Breaking Barriers: Overcoming Audience Targeting Challenges in Sports Betting

How TrafficGuard helps operators maximise their PPC budgets within the framework of Google's gambling policies.

The sports betting industry faces significant challenges in paid search advertising, primarily due to strict policies imposed by Google. While other industries leverage advanced audience segmentation tools and data-driven strategies to optimise campaigns, sports betting advertisers must contend with restrictions that limit their ability to target effectively. This blog explores the rationale behind these restrictions, their implications for operators, and how TrafficGuard’s Sports Betting solution works within these guidelines to drive better results.

Solutions like TrafficGuard empower operators to navigate these challenges effectively and legally. By enabling better budget allocation through custom click-level frequencies, TrafficGuard ensures that search budgets are focused on acquiring new customers rather than wasted on repeat clicks from existing users while adhering to the industry’s regulatory requirements.

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Why Google Restricts Audience Building for Sports Betting Operators
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Google’s restrictions on audience building for sports betting operators stem from the highly regulated and sensitive nature of the gambling industry. These rules ensure compliance with global regulations, protect vulnerable groups and promote responsible advertising. Key reasons include:
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1. Legal Compliance: Gambling is subject to strict laws in many regions, and Google must ensure that its platform adheres to these laws. Audience lists could inadvertently target minors or individuals in regions where gambling is illegal.
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2. User Protection: By preventing retargeting and audience segmentation, Google reduces the risk of targeting individuals prone to gambling addiction or other vulnerabilities.
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3. Avoiding Misleading Advertising: Restrictions help prevent aggressive or misleading marketing practices, ensuring that advertising remains transparent and ethical.
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4. Maintaining Platform Integrity: Google aims to create a safe and trustworthy environment for users, which is especially critical in industries like gambling.

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What These Restrictions Mean for Sports Betting Operators
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For sports betting operators, Google’s policies create significant hurdles, particularly in audience targeting and campaign optimisation. Key challenges include:
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• Broad Targeting: Without access to audience lists or behavioural data, operators are forced to adopt broader targeting strategies, often leading to wasted ad spend.
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• Inability to Retarget: Operators cannot re-engage high-value users who have shown interest in their services, limiting opportunities for conversion.
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• Lack of Bid Modifications: Advertisers cannot adjust bids to prioritise new users over returning ones, resulting in less efficient budget allocation.
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• Missed Opportunities: Operators' inability to create lookalike audiences or segment users by behaviour means they miss out on powerful tools that drive performance in other industries.

For example, consider an operator running a paid search campaign on Google Ads. Without the ability to exclude returning users, they risk spending a significant portion of their budget on individuals who are already customers, using ads as a shortcut to log into their accounts rather than acquiring new players.

‍Based on existing customer data, 97% of customers who click on brand search keywords are returning customers. 

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How TrafficGuard Helps Sports Betting Operators Overcome These Challenges
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TrafficGuard offers innovative, compliant solutions to help sports betting operators work within Google's policies and maximise the effectiveness of their PPC budgets. Key features include:

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Custom Click-Level Frequency Controls

TrafficGuard’s click-frequency rules enable operators to limit how frequently users can click on PPC ads. This ensures budgets are focused on acquiring new customers rather than being wasted on repeat clicks.

Benefits:

• Focus on new user acquisition: Restricting multiple clicks from existing users allows operators to prioritise attracting new players.
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• Prevent budget waste: Ads no longer serve as an expensive entry point for returning users.
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• Optimised ad spend: Every click contributes to meaningful growth, improving overall campaign efficiency.

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Check out how it works.

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‍Case Study: European Bookmaker’s Success with TrafficGuard
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A leading European bookmaker running Google PPC campaigns found that 43% of their budget was being lost to invalid traffic, primarily from existing customers using branded keywords to access their accounts. This cannibalised their keyword performance and increased customer acquisition costs.
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The Solution:

TrafficGuard’s click-frequency controls allowed the operator to limit returning users to a maximum of 3 PPC ad clicks per day. This reduced wasted budget, which was redirected to acquiring new customers.

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The Results:

The average cost per conversion dropped by 42.4%, from €246 to €141.

TrafficGuard delivered an ROI of 12X, excluding the incremental lifetime value of new customers.

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Navigating a Regulated Landscape

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While Google’s policies may initially seem restrictive, they offer an opportunity for sports betting operators to refine their advertising strategies and focus on high-value growth. TrafficGuard helps operators achieve this by:

• Redirecting wasted ad spend: TrafficGuard’s technology ensures that every dollar contributes to acquiring new users.
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• Ensuring compliance: By adhering to Google’s policies, operators can avoid fines and maintain a positive reputation.
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• Improving campaign efficiency: Advanced tools like click-frequency controls enable smarter budget allocation and better results.

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How TrafficGuard Stands Out
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TrafficGuard doesn’t just help operators overcome barriers—it empowers them to thrive in a competitive and regulated industry. By leveraging TrafficGuard’s solutions, sports betting advertisers can:

• Protect their budgets from invalid traffic and fraudulent clicks.
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• Gain transparency into campaign performance.
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• Focus on acquiring high-value customers while staying compliant with Google’s policies.
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‍“TrafficGuard's meticulous validation impressed us, uncovering diverse 'bot' traffic. Not just basic human-mimicking bots, but even those targeting sign-up bonuses. Their advanced tool flagged 43%+ PPC funnel invalid traffic, surpassing competitors.” William Hill.

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In conclusion, Google’s audience-building restrictions pose unique challenges for sports betting operators, but they also present an opportunity to adopt more efficient, focused strategies. TrafficGuard’s innovative tools, such as custom click-frequency controls, help operators navigate these challenges, optimise their PPC budgets, surpass competitors not using the right tech, and drive meaningful growth.

For more information on how TrafficGuard supports sports betting advertisers, visit our Sports Betting Solution page.

‍Ready to overcome audience-building challenges? Connect with us today!

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‍FAQs

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1. How does TrafficGuard help reduce invalid traffic for sports betting operators?

TrafficGuard uses advanced click-level analysis to identify and block invalid traffic in real time. This includes bots, repeat clicks from existing users, and fraudulent activity that inflates ad spend. By proactively preventing invalid traffic, TrafficGuard ensures your budget is spent only on genuine, high-value users.
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2. What makes TrafficGuard’s click-frequency controls unique for Google PPC campaigns?

TrafficGuard’s click-frequency controls allow operators to set custom thresholds for how many times a user can click on PPC ads. This helps limit ad spend on returning users who offer no incremental value, redirecting the budget to attract new customers instead.

3. Can TrafficGuard help sports betting operators comply with Google’s gambling policies?

Yes, TrafficGuard’s solutions are designed to operate within Google’s strict gambling policies. By reducing invalid traffic and optimising campaigns, TrafficGuard ensures compliance while improving performance and ROI.

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