Bet builders, better known as same-game parlays (SGPs) in the US, have come to redefine how players place sports bets in the mobile betting era. Improved access to real-time data has allowed odds to become more accurate and more specific, creating opportunities for more specific bets, especially for in-play bets when the odds are forever changing. Combined with the interface of sports betting apps, crafting a multi-part bet for a football team to win a game, with a specific player taking the win and another getting a yellow card with odds of +1300 is as simple as personalising a takeout order on a delivery app.
Personalisation is a crucial factor in bringing players to (and back to) a platform (something we delved into in our July/August issue of Gambling Insider magazine) and with bet builders, a wager can be wholly customised. If players are bored of just betting on which team will win or which player will rake in the most points, now they can combine these bets, with the chance of even higher returns than placing those two separately (and many more).
“We’ve seen a meteoric rise in popularity for bet builders in recent years,” Kambi Head of Soccer Jonathon Hurst tells Gambling Insider. “Bet builder now accounts for a significant proportion of pre-game bets and handle, which obviously differs greatly depending on the sport. For example, most recently during the Copa America and Euros soccer tournaments, we saw bet builders account for 24% and 18% of bets on each tournament, respectively.”
“As a general trend, we are seeing bet builder growth across the board, with some operators now reporting a contribution of over 30% of all football bets,” added Andrew Bramley, Commercial Director, Sports for FairPlay Sports Media. “I’d expect this coming season to be the watershed for bet builder comparison as a normalised part of the customer journey, as the bet builder offering in general cements itself even further in both digital and retail settings as the go-to bet type for a significant audience.”
But where exactly did the idea of bet builders come from and how have they gone on to make up such a big portion of today’s sports bets?
A BRIEF HISTORY
While it was FanDuel that brought the same-game parlay to the US in 2019, it was not FanDuel that came up with the concept. Industry reports tell you that honour would go to Sky Bet, which had begun its work on bet builders almost a decade prior. Notably, FanDuel and Sky Bet both operate under the same parent group, industry giant Flutter Entertainment.
According to various sources, around 2012 Sky Bet noticed its X (then Twitter) account was filled with player requests for specific bets – ones that, at the time, Sky Bet did not offer. Soon, Sky Bet decided to give its players what they wanted and, with this, RequestABet was born.
RequestABet went live on X in January 2015. As the name suggests, RequestABet was a Sky Bet-ran account through which SkyBet customers could request specific bets and traders could return with odds for that specific bet. Of course, as is always the case with social media, not every bet was what was expected; however, one bet type that continuously appeared on #RequestABet was that of multi-part bets.
The account is active to this day and is still adding requested bets to the Sky Bet platform. On 2 August 2024, one user requested ‘Over 0.5 goals in each Leicester, Southampton and Ipswich premier league games,’ to which RequestABet replied four days later ‘Added at 60/1 in the Over 0.5 Goals in Each Game market.’ Not every requested bet is added to the platform, mind– ‘Sorry, this is not something we are looking to offer’ is a reply seen fairly frequently in RequestABet’s tweets. Sometimes, the Sky Bet team is simply too busy (or chooses not to) reply.
From here, multi-part bets (accumulators/parlays) began to become more and more commonplace, with other operators both experiencing similar calls for multi-bet options (see Sportsbet in Australia) or using a similar framework set out by Sky Bet (William Hill’s #YourOdds is just one example of this). Their popularity in Europe began to develop alongside the popularity of #RequestABet and not long after PASPA was overturned in the US in 2018, same-game parlays arrived on US soil.
WHAT DO SGP’S BRING TO THE TABLE?
As previously mentioned, the customisability of SGPs provides them with diversity and, crucially, choice. An operator offering SGPs a player is interested in will provide more value than one that doesn’t, and even more value than a sportsbook only offering just standard, singular bets.
When asked if bet builders are keeping bettors engaged and online longer, Zohrab Karapetyan, Chief of Sportsbook Product at Digitain, tells Gambling Insider: “Based on our research findings, yes. One reason for this is the desire of bettors to have more control over their betting activity rather than having to choose from pre-existing bet types offered by the operator. Instead of being restricted by the bet options that are set, the bet builder feature allows bettors to combine different selections into a single bet. For example, 49% of bet builders include cards and corners as the most popular statistics markets, again showing that players prefer to combine statistics in choosing their bet builder selections. This helps open up unique betting possibilities that go beyond traditional markets. By being able to create personalised bets, players can discover new sources of excitement and maximise their potential winnings.”
