"Users were eager to express their views": Watchers sports clients about social layer for the World Cup games

What surprised you most about users’ talks and behaviour? 

What surprised us most was how naturally the conversations went beyond football. Users discussed the matches and the latest World Cup news, but they also talked about random, everyday topics, shared jokes, and simply had fun together. It was also great to see how such a major event brought people together through their shared passion for football, creating a real sense of community throughout the tournament.

(Bianca Andrea Floarea, Community Content Manager at Totogaming) 

What surprised me the most was how passionate users are during games. In Ecuador, for example, conversations would change completely depending on what was happening on the field. A goal, a VAR decision, or a big save would generate dozens of messages in just a few minutes. I also noticed that they really enjoy humor and banter among fans, even when they support different national teams. That made the talks feel very natural and entertaining. 

(Pablo Botero, Commercial Services Analyst at VirtualSoft) 

What did you learn about your audience during the tournament? 

We learned that major events like the World Cup naturally encourage people to share their opinions and become part of the conversation and the community, rather than simply following the event. Users were eager to express their views, whether by sharing betting tips, discussing other users’ bets, or debating refereeing decisions and key moments from the matches. 

(Bianca Andrea Floarea, Community Content Manager at Totogaming) 

We learned that users respond much better to natural, timely messages than to communications focused solely on promotions. They appreciate it when the brand interacts like just another fan—asking questions, commenting on what’s happening in the game, and inviting them to join the conversation. We also observed that when the chat generated real-time interaction and users felt like part of a community, the level of engagement increased significantly. 

(Pablo Botero, Commercial Services Analyst at VirtualSoft) 

They really enjoy humor and banter among fans, even when they support different national teams. That made the talks feel very natural and entertaining. 

Did chat communications influence any of your decisions? 

Following the conversations closely gave us a better understanding of what catches our users’ attention, and we saw it as an opportunity to get closer to them. It also helped us identify areas where the chat experience could be improved, and based on what we observed, we shared some of our own suggestions with the Watchers team. 

(Bianca Andrea Floarea, Community Content Manager at Totogaming) 

Yes. As the tournament progressed, we adjusted the tone of the promotional messages. We found that short tag lines—referencing what was happening in the match and asking questions to spark conversation—worked much better than long or overly promotional messages. That helped us maintain an active community. 

(Pablo Botero, Commercial Services Analyst at VirtualSoft) 

What engagement features did you like the most? 

We really liked the introduction of fan clubs and the changes made to the poll formats during the World Cup. For the next big tournament, we would love to see these concepts developed even further, along with the badges feature, which we already used during the World Cup. Any insights you would like to share TotoChat gave us a much more direct and informal way to communicate with our users. It allowed us to keep them updated on our latest promotions and introduce new things happening on our platform. During this period, we also launched our new app, which generated a lot of excitement and interest among our users. One important takeaway for us is that content created specifically for a major tournament can make a real difference. Small details, such as adapting the experience to what is happening at that moment, make the chat feel more relevant and give users more reasons to participate. 

(Bianca Andrea Floarea, Community Content Manager at Totogaming) 

It showed us how well the chat can complement the experience of following a major sporting event.

This tournament showed that users want to experience the game together with others. Beyond promotions, they value being able to comment on plays, debate, joke around, and share their emotions with other fans in real time. That interaction is what really brings the chat to life and makes it a unique selling point for the brand. Furthermore, it became clear that the chat has the potential to be much more than just a communication channel: when conversations are natural, timely, and aligned with what’s happening in the game, it strengthens the sense of community and generates much greater engagement. Without a doubt, there’s still a great opportunity to continue evolving the tool and offer an increasingly interactive experience during sporting events. 

(Pablo Botero, Commercial Services Analyst at VirtualSoft) 

Bright moments, events, or anything else you would like to share or highlight 

The World Cup was definitely one of the strongest periods for TotoChat in terms of activity, including shared and copied bets and poll responses. One of the highlights for us was seeing how quickly users reacted to everything happening during the tournament, turning important matches, unexpected results, and controversial moments into active discussions. It showed us how well the chat can complement the experience of following a major sporting event. 

(Bianca Andrea Floarea, Community Content Manager at Totogaming)

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