Betting in Kazakhstan: Telegram as the main channel
Acquire deposits in a CIS GEO where direct betting ads are restricted.
A bookmaker wanted to acquire deposits in Kazakhstan. Direct betting ads are restricted, paid channels are blocked. Telegram is the main platform for sports content in the region. Budget was $22,000 for five weeks, target FTD under $25.
Wave by wave
- Week 1
Channel selection
Selected 30 channels from the database: sports analytics, match reviews, sports communities. Channels posting ads more than once every two days were filtered out.
- Weeks 2–3
First wave
Seeded across 15 channels. Promo code tied to first deposit, not registration. Only FTD counted: registration without deposit is not a metric in this niche.
- Weeks 4–5
Second wave
Kept 11 channels, added three from adjacent niches. Repeat placements with top performers delivered FTD 18% cheaper than the first wave.
What worked
Sports analytics, not ads
We placed in sports analytics and match review channels, not tipster channels. The analytics channel audience makes its own decisions — FTD conversion was twice as high.
Deposit promo code
The promo code gave a bonus on the first deposit, not on registration. Registration in betting is free and means nothing — we counted only FTD per channel separately.
Repeat placements with top performers
Selection for the second wave was not by FTD price but by depth: we looked at how many subscribers reached a deposit on the second touch rather than the first. Three channels with an expensive first placement stayed for exactly that reason.
We placed in five sports tipster channels. Clicks were abundant, but FTD conversion was under 3%. The tipster audience wanted ready-made bets and did not want to learn a new bookmaker. In week two we shut all five and moved the budget to analytics channels.
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