Hurst responded similarly, stating: “Sports bettors now have the ability to craft and bet on their own storyline within a game – one that allows them to include more outcomes– adding to the entertainment that comes from engaging with the sportsbook and keeping players engaged. With an almost limitless number of combinable markets, bettors are able to navigate the sportsbook and build a bet that suits their interests; whether that be their favourite teams, players or sports. Complementing this popularity is the potential for a big win coming from a small stake.”
Beyond just the ability to create unique,custom bets, SGPs also drastically increase a player’s potential winnings, as Karapetyan and Hurst mentioned. If a player bets $10 on a –108 bet, their returns are $19.25 on the DraftKings app. Add another –108 bet and that figure jumps to $36.40, with odds now at +264. Add something with low odds, like a +125 odds bet, and suddenly your payout is $140, with odds of +1300. Same-game parlays are riskier, given the number of parts involved, but when it’s possible to turn a $10 bet into $140, is it surprising that players are interested?
Moreover, specificity in bets allows players to show off their support and belief in certain players and teams. Pointing them out specifically is proof of their belief, and if that 1300+ bet goes through, that belief will only increase tenfold. Plus, with the ability to share bets among friends and on social media platforms, a high-stake bet can become proof of a fan’s genuine belief in an outcome.
Or, as Karapetyan put it: “Bet builders offer value when the 1X2 odds are not attractive or one-sided. So value is a driver of adoption for bet builders. Similarly, players are interested in their favourite team; thus, bet builders allow the bettor to look at stats and offer more choices throughout the game instead of just the 1X2 90-minute result for the team that they favour.
“Builders are gaining traction among regular or casual bettors who have previously engaged in multi-bets on multi-leg events. Our data shows that 65% of bet builder bets are combo bets, meaning players combine multiple bet builder selections or mix them with standard bets. The increased adoption is due to the expanded choice that bet builders offer within a single football match, providing a deeper and more engaging betting experience.”
For operators, this is also a bonus. While payouts may potentially be bigger, the specificity of the bets makes them far less likely to be successful, resulting in better returns for sportsbooks. Sharp bettors may prove something of a spanner in this plan, but given that the majority of players do not fall into this category, sportsbooks can utilise SGPs to make a little more from casual bettors. Sharp bettors may also prefer to stay away from SGPs or bet builders as they offerless expected value plus.
As Hurst puts it: “Bet builders have become a crucial product for any ambitious sportsbook. Sports bettors increasingly want to be able to drive their own experiences and catering to the growing desire to create bets ‘off-menu.’” Bet builders have become vital, says Hurst, both for the personaliation they offer players and the margins they generate for operators. “Bet builder does typically generate higher margins than single selections on fixed-odds markets, although it is important that the right balance is struck here, as generating too high a margin from a particular part of the betting product is unlikely to see customers return to it consistently.”
Karapetyan echoed a similar sentiment, saying: “Our bet builder... enables users to customise their betting experience, enhancing engagement and satisfaction for pre-match and live game betting.” He went on to explain the demand for more markets among users, and Digitain’s delivery on these demands, explaining that the operator has “increased the maximum selections from 10 to 16, as 3.7% of users prefer more customisation in their bet builder experience,” concluding that, “As players require more market choices within their respective bet builders, the sportsbook’s margins within that bet type will be higher.”
Bramley of FairPlay Sports Media also tells Gambling Insider: “There’s no doubt that bet builders are a win-win. Customers now have the ability to make their own betting storylines with more customised odds, while operators are now seeing the high margin traffic that justified the heavy investment in these products. Those sportsbooks willing to offer market-leading prices will inevitably realise the loyalty benefits when presented alongside competitors. After all, we’re talking price differences of 200/1 against 50/1, rather than 6/5 and evens, with the former far more appealing to the more recreational bettor that Bet Builders generally appeal to.”
