In an interview with European Gaming, Stefan Williams, senior product manager at The Pools, explains how Goal Rush differs from a both-teams-to-score accumulator, why it draws a more active player than Classic Pools, and how its £5 million jackpot is shaping the operator’s next product.
Key findings
- On player behaviour: ‘Goal Rush encourages more active decision-making each round, and we think that has helped it perform particularly well with new players.’
- On the mechanic: ‘You pick eight matches, and there is one clear outcome you are looking for in each.’
- On winning dividends: ‘Over the past six months, the average return for getting all eight selections right has been £400.54, with the highest payout during that period reaching £5,674.40.’
- On subscription: ‘Over the longer term, subscribers have higher player value and much lower churn.’
- On jackpot size: ‘One of the key things we’ve learned from Goal Rush is the role jackpot size plays in the appeal of the product.’
What Goal Rush offers over a both-teams-to-score accumulator
European Gaming: For readers who have never played The Pools, what does Goal Rush give a player that a both-teams-to-score (BTTS) accumulator at a bookmaker does not?
Stefan Williams: Goal Rush takes a familiar both-teams-to-score accumulator and gives it a pools mechanic. Players choose eight matches from a coupon of 35 where they think both teams will score, with entry starting at £2. Get all eight right, and you can win a share of the pool, while seven correct also earns a consolation prize.
‘The other big difference is the £5m jackpot. We know there is already a big audience of fans who enjoy BTTS accumulators, so the idea with Goal Rush is to keep that experience simple while giving players access to a level of potential prize that you wouldn’t normally associate with a £2 entry.’
That combination is what makes the product stand out.
Why Goal Rush performs well with new players
EG: Goal Rush has been running for around a decade. When did it overtake Classic Pools on new customer acquisition, and what changed to get it there?
Stefan Williams: We see a real mix between the two products, and they attract quite different types of players.
Goal Rush tends to appeal to someone who comes into each round with a strong opinion on the fixtures. They can look at the stats and odds, make their selections and try to find an edge.
Classic Pools can be played in a different way, with many customers choosing their selections and letting them run from week to week.
‘Goal Rush encourages more active decision-making each round, and we think that has helped it perform particularly well with new players.’
How the Goal Rush and Classic Pools audiences differ
EG: How different are the two audiences in practice, age, stake size, and how often they play?
Stefan Williams: There is a difference in the age profile, with Goal Rush typically appealing to a slightly younger audience, but the bigger distinction for us is how they play.
- Goal Rush tends to attract more statistically minded players who want to look at each round, review the fixtures and make their selections accordingly.
- Classic Pools has more customers who are happy to stick with their favoured numbers from week to week.
That gives Goal Rush a more active style of play, with customers coming back to make a fresh decision each round.
The role of a single outcome per match
EG: Classic Pools scores every pick on a sliding scale, a score draw is worth more than a goalless draw, which is worth more than a win. Goal Rush asks one question: Will both teams score? How much of the audience shift comes down to that difference alone?
Stefan Williams: Simplicity plays a big part.
Both teams to score is already a popular way to bet on football, so Goal Rush starts with a proposition many players immediately understand. You pick eight matches, and there is one clear outcome you are looking for in each.
What we’ve tried to do is keep that simple mechanic while adding the pools element. The return is determined by the pool rather than fixed odds, and that can produce bigger prizes than an equivalent BTTS accumulator with a bookmaker.
The £5m jackpot adds another dimension on top of that.
What a typical Goal Rush dividend looks like
EG: The £5 million top prize from a £2 entry is the hook. What does a typical winning dividend actually look like, and how do you manage the distance between the two?
Stefan Williams: The £5m jackpot is obviously the headline number, but the regular winning dividends are an important part too.
Over the past six months, the average return for getting all eight selections right has been £400.54, with the highest payout during that period reaching £5,674.40.
For context, we would typically expect a comparable £2 eight-fold BTTS accumulator with a retail bookmaker to return somewhere around £230–£250.
‘The exact Goal Rush dividend will vary from round to round because it is a pools product, but those figures show the role the regular prize pool plays alongside the £5m jackpot.’
Single entries versus Sports Plus Membership
EG: Goal Rush is sold in two ways: a £2 single entry, or 10 entries a month inside Sports Plus Membership. Which is bringing more new players in, and why put a subscription in front of someone trying the game for the first time?
Stefan Williams: New players are split fairly evenly between single entries and Sports Plus Membership.
Over the longer term, subscribers have higher player value and much lower churn.
Subscription is becoming a bigger part of our plans as we develop the new platform and future games. We see scope to build more around the model and give customers more ways to play through their subscription.
What Goal Rush means for the next product
EG: What is the next product decision that comes directly out of what Goal Rush has taught you, and when will players see it?
Stefan Williams: One of the key things we’ve learned from Goal Rush is the role jackpot size plays in the appeal of the product.
Having a £5m jackpot available from a £2 entry has given us a much better understanding of how much that headline prize matters to players.
We can now take those findings into the development of our next product.
It’s too early to share the details, although the lessons from Goal Rush will feed directly into that work.
About The Pools
The Pools is a UK pool betting and gaming operator headquartered in Liverpool. It was founded as Littlewoods Pools in 1923 and runs football pools games, including Classic Pools and Goal Rush, alongside sports betting, casino, and lottery-style games. Stefan Williams is its senior product manager.
