Sportsbook Retention specialist
About the Role
We are looking for a Retention Specialist who will take ownership of retaining the sports betting audience through a loyalty program, gamification, and event-driven and seasonal campaigns.
This is a full-cycle, hands-on role: you come up with the mechanics yourself, build them in Smartico (segments, journeys, bonuses, gamification), launch them, and analyze the results yourself.
An important part of the context: there is currently no direct lead overseeing this role, so no one will be assigning tasks to you. You will set your own priorities based on the sports calendar, retention metrics, and insights from the data. Later, a Lead of Sports Retention Tribe will join and you will become part of their team, but during the first few months, this role is best suited for someone who does not need daily management.
Vertical specifics: sports retention revolves around the sports calendar. IPL, World Championships, major tournaments, and other key events create peak periods that require preparation weeks in advance. Between these peaks, the audience needs to be retained through regular engagement mechanics. The ability to work effectively within this rhythm is at the core of the role.
Responsibilities
Sports Loyalty Program
Own the sports loyalty program: mechanics, tiers, rewards, and economics.
Continuously develop and optimize the program: identify what drives retention, what does not work, and what should be changed — all backed by data.
Ensure alignment between loyalty and gamification so that the mechanics reinforce rather than conflict with each other.
Gamification
Design and launch gamification mechanics in Smartico: missions, tournaments, achievements, and leaderboards tied to sports events.
Connect gamification with bonus mechanics and the loyalty program.
Iterate based on engagement results: a mechanic either improves the target metric or is discontinued.
Event-Driven and Seasonal Campaigns
Own the sports event calendar: plan campaigns for key events such as IPL, global tournaments, and local peak periods weeks in advance rather than reacting at the last minute.
Manage the full campaign cycle: idea → mechanics → segmentation → setup in Smartico → launch → post-campaign analysis and economics.
Run seasonal campaigns between major peaks to retain and engage regular users during quieter periods.
Prepare briefs for the Content team, including requirements for copy and creatives.
Segmentation & Experimentation
Work with sports audience segmentation based on RFM, activity, and lifecycle. Every campaign should have a clearly defined segment — no generic “send to everyone” campaigns.
Use control groups by default: campaign impact should be demonstrated through uplift, not just absolute numbers.
Run A/B tests of mechanics, offers, and communications.
Analytics & Reporting
Regularly monitor retention metrics for sports cohorts using Smartico Data Studio.
Conduct post-campaign analysis for every campaign, including engagement, uplift, bonus costs, and overall campaign economics.
Provide regular reporting to management on the performance of the sports vertical.
The bonus budget is managed at a higher level within the organization. You will plan campaign costs and justify their economics, while final approval remains with the manager.
Role Metrics
Sports cohort retention: D7/D30 redeposit rate among sports bettors.
Event activation: percentage of the user base engaged in event campaigns and their activity during peak periods.
Bonus cost efficiency: campaign uplift versus control groups and cost per retained player.
Requirements
2+ years of experience in Retention/CRM within iGaming, including mandatory hands-on experience specifically with the sports betting vertical. Be prepared to discuss 2–3 campaigns: the event, mechanics, target segment, and achieved uplift.
Hands-on experience working with a CRM platform. Smartico is a strong advantage; Optimove, Fast Track, and Symplify are also relevant. You should be comfortable working with segments, journeys, bonus mechanics, and gamification.
Strong understanding of the betting audience: what drives sports bettors, how their behavior differs from casino players, and how their engagement cycle is structured around sporting events.
Solid analytical foundation: cohort analysis, control groups, dashboard interpretation, and basic bonus economics.
High level of autonomy: ability to build your own work plan based on the sports calendar and performance metrics without relying on externally assigned tasks. This will be assessed through a case during the interview.
English: sufficient for reading documentation and handling day-to-day professional correspondence.
Nice to Have
Knowledge of the Indian market and cricket audience, particularly IPL as the key annual peak.
Experience launching or relaunching loyalty programs.
Experience with gamification modules such as tournaments, missions, and leaderboards.
Understanding of responsible gaming restrictions related to communications and bonuses.
What We Expect in the First 3 Months
Within the first three months, we expect you to have:
Built and implemented an event calendar covering the next quarter.
Launched several full-cycle campaigns with post-campaign analysis and control groups.
Conducted a diagnostic review of the sports loyalty program and developed a data-backed improvement plan, including its economics.
Performance will be evaluated based on retention metrics and campaign uplift — not on the number of campaigns launched.
We offer
Fully remote work opportunity
Enhanced leave benefits:
20 days of paid vacation
5 paid days off
14 paid sick leaves
Company clubs & communities
Celebration gifts for personal milestones
Corporate online events, raffles & challenges
Corporate English program
Corporate yoga classes
Team-building activities
Coworking compensation
Training and development programs (internal & external).