Industry News
Maximizing ROI in iGaming: A Deep Dive into Non-Standard Geo-Targeting Through Influencer Marketing (Part 1/2)
Here’s a quick take on influencer marketing in iGaming: it’s all about making waves in the digital world. Popular social media stars teaming up with iGaming brands make them not only well-known, but also more trustworthy. Influencers have got the followers, the trust, and the know-how to get people excited about gambling and betting online. In this article, Anna Zhukova, Team Lead of iGaming vertical at Famesters will delve deeply into smart influencer marketing strategies for this business vertical.
Here are some of the key components of influencer marketing for iGaming brands:
- Engaging the Crowd: Influencers are superstars at grabbing the attention of different players – from those who play just for fun to the serious high rollers.
- Building Trust: When an influencer gives a thumbs-up to a game or a particular online casino, their followers listen. It’s like having a friend recommend your favorite new game.
- Finding the Right Fit: Picking the perfect influencer is key. They need to align with what the iGaming brand is all about.
- Staying in the Lines: iGaming has got rules. Influencers need to play by them to keep things cool and compliant.
- Performance Metrics and ROI: Tracking the success of influencer campaigns through metrics like reach, engagement, and conversions is crucial. This data helps in refining strategies and ensuring a high return on investment.
In short, influencer marketing in the iGaming industry is a trust-building powerhouse: it is a nuanced and effective approach, leveraging the power of influential personalities to build brand trust, engage diverse audiences, and drive business success within a regulated framework.
And here’s another great power that influences the final results of an influencer marketing campaign: geo-targeting. It’s about hitting the right audience, in the right place, at the right time. Here’s why you can’t do iGaming marketing without geo-targeting:
- Audience Segmentation: It’s all about hitting the sweet spot with each region’s unique gaming tastes and cultural vibes. Tailoring content to specific areas means more impact and appeal.
- Regulatory Compliance: Different areas, different rules. Geo-targeting keeps campaigns on the right side of the law, dodging legal headaches.
- Localized Content: This is where you speak their language, literally. You have to adapt to local dialects, cultural hooks, and region-favorite games to ramp up engagement and conversions.
- Cost Efficiency: It’s about smart spending. Better focus your efforts where they count, avoid wasting resources, and watch your marketing budget deliver more.
- Data-Driven Decisions: You can use geo-targeting data to get the lowdown on what works where. This insight sharpens resource allocation, boosting your ROI.
Understanding the iGaming Industry
The iGaming industry, encompassing online gaming and betting platforms, has witnessed exponential growth in recent years. A surge in digital technology adoption and the rise of mobile gaming have been pivotal. The industry’s growth trajectory is marked by technological advancements, expanding into new markets, and an increasing acceptance of online gaming as a mainstream entertainment option. This evolution has opened doors to vast opportunities but also posed unique challenges.
According to Statista, the global iGaming market is expected to reach a revenue of more than $107 billion in 2024.
Traditional marketing methods in iGaming face several hurdles. The biggest is the evolving regulatory landscape, with different countries imposing varied restrictions on gaming advertising. Additionally, the traditional one-size-fits-all approach struggles in a market where gamers’ preferences are as diverse as their geographical locations. There’s also the challenge of ad fatigue, where conventional advertising methods no longer capture the audience’s attention as effectively.
To navigate these challenges, the iGaming industry is turning towards more innovative, targeted, and engaging marketing strategies. Personalization and use of data analytics are becoming increasingly important. Brands are now focusing on creating more immersive and interactive marketing experiences that resonate with their audience on a deeper level.
Influencer marketing is now one of the most powerful tools in the iGaming industry. It leverages social media influencers’ reach and credibility to promote betting and gambling platforms and products. This approach taps into the influencers’ engaged audiences, offering a more authentic and trustworthy promotion method than traditional advertising. Influencers can create content that resonates with their followers, whether it’s through live-streaming games, tutorials, or reviews, thus providing a more organic and engaging way to introduce products to potential customers.
Statistics underscore the impact of influencer marketing. For instance, 66% of marketers using it say that influencer-generated content performs equally or better than branded content. Also, on average, brands earn $5.78 for every dollar spent on influencer marketing.
Understanding the iGaming industry today means recognizing the shift towards more innovative, personalized, and influencer-driven marketing strategies. The industry’s growth is paralleled by the evolution of marketing techniques, with influencer marketing standing out as a key player in engaging and expanding the iGaming audience.
