Lasting Loyalty

GAMING AMERICA | DATA SHARING

Sue Page, Neosurf CEO Americas, explains how seamless verification can turn from just a convenience into a powerful retention strategy.

Our recent collaboration with Betting Hero uncovered a surprising shift in US bettors’ priorities – convenience now takes precedence over privacy concerns. As part of our pre-US launch research, we conducted intensive 90-minute interviews with New Jersey sports bettors who hold multiple online accounts. One frustration stood out above all: the tedious process of repeatedly entering the same KYC details across platforms. This wasn’t just anecdotal; our supporting quantitative survey confirmed it as a widespread pain point, directly impacting player satisfaction and operator loyalty.

As the iGaming industry has evolved, smart use of KYC data has become increasingly crucial to streamlining operations – but, with that, an even greater onus has been placed on data security than ever before. While you might expect players to be apprehensive about data sharing, our research revealed a different reality – above all else, they prioritized simplicity.

While participants weren’t oblivious to the potential pitfalls of data sharing – with a small portion of them mentioning identity theft and misuse of personal information as being chief among their worries – over half (51%) said they would be in favor of an online wallet that safely and automatically shared verified ID with betting operators for easier transactions. Statements like “I worry my ID could be stolen, but it’s easier to sign up across multiple apps,” crystallized the fact that, despite concerns, convenience was king.

I think it’s worth noting at this point that the average age of players who took part in the qualitative interviews was 36, which may also have had a bearing on their attitudes towards data privacy. Whereas in previous user generations, customers completing any kind of online transaction were incredibly wary of how their data might be used, these days players are generally more relaxed. Stronger regulatory frameworks and greater transparency around data usage have reassured players, making them more comfortable with securely sharing their information online.

This is where a strong compliance product comes in and, for us, we believe that it is Neosurf’s Compliance Handshake. The benefits are three-fold; players who are concerned about online security have a single point of data entry that are safeguarded by stringent policies and protocols to ensure integrity, confidentiality and accessibility of information is preserved. They also have a system that can provide seamless integration across multiple platforms and far easier initial set-up of a payment method that’s already verified, approved and ready to withdraw to immediately.

For operators, such a product delivers powerful custom reporting on player transactions and behavior – offering tailored insights that drive smarter decision-making. This in-depth analysis offers valuable insights that can be tailored to an operator’s needs, allowing them to better understand their customers. This can then be supported by specialized services like affordability checks and responsible gaming initiatives that are designed to optimize service delivery and data utility.

Given 41% of survey respondents said ease of registration and set-up was “extremely important” and 39% valued seamless integration, our research indicated that both factors have a significant impact on players choosing and remaining loyal to a sports betting platform. I believe this becomes even more so if one considers payments from the perspective of the player that we overlook the impact they can have on the operator. In this case, over two thirds of players interviewed said they’d consider moving to a competitor’s app if it offered them faster payments.

For operators looking to enhance player retention, payments and KYC verification can be more than just onboarding requirements – they can be strategic assets. A smoother, faster verification process not only improves the customer experience but also strengthens player trust and long-term engagement.

Shared ID tools like Neosurf’s Compliance Handshake are poised to transform onboarding strategies. Naturally, adoption takes time and addressing data security concerns remains essential – but once players experience the ease of seamless verification, frictionless payments will become the new standard.

Sue Page
CEO Americas, Neosurf Inc