OtherLevels study finds US sportsbook push notifications largely miss the mark on personalisation

OtherLevels, a provider of real-time multi-channel experience platforms for sports and iGaming, has published a case study identifying significant personalisation gaps in sportsbook marketing campaigns in the US market.

The research team examined 103 app push notifications sent to two real-money bettors over a two-month period. Although the pair placed 228 bets across football, basketball, hockey and soccer, the messaging they received rarely matched their activity. Almost a third of the notifications, 29%, had no relevance to the sports the users bet on, while 23% focused on college sports that neither bettor followed. Soccer, which accounted for 19% of their bets, featured in just 1% of the promotional content. Overall, 93% of the messages were found to be completely non-personalised.

Data not translating into relevance

Brendan O’Kane, chief executive of OtherLevels, said the findings point to a broader industry problem in which operators hold customer data but fail to apply it effectively in marketing. He argued that turning that data into timely and contextual content is what produces a genuinely personalised customer experience.

The initial phase of the study focused on a single major US operator. OtherLevels has since moved into a second phase, extending the research to multiple Tier 1 operators and additional channels across the US market.

Seasonal calendars driving mass messaging

According to OtherLevels, the results reflect a wider pattern in which sportsbook campaigns are built around the sporting calendar, such as the Super Bowl or March Madness, rather than around individual bettor preferences. O’Kane said this approach helps marketing teams hit deadlines under pressure but often results in missed opportunities to engage customers, and can undermine trust when content fails to match user interests.

Personalisation linked to engagement gains

OtherLevels said operators using its Experience Platform, which draws on live odds, historical betting behaviour and match context, have recorded measurable improvements in engagement. Personalised NBA push notifications produced a 16% lift in engagement, NFL-focused messaging delivered an 8% increase, and tailored NFL content drove a 30% rise in on-site interaction.

The company said its Experience Platform is designed to deliver one-to-one customer experiences at scale, supporting more than 70 languages across any channel or CRM system.