Non-Standard Geo-Targeting
First, you need to understand the tiers in global market segmentation. There are three of them. Understanding the economic and audience characteristics of different tiers is crucial for effective global marketing. Each tier offers unique opportunities and challenges, and selecting the right one depends on a company’s budget, target audience, and industry regulations.
Tier-1 Countries: The Premium Market
- Characteristics: These are the most developed countries with strong economies and a wealthy audience.
- Why They’re Attractive: Businesses target these regions due to the high purchasing power of the audience. This means greater potential for sales and revenue.
- Consideration: Advertising in these countries can be quite expensive. Brands should be prepared for higher marketing costs.
Tier-2 Countries: The Balanced Choice
- Characteristics: These are developing countries. Their economies are well-developed, but the audience’s purchasing power isn’t as high as in Tier-1 countries.
- Why They’re Attractive: They’re a strategic choice for businesses seeking a solvent audience without the high costs associated with Tier-1 markets.
- Ideal for Certain Industries: Tier-2 countries are particularly suitable for advertising sectors like betting, forex, and binaries, which might be restricted in Tier-1 countries.
Tier-3 Countries: High Reach, Low Cost
- Characteristics: Often referred to as ‘third world countries,’ these nations have weaker economies and lower-income populations.
- Advantages: Advertising costs are low, allowing for broad coverage even with smaller budgets.
- Target Audience: These regions are often targeted by industries like gambling, forex, and betting. These sectors appeal to audiences seeking opportunities for ‘easy’ income.
Now let’s take a closer look at the peculiarities of each tier and the countries in it.
High Costs in Tier-1 Markets: A Matter of Solvency
- User Solvency and Payback: In Tier-1 markets, users generally have higher purchasing power, which can lead to better payback for businesses. However, this comes with its own set of challenges.
- Regulatory Hurdles: A significant issue in these markets is the stringent regulation around gambling products. While launching campaigns on platforms like Facebook may not require a license, working with influencers often does.
- Licensing Complexities: Licenses such as MGA (Malta Gaming Authority) or Curacao are necessary for simply working in European countries. However, they don’t authorize advertising in these geographies and targeting users in them. Plus, obtaining advertising permissions is a very complex process.
- Influencer Marketing Challenges: Tier-1 influencers, earning well from less risky advertising options, often steer clear of gambling promotions. Finding one willing to collaborate without a license is rare.
Businesses eyeing Tier-1 markets need to be prepared for higher costs and stringent regulations, especially when incorporating influencer marketing into their strategies. While the financial returns can be significant due to the high solvency of users, navigating the regulatory and licensing requirements adds complexity.
In contrast, Tier-2 markets offer a more accessible and flexible environment for certain types of promotions, including those in the gambling sector. Transitioning from the complex landscape of Tier-1 markets, Tier-2 geographies present a different potential. The regulatory environment is typically less stringent, and the cost of marketing is more manageable compared to Tier-1.
In the next article, we will make it clearer how the countries from different tiers can be connected, what role influencers play in this, and most importantly – how exactly non-standard geo-targeting can be used to reach more solvent audiences with cost-effective strategies. Stay tuned!
Author: Anna Zhukova, Team Lead (iGaming) at Famesters
Reading Time: 4 minutes
On November 7, the CEOs of the gambling companies Svenska Spel and ATG published an op-ed in one of Sweden’s main newspapers – Svenska Dagbladet – in which they propose a total ban on all bonuses in the Swedish licensed gambling market.
BOS – the Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling – responds today in the same paper that such a ban would unilaterally benefit Svenska Spel and ATG commercially, at the cost of poorer consumer protection in Sweden. The latter is related to the fact that a total bonus ban is expected to contribute to an accelerated transition from legally licensed gambling to unregulated unlicensed gambling.
“The elephant in the room for consumer protection is that consumers are to such a large extent absent from the legally licensed part of the gambling market. Instead, they have chosen the unregulated unlicensed market to an alarming extent, partly because of the very generous bonus systems offered there. We should not have that kind of excesses with sky-high bonuses in the licensed market, but to completely ban any form of moderate bonus offer is to give up the fight of defending the licensed gambling market and its consumer protection,” says BOS Secretary General Gustaf Hoffstedt.
