Football Manager 2020, the world-renowned football simulation game, will be hitting the shelves on November 19th. The game is so engaging and addictive that fans can’t wait to put their hands on the newest edition. But is there anything that betting organisations can learn from Football Manager’s success? Check it out with STATSCORE.

1. There’s beauty (and money) in the data

Every football fan knows the overwhelming bouts of excitement, amazement, and pride felt when their favourite team scores a winning goal, equalises in extra time or wins a long-desired trophy. Beautiful goals, unpredictable outcomes, drama on the field – that’s what turns a simple football game into an unforgettable experience.

Still, there’s so much more to that than just the live action to be watched on the field!

As evidenced by the enormous popularity of computer games such as Football Manager, sports data and statistics are an essential aspect to the beauty of the game. Data attracts and fascinates Football Manager players, just as it attracts and fascinates people who are willing to place bets with bookmakers. However, we’re not talking about some random data here – this refers to the highest-quality, most relevant and updated data and stats that can possibly be collected.

2. The most accurate data you can have

Football Manager creators didn’t take any shortcuts when building their databases. Instead, they had built a huge scouting network that has been operating all over the world, gathering the most detailed and accurate information on footballers and teams from tens of different leagues.

This incredible effort has been greatly appreciated by players who could feel that Football Manager became something more than just another computer game. It attracted and engaged them just like an actual football match.

There’s a lesson to be learnt here. Providing reliable first-hand data on sporting events that are taking place all over the world – that’s what should be one of the crucial goals of a betting organisation that’s willing to succeed!

3. Pre-match insights to engage players before the game starts

One of Football Manager’s strengths lies in its database of fanatically accurate and up-to-date stats and information that are the basis on which players make their decisions on squads, transfers and tactics for the upcoming match. There’s a lot of work to be done by a manager before a game starts… And that’s exactly how it is with placing a bet! In order to make a responsible bet, users need to feel they have as much data as possible before the first whistle of a game.

Many betting organisations are still not delivering on these needs of their customers. It seems that it’s high time for them to start providing players with all the relevant information – ranging from head-to-head team comparisons, to in-depth league/tournament statistics and standings.

4. Visuals that keep them glued to the screen

The look of Football Manager’s graphics has improved enormously over the years – and the game’s creators have always understood that delivering attractive visuals is one of the key elements to keep the players enchanted.

Providing visual data that is attractive, and that encourages users to get even more engaged is one of the key lessons that bookmakers have been learning.

This becomes ever more relevant with the rising popularity of live bets, which are fuelled by real-time data from venues all over the world.

5. Winning or losing, they always come back

That’s the nature of the game – players always believe they can do better in leading their favourite team to the top. Losing a match makes them want to implement corrections and make up for the loss, while winning makes them feel they need to continue their lucky streak. That’s the psychological mechanism we can observe both in Football Manager players and in customers of betting organisations.

Players keep coming back to Football Manager… The game has managed not only to attract millions of players, but to maintain its appeal among them for almost three decades (the first edition, then named Championship Manager, was launched in 1992). The creators achieved this enormous success by providing players with unique experience based on reliable and accurate data that enables them to recreate the world of football management on the players’ devices.

That seems to be the best path to follow for any betting organisation that wants to attract, engage, and maintain their customers!

So, what do you think about the article? Maybe you’ve found some conclusions that you’d like to implement in your betting organisation? Don’t hesitate to contact us email (cst@statscore.com).