The average US sports bet loves data. This is one of the most important lessons learned in the first five years that sports betting has been regulated and widespread across the US. It makes perfect sense, given the enthusiasm for fantasy sports that has swept the nation over the last 30 years.
As FTN network CMO Stefano Vaccarino pointed out, the customer profiles for a fantasy gamer and a sports bettor were “virtually the same”. Many of the trends that we’ve seen over the years in fantasy are now being carried over to the sports betting world.
FTN Network tries to cater to the needs of this demographic with its FTN Network. This group includes FTN Data and FTN Bets. FTN Network offers data and tools to fantasy players and bettors to help them make better decisions.
Vaccarino, FTN’s Chief Data Officer Frank Brank and SBC Americas were joined by SBC Americas to present the latest edition Looking Sharp. They discussed the role that data plays in both the betting and fantasy worlds and the range of options available to bettors when it comes down to how much data to consume.
Bettors compare data from different sources
As we discussed in our first part , many bettors look for ways to appear sharper without doing the kind of high-level analyses that only the top 1% do. Brank and Vaccarino both agreed with this sentiment.
“I’m not sure that people get into the weeds when it comes to data, spreadsheets, and other stuff. We do the work for them and put it in front of their faces. “They’re checking out our site, or maybe even other sites and then combining that information,” Brank said.
FTN’s players do not just sit back and wait for the results. They consult other sites, other groups, and even other people who have done similar analyses and synthesize an opinion based on a variety of opinions. The community then shares these processes, benefiting all skill levels as well as Brank.
“We get the typical user who comes home at 6 o’clock from work and just checks the site. They put in that because they want watch the game. We have this user, but i would say that the majority of users are in our Discord and discussing their personal bets. Brank said that users make bets, and then post them to the Discord. They use our models, our tools and other stuff they think is valuable. Brank said, “I have gained knowledge, sources, websites, and other stuff from our users who are in the sports betting space and are doing their own research. They then spin it up in our Discord, being engaged.”
FTN Community is ready to educate, support and sweat for FTN
Vaccarino said that the FTN community, just like Travis Geiger from WagerWire , will welcome anyone, even if it’s a wager as absurd as betting on Lebron to beat his props, because it’s his birthday.
The community is ready to help if someone asks a question about a bet that “feels” solid. The community will offer advice if someone asks a question regarding a bet they feel is solid.
“We want them to feel comfortable, and I think our community has done a great job of encouraging and teaching new sports bettors,” Vaccarino explained. “Maybe they’re placing a wager or they notice a boost in FanDuel. They’re all like, “Oh, is that a good boost?” Some people say, “No, I wouldn’t use that boost.” I don’t think this one has much value. This one might be good. They point out all the corrections. That’s the kind of conversation we want.
FTN Data provides insights into more than just odds boosts. FTN Data offers insights on other bets as well.
“I think that the industry is a whole, and I see the Charles Barkley Same Game parlay on TNT. Vaccarino explained that those aren’t data-focused. We’re working to counteract this. We have a Same Game Parlay Tool on FTN Nets which gives true odds for Same Game Parlays. Frank’s projection model is used to show correlated Same Game Parlays, as well as what the true odds are. Sometimes you can find value in that.
Sports betting, like fantasy football has a variety of data uses and customer preferences. Like fantasy football, the end user is likely to use several data-driven opinion to draw their conclusions. This will give them a more rounded experience without having to dig too deep into spreadsheets.