Svenska Spel’s and ATG’s debate article is available here: https://www.svd.se/a/nyky6B/bonusar-maste-bort-driver-pa-ungas-spelande-skriver-debattorer
BOS’ debate article is available here, signed by Gustaf Hoffstedt, published today, November 14: https://www.svd.se/a/GyvAK4/spelbolagschefer-driver-spelarna-till-olagliga-spel-skriver-gustaf-hoffstedt
A translated version of Gustaf Hoffstedt’s op-ed can be read below:
Svenska Spel and ATG sacrifice consumer protection
Tighten the conditions for licensed gambling companies even further, demand gambling company CEOs Anna Johnson and Hasse Lord Skarplöth, Svenska Spel and ATG respectively, on SvD Debatt. Today, all forms of programs for loyal gambling customers are already prohibited in the Gaming Act. Johnson and Lord Skarplöth want this ban to now be extended to the currently permitted bonuses for new gambling customers. All in the name of protecting the gambling consumer.
Their reasoning may seem logical to someone who is not more deeply familiar with the conditions in the gambling market. What the reasoning, however, completely ignores is the elephant in the room when it comes to consumer protection in the Swedish gambling market: that consumers are increasingly abandoning licensed gambling companies in favour of companies that operate outside the regulated gambling market. According to a recent study by ATG, one of the signatories of the op-ed, the share of unlicensed online casino gambling can now account for just over 40 percent of turnover. In the unlicensed gambling market, the absence of consumer protection is total. The Swedish state receives zero kronor in gambling tax there and zero kronor in profit from its own state-owned gambling operations.
In the name of good consumer protection, the 40 percent lost to the unlicensed gambling market outweighs the 60 percent who still play licensed. This is because most high-volume gamblers are found among the 40 percent. High-volume gamblers are not synonymous with problem gamblers, but it is among these 40 percent that Swedish consumer protection needs to reach. Which it does not do today.
We believe that everyone agrees and is concerned that gambling among young people under the age of 18 is a growing problem, but to claim that this is due to the welcome bonuses that are currently offered to adult players, without mentioning how today’s young people learn to play for money through so-called skins and loot boxes in their favourite games, is not serious. Especially since data from our neighbouring country Denmark clearly points to the latter as the main reason for the increase in youth problem gambling there.
A high proportion of legally licensed gambling is achieved through striking a balance between consumer protection and gambling pleasure. The gambling consumers must themselves want to be in the licensed gambling market. If this is not achieved, the entire system will collapse.
The gambling authority Spelinspektionen has asked gambling consumers why they prefer to play unlicensed in Sweden to such a large extent. Among the main explanations is always the absence of loyalty programs for existing customers. Now Johnson and Lord Skarplöth also want to remove the possibility of giving a bonus to a new gambling customer. If they get their way, we probably haven’t seen the bottom yet in how low the proportion of legally licensed gambling can fall. As a reference, the Netherlands can be mentioned, whose gambling authority KSA recently announced that the proportion of illegal gambling now accounts for more than half of their gambling market.
So why are Svenska Spel and ATG acting in this way? Well, because even in a shrinking legal gambling market, there are market shares to defend. Both of these gambling companies, which emerged from the Swedish gambling monopoly, took significant market shares with them from the start when the Swedish gambling market was reregulated in 2019. The fact that their competitors, who in many cases start with zero customers on their data base, are prohibited from offering a bonus when a new customer is recruited is of course tempting for the old monopolists.
But they bite their own tail. Because with demands for further restrictions on the legal licensed gambling market, they can only defend their market share in an increasingly shrinking license market.
This is sad to see, because the Swedish gems ATG and Svenska Spel, where in the latter case all Swedes are part-owners of the company, could instead have shown leadership in defending a sustainable gambling license market. These two companies could have brought together the gambling market, or at least the members of their own trade association, for some common good. However, they ignore this and run solo games for short-term benefit for themselves, but not for Sweden and above all not for consumer protection in the gambling market.
Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General, BOS – The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling
The post BOS in debate with Svenska Spel and ATG on SvD Debatt on bonuses in the gambling market appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Reading Time: < 1 minute
BC.GAME has launched its Anniversary Campaign, rolling out a series of casino, Originals, sports and deposit offers, including a $1,000,000 Grand Lucky Draw and multiple leaderboard races available on the platform’s events hub.
