With regulated US betting and gaming in its infancy, players searching for odds and information have helped affiliates and media sites lead the way in online search rankings.
The latest report from Pi Datametrics reveals that sports betting affiliate Oddshark has the largest share of voice, based on the number of times it was returned in Google US searches, for every gambling-specific search term, frame of reference and gambling-related category.
Oddshark’s 7.70% voice share saw it top Pi Datametrics’ rankings, with affiliate and news site PlayUSA coming in second with a 6.94% share. Also appearing in the top ten were media portals CBS Sports and ESPN, while the National Football League’s (NFL) official site was ranked tenth.
Online encyclopaedia Wikipedia was ranked sixth, with a 3.36% share of voice, in a clear sign that players are looking to learn more about gambling.
With the period covered by the report having little activity in terms of new market openings before May 2018, there were few actual igaming or online betting sites listed in the rankings. Only Bovada.lv, which operates without a licence, made the top twenty rankings.
In terms of search volume by category, the vast majority of searches related to American football, which accounted for almost two thirds of searches between December 2017 and November 2018. However Pi Datametrics noted that the sport’s search volume is in decline, falling 12% between August 2016 and 2018. American football searches tend to peak in September, coinciding with the start of the NFL season.
Horse racing, meanwhile, tends to peak in May around the time the Kentucky Derby takes place, while basketball sees search volume grow from March each year, when the National Basketball Association (NBA) holds its annual draft.
The full Pi Datametrics report is available to read below.