Sports translation: These are the countries that bet most on sporting events

In regards to sports translation, one of the toughest decisions sports betting brands have to make is which target markets to prioritise. We’ve talked about this topic numerous times on this blog, each time referencing data from different sources to help you make this crucial decision.

There’s no right answer to this tricky question but we always like to start with cold, hard numbers – after all, it’s those profitable returns that really matter. So today, we’re running through the top twenty countries that spend the most on sports betting to help you narrow down your options before you implement sports translation.

The top 20 sports betting nations

Let’s start by thanking Sportbusiness.com for the data we’re about to look at. The numbers pretty much speak for themselves so we don’t need to elaborate. However, we will run through some things to consider alongside this data when it comes to targeting different markets with your sports betting site.

            Source: Sportbusiness.com

As you can see, Japan sits at the top of the list across the board for total spend, land-based and online sports betting. Hong Kong takes the second spot for online spend, followed by the UK, US and China in the top five spending countries around the world.

As we say, the numbers speak for themselves but how should you apply this when it comes to sports translation?

Choosing your target markets for sports translation

There are two key things you need to consider when it comes to targeting language markets: the potential return vs the investment. For example, Japan is by far the most lucrative sports betting market on that list but it’s also one of the most challenging to translate and localise for.

Aside from the language factors to consider, you also have to adapt the sports you focus on in a country where horses, powerboats and motorbikes dominate the gambling scene. You have to weigh up whether the workload involved with making Japan a priority market is worth the potential return.

It’s also worth considering language reach when choosing your target markets. With the UK, US, Australia and Ireland all making the top 20 spenders, English is well represented and both Canada and Singapore come with English as partial national languages.

If you add France to your list target markets, localising for Canadian French becomes easier and catering for Singapore’s Mandarin-speaking population also opens the door to China – another huge market.

Likewise, Spain comes in at 12 on the list of top spenders and localising for Spanish speakers in South and Central America becomes much easier if you’re already targeting Spain. Those countries might not make it into the top 20 but there are plenty of them that combine into a massive language-orientated market.

Once again, you have to consider the sports you want to prioritise on your site. Do you want to create a diverse platform for the varied sports preferences of Japan, Sweden and South America – or focus on something more specific? If football betting is your priority, for example, you’ll be better off looking at which countries spend the most on this particular sport.

Hopefully, the data provided by Sportbusiness.com helps you get a better idea of the most lucrative sports betting markets around the world. However, we want to remind you that it’s not a simple case of choosing the highest spenders with your own sports betting site. To get your share of the profits you need to connect with those big spenders – and this takes the right combination of sports translation, localisation and marketing.

You need to consider all of these factors when choosing your target markets and pick the combined audiences that promise the best return on your investment.