The annual report 'All the Ways Players Pay' by Paysafe reveals insights from 4,300 online sports bettors in Europe, North America, and Latin America. A positive payment experience leads 82% of them globally to continue with their sports betting, according to new research.
In addition to player retention, the latest report highlights the critical role that payments play in customer acquisition and the importance of sports betting platforms offering localized checkouts with alternative payment methods (APMs) to ensure payment choice, as well as fast and secure transactions.
The 2025 edition of the report, which includes Latin America for the first time, reveals that players in the region share the priorities of North American and European bettors when choosing a betting site.
Globally, fast and easy payments are the main factor in selecting sports betting, with 34% of bettors prioritizing payment speed, more than brand trust (33%), promotions and winning odds (both 24%), user experience (18%), and variety of the sports market (17%). Quick withdrawal is particularly important for bettors in Romania (prioritized by 42%), in the USA (41%), and in Argentina (37%).
Besides payments, global players consider other payment factors more important than anything else, except brand trust. Bettors seek fast deposits (25%) and the availability of their preferred payment methods (also 25%) when choosing a betting site.
Players' expectations for various types of payments demonstrate the importance of operators maximizing options. In the surveyed regions, debit cards continue to be the main payment option (42%), trending even more in Mexico (63%) and Peru (56%), as well as in jurisdictions that prohibit credit card iGaming transactions, such as the American state of Tennessee (51%) and the United Kingdom (48%).
Despite restrictions, credit cards are preferred by 24% of players worldwide and remain the main payment method in France (39%). But APMs such as digital wallets are challenging the popularity of cards. Digital wallets are the top choice for 38% of global players and are even more popular in Argentina (52%) and in densely populated US states like New York (48%) and Florida (46%).
Interest in local payment methods (LPMs) available only in specific regions is robust in the USA (16%), where Venmo is popular, but trends are higher in Colombia (29%) and Ecuador (24%).
With a culture of frequently using cash, players in Latin America prefer eCash (when paying in cash at shops and lottery outlets, for example) for iGaming, with 30% of Colombians and 25% of Peruvians and Ecuadorians considering it a preference, although the popularity of cash is also strong in Spain and the United Kingdom (both 22%).
In addition to adapting their checkouts, operators need to focus on the speed of payments. With players demanding fast payments, 42% of global players expect to withdraw instantly. And 34% consider fast deposits essential to their payment experience, trending higher in Colombia (45%) and Ecuador (43%).
Transaction security is even more important, with 41% of global bettors prioritizing this in their payment experience. Players from Argentina (51%), Peru (48%), and Colombia (46%), as well as from Romania (44%) and Italy (43%) seem particularly sensitive to security concerns.
Players' trust in the security of their transactions continues to improve, with 66% more confident than a year ago, although there is no room for operator complacency, with 8% less confident and 26% undecided. These more demanding customers certainly affect operators, with 32% of players who have not bet in 6 months or more saying that concerns about fraud were their main fear.
Looking to the future, players reveal a strong appetite for real-time payments, with 73% expecting this to become the norm in sports betting within two years. In the same period, the adoption of APMs such as digital wallets and eCash is likely to grow, with 60% expecting to bet more with one of these. Bettors in Colombia (85%) and Peru (81%) are particularly optimistic about increasing their betting with APMs.
"Our 'All the Ways Players Pay' research revealed the payment preferences of online sports bettors in regulated markets across the Americas and Europe," said Zak Cutler, president of global gaming at Paysafe.
"Payments are crucial for the acquisition and retention of players in all markets, but there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach. Operators will only maximize conversions and minimize churn if they adapt their checkouts and respond to players' demand for a range of payment options that balance the speed of payments with security."
About the 2025 'All the Ways Players Pay' research report
Paysafe launched its 'All the Ways Players Pay' research report series in 2019.
The 2025 edition was based on a survey conducted on behalf of Paysafe by Sapio Research among 4,300 consumers who were involved or have an interest in sports betting in six US states (Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee), the Canadian province of Ontario, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
The interviews were conducted online by Sapio Research in November 2024 using an email invitation and an online survey.
The 2025 report can be downloaded here: https://www.paysafe.com/en/all-the-ways-players-pay
Source: GMB