Players are interested in their favourite team; thus, bet builders allow the bettor to look at stats and offer more choices throughout the game instead of just the 1X2 90-minute result for the team they favour - Zohrab Karapetyan
Neither DraftKings nor FanDuel provided details or analysis for this feature, however by looking at recent quarterly results from the operators, the impact of SGPs becomes undeniable. Said DraftKings CEO Jason Robins in its Q2 2023 earnings call, same game parlays had been “a huge part of the story” in terms of the sportsbook $874.9m in quarterly revenue and loss decrease from $308.9m to $69m (amounts which have since risen to $1.1bn and reduced loss of $32.4m respectively).
A LIVE BETTING BOOST?
With SGPs offering small, more specific circumstances to bet on, like players receiving penalties or kicks from certain positions, the question becomes, are more people betting live? After all, if you have a bet on a game and see that two players already have yellow cards, why not bet on one of them getting a red and significantly increase your win potential?
On the topic, Karapetyan tells us: “Live betting is becoming increasingly popular due to the fact that bettors are busy and have limited time to place bets. They also prefer the flexibility of being able to place bets throughout the game rather than right before it starts. We are indeed seeing growth in both pre-match and live bet builders. As far as trends are concerned, bettors react to the events on the field and closely analyse statistics.
“Our bet builders are designed to support a wide range of bet types, including player to score markets and statistics markets such as corners, yellow cards, offsides and fouls. We’ve also made it easy to incorporate other popular types of sportsbook bets within our builder, such as Acca Bonus, Cash Back Bonus, Bad Beat Bonus, Double Dooble, Sports Jackpot and 2 Goals Ahead.” Hurst added: “We have seen rapid growth when it comes to live bet builders including cashout, which is the next natural step in the evolution of the product and will be a new battleground for the industry.”
CASH-OUT: STILL INNOVATION KING?
Cash-out, as Hurst mentioned, has become particularly popular among SGP bettors. These systems allow bettors to tap out, if you will, during a parlay bet, leaving with a percentage of their winnings if it seems their full parlay bet will not be fruitful. Bet on X team to win, Y player to score twice and Z to get a red card, but it’s reached half time and Y still hasn’t scored at all?
Cash out options have been available to players for longer than SGPs have, initially coming onto the market some years ago. It is widely acknowledged that Colossus Bets Founder Bernard Marantelli was heavily involved in the creation of the cashout concept, although bet365 is also recognised as the first major operator to introduce the concept. Gambling Insider won’t take sides but will acknowledge that both had a part to play in the history of the feature.
As Hibai Lopez-Gonzalez and Mark D Griffiths summarise in their Gaming Law Review 21 contribution, ‘“Cashing Out” In Sports Betting: Implications For Problem Gambling And Regulation,’ cash out options are “a feature offered on single and multiple bets on various sports... CashOut gives you the opportunity to settle your bet early at the value displayed, without having to wait for the event to finish. The amount you are offered to CashOut is based on your original bet, the status of any selections which have already completed and the current market price(s) of your unsettled selection(s). The CashOut amount may be more than or less than your original stake.”
Cashouts offer a few incentives to players – namely, that there is a safety net available to them when placing a risky bet, which may encourage bigger spends as, if things go poorly, tapping out early will mean a bet isn’t a complete loss. Of course, this can lead to some less than ideal situations (survey based studies, including those by Hing et al., 2016 and LaPlante et al., suggested that in-play sports betting was more pervasive among problem gamblers), cash out also provides players with an invaluable tool: a sense of control.
Being in control of your betting experience is something also seen with SGPs; it is no longer the bookies in control of their bets and their outcomes, but the players. Diversifying the way bets are made and played has made them a must-have for sportsbooks – but what else is there too them that may have some see them as the bigger innovator compared to cash outs? And moreover, could the bet builder ever come to replace the single bet?
ONE VERSUS MANY
SGPs are popular, sure, but will they ever displace conventional, single bets as players’ go-to?
First of all, it must be acknowledged that, while bet builders have been particularly popular among some operators, for others, it has not yet become so widespread. As seen by data provided by Betby (see Figure 1), only 6.6% of Euro 2024 bets and 6.1% of Copa America bets on its operator network were bet builders, both representing 3.7% of each event’s turnover. All that is to say, while users are utilising bet builder options, they have not made traditional bets obsolete just yet.
