The NBA and NHL playoffs are prime opportunities for betting operators to engage users and boost revenue through live betting. With valuable insights from Sportradar’s data, here are three strategic actions for each league to maximize your betting platform’s success during this exhilarating period. The data used in this analysis reflects insights from the 2024 playoffs and the 2025 regular season, offering a comprehensive perspective on betting trends.
Data Insight: During the 2024 NBA playoffs, the 1st and 2nd quarters accounted for approximately 44% of all live bets. The 2025 regular season continued this trend, with high engagement in these quarters.
Actionable Strategies: Amplify your live betting promotions during the early quarters. Implement quarter-focused offerings—such as tied probabilities or slightly boosted odds during TV timeouts—to leverage the high volume of bets. Encourage deeper engagement by sending timely push notifications to alert users about special bets during these highly engaged quarters.
Data Insight: Handicap bets were the most profitable for operators during the 2024 NBA playoffs, and this trend was supported by consistent profitability in the 2025 regular season.
Actionable Strategies: Run educational campaigns and tutorials on handicap betting to demystify the format for casual bettors. Collaborate with influencers or execute social media campaigns highlighting the simplicity and potential payoffs of handicap bets. By simplifying this bet type, you can expand your audience base and generate higher returns on this profitable wager.
Data Insight: In the 2024 playoffs, teams like the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers were highly profitable. This was further supported by the profitability of teams such as the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks during the 2025 regular season.
Actionable Strategies: Create team-based promotions and combo bets or parlay offerings featuring the most profitable teams. Consider including a “Lakers Combo” or “Pacers Power Play,” which combines various bet types like Winner, Handicap, and Quarter Totals, for increased payout opportunities.
Data Insight: During the 2024 NHL playoffs, 35% of live bets were placed in the 3rd period. This trend continued in the 2025 regular season, with the 3rd period remaining a focal point for live betting.
Actionable Strategies: Offer period-exclusive promotions during the climactic 3rd period, especially in closely contested games. Given the dramatic nature of final periods, utilize analytics from Sportradar to identify tight matchups and encourage bettors to place last-minute wagers with live updates and notifications.
Data Insight: “Winner (including overtime and penalties)” bets were consistently the most profitable during the 2024 NHL playoffs, with continued success in the 2025 regular season.
Actionable Strategies: Amplify marketing around this bet type with real-world success stories from users. Showcase real-time updates on payout successes within your app or site to foster a sense of community and trust among bettors. Establish leaderboards based on winnings to drive competitive spirit and increase engagement.
Data Insight: The 2024 playoffs highlighted teams like the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights as leaders in profitability, which was confirmed by the performance of teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers in the 2025 regular season.
Actionable Strategies: Develop special betting events or spotlight matches involving these profitable teams. Strategies could include “Golden Knight Specials” or “Oilers Overdrive” nights that offer tiered odds boosts or cashback opportunities. Gamify these promotions by allowing users to collect points or badges based on participation or success rates during Oilers and Knights games.
By implementing these targeted strategies, sports betting operators can significantly boost engagement and profitability for both NBA and NHL playoffs. Sportradar is here as your dedicated partner, providing the insights and data necessary to ensure your platform remains at the forefront of the betting market. Utilize these insights to your advantage, and let’s make this playoff season the most successful yet!
