-finals.
The exhilarating events that unfolded throughout the tournament — including India’s heart-stopping victory over South Africa to win their second T20 World Cup and Afghanistan’s shock run to the semi-finals — not only captivated cricket enthusiasts but also resulted in a notable surge in online betting search terms related to the event.
The increase in betting-related searches during the 2024 T20 World Cup underscores the tournament’s significant impact on the industry. It highlights the growing trend of fans seeking to be more engaged with major competitions through sports betting, backing up the research in our previous blog in this series: A rise in sports betting: blockbuster summer sees increased searches
Similar to our last post, we dug deep into the search data, investigating the patterns and spike in online interest year-on-year over the last four years to get a better picture of this trend and just how big the rise in interest for T20 World Cup betting markets truly is.
Our study reveals the exact instances that our T20 World Cup betting terms cluster has peaked in the last four years, highlighting the substantial growth in betting interest surrounding the event during this time frame and providing insight into betting behaviour.
Over the last four years, in which there have been three renewals of the tournament, the data displays an intriguing link between the T20 World Cup taking place and heightened search activity for betting opportunities year-on-year.
Google searches for the top T20 World Cup betting terms in the United Kingdom have increased considerably in the last four years, with a difference of 7,990 searches from the lowest point in November 2022 and the highest peak of interest in June of this year, marking an increase of approximately 40%.
The 2021 edition, held in the United Arab Emirates and Oman in October and November, was the first T20 World Cup since 2016. The 2018 edition was bypassed due to a cramped schedule, and the 2020 renewal was postponed due to the pandemic.
Search interest peaked in October, with 23,690 searches for the top T20 World Cup betting terms, but surprisingly dropped to 13,450 in November — a decrease of 43% — despite the final taking place on November 14.
Thanks to COVID-19, there were two successive editions of the T20 World Cup. Australia held the 2022 edition once again in October and November, but search terms for our top betting keywords peaked at a mere 19,720.
While that’s a marginal 16.76% decrease on the peak from 12 months prior, it’s worth noting that England won the T20 World Cup in 2022 for a second time, so you’d assume searches would be up. However, the proximity between the two tournaments might have been a driving force in the lesser interest.
Perhaps the most interesting finding from the research is that October 2023 saw higher search interest than the timeframes of both the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups, with 24,490 searches despite no actual tournament taking place.
There were, however, T20 World Cup qualifiers throughout the month while the One Day International (ODI) Cricket World Cup was also taking place in India. Both these events were likely behind the increased search interest.
Most importantly, the largest spike in interest over the last four years was during this summer’s tournament in the West Indies and USA. Searches for the top T20 World Cup betting terms peaked at 27,710 in June.
This stark rise in interest is possibly due to the longer gap between the tournaments in 2022 and 2024, which resulted in an increased hunger for the short form of cricket’s top competition. England’s run to the semi-finals would have undoubtedly had an impact as well.
The significant increase in Google searches for T20 World Cup betting terms in the UK over the last four years presents a prime opportunity for sportsbooks to capitalise on cricket bettors. The upward trend in searches reflects a growing interest and engagement among cricket fans, which betting brands can strategically leverage in several ways.
Enhanced search engine optimisation (SEO) and content strategies are good places to start. Optimising your website and content with popular T20 and cricket betting keywords captures search traffic, while regularly updating your blogs, news pages, and promotional pages with these terms can improve search engine rankings and attract new visitors.
An effective link-building campaign surrounding the T20 World Cup and other major cricket events, like the Ashes and The Hundred, can also significantly improve a betting company’s visibility on search engines and ensure that they are near the top of the results for relevant keywords and pages.
Launching special promotions, such as free bets and boosted odds, specifically for the T20 World Cup and major cricket competitions can also attract new users and retain existing ones.
Ensuring that betting apps and websites are fully optimised for mobile devices will also cater to the increasing number of users searching and betting via their smartphones.
Our expert team at Receptional can help you apply these strategies and react quickly and effectively to the increased interest in cricket betting, assisting you in growing your influence and customer base and boosting profitability. Ultimately, a strong presence in a competitive market during these times of heightened search interest is vital.
If you found this interesting, be sure to read our ‘A rise in sports betting: blockbuster summer sees increased searches’ blog, and stay tuned to our series of blogs breaking down each of this summer’s major sporting events.
By studying the trends surrounding events like Royal Ascot, Wimbledon and Euro 2024, we can provide further in-depth trend analysis and identify the moments when key sporting events peak in sports betting searches.
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