Hashtags & Social Media in Sports Betting

The internet has forever changed the way in which we approach sports betting. From online sites to mobile apps, taking a punt on sports events will never be the same.

As we've seen the betting industry grow over a number of years, social media and its massive online influence have allowed the industry to further its appeal and create constant conversations about betting. With the latest offers that you can find here, as well as in-depth discussions of odds and the latest sporting news, we'll take a look at how social media has massively shifted the way we interact with sports betting.

Creating communities - #odds

The biggest thing social media has done for the world has created vast, online communities that can communicate from across the globe. Using hashtags, users can interact with other, like-minded individuals who share the same interests and passions.

For sports betting fans, it's as simple as using hashtags like #odds to find others who partake in gambling and connect with them. Not only does this bring together betting fans but those who are passionate about the same sport or specific games, allowing a community to organically and naturally grow throughout the social media sphere.

Experts - #bettingtips

A common interaction you will see between punter and bookie is asking for odds on a specific outcome in a sports game, with the latter often providing odds at the request of the customer. The third and more emergent player in this industry dynamic is the online tipster.

Betting tipsters help newcomers or less-knowledgeable betting fans pick the best games and odds to bet on, further enhancing the bubbling discussion around what should be bet on. They can be tied to a certain betting company or be completely independent of them, but they all serve the same purpose.

Promotions - #freebet

Another benefit that the betting industry has with social media is that they have a direct line to their consumer base, who at this point use social media more than anything else on their smartphones.

With this comes the opportunity to advertise themselves without the need to pay for TV ad space. Betting companies merely have to post their latest offers, promote them to relevant search queries and, as expected, they reach millions.

Specifically, betting companies will promote free bets through the requisite hashtag and engage those who possibly haven't taken part in sports betting before, utilising social media to grow their audience and reach countless more people.

Wider play - #casino

According to a report published in 2016 by GambleAware, the most commonly used hashtag for bookies and tipsters was #casino, which was found to be used during promotional material and posts detailing odds and offers.

From this, we can understand that social media has been used by the industry as a ground of attracting customers most interested in just sports betting into the wider world of online casinos and betting outside of sports.

Social media is a hotbed of sports betting discussion and promotion, with no signs of letting up anytime soon.