Bramley responded with a similarly balanced reply. He explained: “More committed bettors will always stick to core markets and single bets at higher stakes, while casual bettors love the thrill of bigger wins for a more recreational stake, which also add a deeper engagement layer when watching live sport. In that sense, recreational customers are benefitting the most from this growth, but we haven’t seen notable signs of cannibalism of traditional markets and I would argue there’ll always be a place for them both.”
Bramley’s statement is backed by what we have seen so far – that casual bettors and big sports fans are placing big bets for fun, with less riding on the necessity of the win (but obviously winning is still an aim) and more on adding thrill to the experience if they make a big return from a hyper-specific bet? Well, to them that is just the cherry on top of an already good game.
Karapetyan highlighted the particular appeal bet builders have to the new generation of bettors, stating: “Bet builders offer a variety of features for today’s digitally savvy individuals who want to feel unique and independent and choose how they interact with brands. This trend is apparent in social media and in consumers’ interactions with other digital products and services that are not related to betting.
“It’s not just about change, it’s about empowerment. Bet builders do not just serve as a transformation of traditional markets; they serve as a tool that empowers players to engage, bet, and feel in control on their own terms. This inclusive CRX experience is precisely what today’s players are seeking.”
Hurst’s response mentioned similar topics, stating: “Bet builder has transformed the size of the menu, placing a far greater range of betting opportunities at players’ fingertips. The scale of the technological advancement over the last five to ten years has been vast, with bet builder making the offering almost limitless in its potential scale. This development is far from over – to offer an example from Kambi, we launched cash out and in-game functionality for the bet builder in 2023, bringing it into line with the rest of the offering. It’s continuing to grow – bet builders have grown in 2024 as a percentage of overall soccer bets compared to 2023, while approximately 25% of turnover on the Copa America was generated via bet builder.”
OFFERING VALUE
It seems, generally speaking, many operators are of the belief that bet builders are here to stay, and more likely than not will continue in their development and popularity in the market. Still, Bramley was also quick to point out that, with it now being five years since FanDuel released SGPs, simply having the option on a sportsbook platform isn’t enough for players anymore. “The age of the Bet Builder as purely a money-printing machine is long gone, and those who are brave enough to deliver value across the board, create unique offerings and stand out above the competition will reap the rewards,” he said.
In short, yes, bet builders have redefined the way some players play. For casual fans, they offer a chance to win big and create something unique to their passions, with the low odds steadily lining the pockets of sportsbooks. But continuous new players do not mean sportsbooks can be complacent – after all, with everyone offering bet builders, what makes yours stand out?
FairPlay Sport Media has even gone as far as to launch a bet builder comparison platform – a first of its kind in the UK and proof that, no, just having a bet builder on your site is not enough. As Bramley explains: “There are both demand and supply reasons behind the launch. Bet Builders are now ubiquitous, well understood and loved by bettors and operators alike, so it made perfect sense to extend our odds comparison service to this novel offering. We also endeavour to level the playing field for sports bettors, empowering them to find the best odds and offers available on whatever sport that might be. Bet Builders can be complicated to compare across different bookmakers, but the tool allows the user to do so via a quick and easy experience.”
Of course, with every operator offering their own favour of bet builder, having accurate comparison tools also allows FairPlay Sports Media to spot certain trends in products, especially among operators of different sizes and niches. “The tool surfaces an interesting range of value propositions across integrated operators, each with differentiating strategies at play,” said Bramley. “Those traditionally strong in the main 1x2 markets such as bet365 and BetMGM) naturally also show up as offering price value in the tool, with bet365 also able to showcase their ‘2 Goals Ahead Early Payout’ offer. Elsewhere the Flutter integrated brands (Sky Bet and Paddy Power) are particularly competitive in the player prop markets such as Goalscorers and Cards. Paddy Power are also able to advertise their unique and popular ‘Super Sub’ offer, where player bets remain live when a substitution takes place, with the incoming player taking on the bet from the outgoing player.
“These are examples of how operators are taking different approaches to Bet Builders and how the customer may be unaware of the variety of options available to them. That’s something we look to address, providing the customer with an easy-to-use comparison tool demonstrating the breadth of value out there.”
So, should we expect to see more sportsbooks integrating bet builders, and should we expect to see bet builders continue to offer different features and options? Yes. While it is uncertain whether the bet builder will come to outshine the singular bet, one thing is clear – it’s not going anywhere any time soon.