On the casino side, players can unlock a First Time Bet Bonus by placing a first single bet of at least $10 on selected titles they have not played in the 12 months prior to 10 November, 00:00 UTC. Alongside this, BC.GAME is running Original Wager Race and Original Multiplier Challenge promotions for in-house games, as well as a Casino Wager Race and Casino Multiplier Challenge covering all third-party casino titles.
The campaign also introduces a GRAND LUCKY DRAW, where every $100 wagered earns one ticket towards a $1,000,000 prize pool, available until the pool is fully distributed.
In sports, the ANNIVERSARY SPORTS LOSSBACK offer provides 10% lossback as Free Bets on qualifying losing pre-match single bets on the Winner market, backed by a $500,000 pool and running until 12 December. The COMBO KING promotion rewards users who place combo bets across eligible sports with tiered cashback of up to 250%.
Finally, BC.GAME is adding two deposit-based events. The DEPOSIT LEADERBOARD grants one point for every $1 deposited, with players who reach $10,000 in deposits sharing a $50,000 prize pool on a weekly reset. The DAILY DEPOSIT – ULTIMATE QUEST runs on a 25-day schedule, where the first qualifying deposit of each day unlocks a reward and completing all 25 days can provide a 100% boost on the Day 25 deposit, subject to caps.
All offers are subject to BC.GAME’s general terms and any applicable regional restrictions.
The post BC.GAME Launches Anniversary Campaign with Wager Races, Lossback and $1,000,000 Lucky Draw appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Betting and Gaming Council
Proposed betting tax in the UK could wipe out 3,400 bookies and 25,000 jobs, new analysis warns
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Proposals to significantly increase the tax rate on gaming machines could have dire consequences, threatening the existence of 3,400 betting shops and putting 25,000 jobs at risk, as highlighted by industry research.
According to findings from the Betting and Gaming Council, a recent report submitted to the Treasury by a think tank suggests raising the Machine Games Duty (MGD) from 20% to 50%, which could devastate high streets across Britain. Currently, there are about 5,800 betting shops in the UK, which not only support 42,000 jobs but also contribute £140 million annually to horse racing.
This sector pays approximately £1 billion in direct taxes to the Treasury and another £60 million in business rates to local councils. Under the proposed increase from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), with each bookmaker restricted to four gaming machines, we could see the closure of 3,400 shops. This could lead to the loss of 25,000 jobs and a reduction of £84 million in essential funding for horse racing, further straining already beleaguered high streets.
This warning comes in the context of campaigns from anti-gambling organizations urging Chancellor Rachel Reeves to elevate taxes on regulated betting and gaming as a means to help bridge a £30 billion shortfall in public finances.
BGC Chief Executive Grainne Hurst said: “Any increase in betting and gaming taxes on any part of the industry would hammer ordinary punters while threatening British jobs, high streets and the future of horse racing.
“The figures for Machine Games Duty speak for themselves – thousands of shop closures, tens of thousands of job losses, and an £84 million hit to horse racing. This isn’t a small tweak to the tax system – it’s an act of economic vandalism against communities, workers and Britain’s second most popular spectator sport.
“These proposals risk achieving the exact opposite of what the Treasury intends – lower tax receipts, fewer jobs and more punters turning to unsafe, unregulated black market gambling.
“Britain’s betting and gaming sector is one of the most highly regulated in the world, supporting jobs, investment and sport across the UK.
“We urge the Government to resist short-term tax raids that would cause long-term damage – to jobs, to the economy, and to the future of British sport.”
Nearly half of all UK pubs host at least one gaming machine, earning landlords around £9,000 a year on average. Any sharp increase in MGD would add further pressure on those businesses, as well as on bingo halls and casinos that also rely on gaming machines for revenue.
The wider high street would feel the impact too. Research by ESA Retail found that 89% of betting shop customers visit other local businesses during the same trip – underlining the role bookmakers play in supporting footfall and spending.
BGC members currently contribute £6.8 billion to the UK economy, pay £4 billion in taxes, and support more than 109,000 jobs – including thousands in hubs such as Manchester, Leeds, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland and Nottingham.
The IPPR has suggested that increasing gambling taxes could raise up to £3.2 billion a year by hiking MGD and Remote Gambling Duty to 50%, and doubling General Betting Duty to 30%.
However, independent analysis shows such measures would damage the regulated sector, cut jobs and tax income, and drive more consumers towards unregulated operators.
Source: bettingandgamingcouncil.com
The post Proposed betting tax in the UK could wipe out 3,400 bookies and 25,000 jobs, new analysis warns appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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