Sportsbooks that meet fans through authentic partnerships and creator-led content build loyalty that lasts beyond a single tournament

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is already underway, giving sportsbook operators a rare opportunity to engage massive global audiences across multiple platforms and formats over an extended tournament period. In this exclusive interview with Yogonet, Aimée Prendergast, Marketing Director at BOYLE Sports, discusses how the company is approaching fan engagement, creator partnerships, personalization, and long-term customer loyalty during one of the biggest sporting events in the world.

For BOYLE Sports, the tournament also represents the first World Cup since its £100 million investment into the UK market, shaping a broader strategy focused on multi-channel experiences, ambassador-led content, and more personalized betting and gaming products. Prendergast explains how evolving fan behavior, omnichannel engagement, and authentic creator partnerships are influencing the future of sportsbook marketing beyond traditional promotions and odds.

The 2026 World Cup is one of the largest sporting events ever staged, both in terms of participating nations and global audiences. What opportunities does a tournament of this scale create for a sportsbook operator?

A tournament of this scale creates a significant opportunity to bring BOYLE Sports’ experience to more fans than ever before. The World Cup is unlike any other football tournament, and with games every day, even the more casual customers can engage more frequently in the search for the best experience.

The challenge and opportunity this presents is optimising the tournament’s weeks to build genuine loyalty with fans so that they return for the season ahead. That’s why we’re focused on creating a responsible and fun environment where people feel like they can truly back themselves in.  

It is the first World Cup since our £100 million investment in the UK market, meaning our customers will be able to benefit from our elevated bespoke experience, including ambassador partnerships and content, multi-channel opportunities, and offers. 

Football fans today consume the sport across multiple platforms, from television and podcasts to social media and short-form video. How is that changing the way sportsbooks approach customer engagement and content creation?

The way fans consume football today, with attention divided across multiple platforms simultaneously, has directly shaped how BOYLE Sports thinks about product and content. The focus is on building a customisable, bespoke experience that mirrors the way customers want to play, recognising that habits are evolving rapidly across platforms, both online and in-person. 

Partnerships with content creators and brand ambassadors are a key part of this, allowing BOYLE Sports to show up authentically in the spaces and formats where fans are actually spending their time, rather than relying solely on traditional media. We’re determined to keep providing sports fans with exciting content as we aim to provide them with insightful content, all underpinned by our ‘Back Yourself’ ethos. 

BOYLE Sports ambassador Olivia Buzaglo

BOYLE Sports appointed Olivia Buzaglo ahead of the summer football season. What role do ambassadors and content creators play in your broader strategy for engaging customers around major sporting events?

We’re thrilled to have Olivia Buzaglo join us as the new face of BOYLE Sports football ahead of a blockbuster summer for the sport. She’s established herself as one of the most engaging and knowledgeable voices in football, having reported on some of the biggest stories and moments that have happened in the game over the years in her role on talkSPORT and TNT. 

Her energy and passion for the sport make her an ideal fit for BOYLE Sports as we continue to strengthen our football content and ambassador portfolio, following our existing partnerships with Mark Goldbridge for the World Cup and Emily Atack for BOYLE Casino. 

We’ve already begun creating insightful and impactful content with Olivia, as she interviewed former England manager Glenn Hoddle ahead of the World Cup, and we’ve got exciting plans in the pipeline.

Partnerships with leading ambassadors and content creators are incredibly important to us. They allow us to create content and host events alongside key sporting moments, to help us bring supporters closer to the game and create a better fan experience across all engagement channels.

Competition among operators has intensified in recent years. Beyond odds and promotions, what do you believe will differentiate successful sportsbook brands during major events such as the World Cup?

BOYLE Sports has a number of stand-out offers in football and across sport, but the real point of difference is the surrounding experience. Partnerships with creators like Mark Goldbridge and Olivia Buzaglo bring the World Cup to life in ways that feel authentic rather than predictable.

The content they produce, the insights they share, and the moments they create around each game are what keep fans coming back. That directly reflects our ‘Back Yourself’ ethos, empowering customers to make confident, informed decisions. 

The best customer experiences this summer will be driven by content that is delivered across every platform, meeting the fans where they are and showing the same passion they have for the game. 

BOYLE Sports has also continued to expand its retail footprint

Personalization continues to be a major trend across the gaming industry. How are player expectations evolving, and what are customers looking for from a modern sports betting experience that they may not have expected a few years ago?

Expectations have shifted considerably. Customers want an experience that fits around them, not one that asks them to fit around the product. The growth of short-form content, social media, and podcasts has raised the bar for relevance and engagement, and customers who spend their week consuming football across multiple platforms arrive with sharper instincts about what ‘good’ looks like. Sportsbooks that meet them in those spaces through authentic partnerships and creator-led content that feels organic are the ones building loyalty that lasts beyond a single tournament. 

For us at BOYLE Sports, that thinking extends to the product itself. We want our customers to see that the experience is made for them to back themselves with complete confidence. For example, our Smart Racecards let customers tailor how they want to engage with horse racing, allowing them to choose the data, format, and ultimately the experience that suits them best. More broadly, our odds and offers are also tailored to how individuals engage with the sports and markets they most often get involved in. 

Similarly, the relaunch of BOYLE Casino was built around the principle of prioritising a personalised experience. Each customer has their own tailored top 10 list of preferred games, while smarter, more engaging promotions will be available to keep the experience fresh every time they log in. With the biggest choice of games available in the UK and Ireland, including permanently exclusive content, we offer a truly world-class and personalised experience for our players. 

BOYLE Sports has grown from a traditional bookmaker into a multi-channel betting and gaming business. As the industry evolves, how do you balance innovation with maintaining the brand identity and customer trust that have been built over more than four decades?

We see our 40+ year heritage and challenger mentality as mutually complementary, as it means we have a genuine depth of knowledge and customer trust to build from, while constantly challenging what has come before and pushing for something better.

Our £100m investment in the UK market, expansion of our retail footprint, and technology upgrades across the platform highlight how we are growing ambitiously as a brand, whilst recognising the principles that have underpinned four decades of customer relationships.

The brands that will define the next era of this industry are the ones that can hold both of those things together, and that is exactly what we are focused on.

Looking beyond the World Cup, what do you see as the biggest trends shaping the future of sports betting over the next few years, whether from a product, technology, or customer-engagement perspective?

Several converging trends are likely to define the next few years. Technology will continue to drive product innovation, with smarter, more responsive platforms becoming the baseline expectation. The omnichannel experience will become increasingly important as customers demand seamless transitions between digital and retail environments. 

Partnerships and authentic fan engagement will become more central to brand strategy. In a crowded market, operators will need to move beyond transactional promotions and build partnerships that add genuine value to the fan experience.