Nowadays, the role and service offering of online betting agencies has changed significantly. No longer do they just offer betting markets, their focus is now on delivering a range of services and lifestyle rewards in a bid to attract new members, but more importantly, satisfy existing ones.
Several Australian betting agencies have started to offer rewards programs. Points are usually awarded to members simply for joining or placing a bet, in some cases, points are awarded for losing bets, provided they meet certain criteria. The points accrue on a members account until such time as they wish to redeem them. The rewards offered vary between the bookmakers, and range from: bonus bets, to fine dining, entertainment, sport events and travel. As a result, it’s now even possible to travel to exotic destinations worldwide, and attend some of the world’s premier sport events, thanks to some of the redeemable prizes available with some bookmaker rewards programs.
The programs function in much the same manner as the loyalty programs run by major airlines; whereby, members accrue points through day-to-day activities associated with their brand. Just like the airline programs, the list of goods and services on offer is extensive.
The bookmaker rewards programs have one large advantage of similar credit card awards programs, they are entirely free. For example, the Commonwealth Bank charges customers an annual fee of anywhere between $59 to $349 in order to earn awards points. The programs run by airlines are more in line with those offered by Australian betting companies, where there are no associated fees.
The recent rewards initiative has been led by Crown Resorts Ltd. The public-listed company has drawn on the strength of their broad lifestyle and entertainment facilities by offering members of their betting arm CrownBet, access to a range of travel, dining, entertainment and sports experiences. Other betting sites have since followed CrownBet’s lead. Both the TAB and also William Hill, now also offer lifestyle rewards to their members.
Whilst, not all bookmakers yet offer a rewards program, most do offer additional free services. Typical valued-added services include: live streaming, race replays, tipping competitions and access to sport-related data and content. Until very recently, these services were not offered to members, and thus reflects the change in approach of the betting companies. With restrictions now in place on the types of bonuses bookmakers can offer, these additional services are provided to members in a bid to retain and increase their market share in Australia’s burgeoning sports betting industry.
Whilst the promotion of sports betting in mainstream media can be a little overwhelming at times, these companies now offer some worthwhile services and in some cases rewards. In CrownBet’s case, they offer member rewards as well as the customary bonuses. It’s not recommended that people register and wager purely to earn rewards, but if you’re someone that doesn’t mind the odd bet, it pays to know what other services and rewards are now available, free-of-charge, from betting operators.
