Online gaming is massive. According to Statista, the online gambling industry is set to grow to 92.9 billion US dollars in 2023. At present, it’s valued at 59 billion, and it’s likely to double further down the line.
Part of this market is the online casino market. This style of gaming has become immensely popular for the convenience and variety it offers. Sites like fun88 have a lot of online games you can choose to play. Some operators not only make it possible for players to play table games or slots, but also bet on sports events. Sports betting is live online in just three states and the best wyoming sportsbooks is where you can get in on the action.
Some clever marketing and some equally intelligent use of technology has helped operators form powerful strategies to attract new players and retain existing ones. Below is a look into how they’ve used smart data and technology to achieve this.
Thriving in a highly saturated market
One look at the stats above is enough to tell you the online gaming market is big. For example, sites specialising in online slots face plenty of competition. They do have some tricks up their sleeves, however, to keep players playing at their site and to appeal to new players.
These tricks include:
- No deposit bonuses
- Loyalty or rewards programs
- Free spins bonuses
- High variety of games
- Trial/practice games
Making the most of data and technology
Like many other businesses, online casinos are collecting data, which they then use to build up player profiles and tailor their services more effectively. As much as about achieving sales, it’s about achieving customer satisfaction.
This strategy isn’t just about improving the player’s experience, however, but also about the messaging itself. The approach helps the operators not only to understand players, but also to break down the communication barrier.
The data they acquire allows them to create more meaningful messages that resonate with the player(s) more. Knowing your customer is, after all, a basic principle of marketing, and the data collection can help the casino identify the right way to steer clear of awkward messaging that will leave them cold.
Types of data collected
In general, personalising the experience is one of the main marketing tactics online casinos use and is more fruitful than trying to win over an entire demographic. No two players will have exactly the same playing habits, of course, so operator collects lots of different data items to create the best messaging for them.
Details that online casino operators will gather from a player’s activity or account usage include:
- Age
- Gender
- Location
- The player’s win-to-loss ratio
- The time of day the player likes to visit the casino
- The time a player spends on a game before moving onto a different game
- Bonuses and offers that attract the player
- The length of time they spend on the casino site
- The games they play the most
- The games they play the least
All of this is rich information for the operator. Note that online casinos gather it legitimately and ethically.
Be aware, too, that online casinos are highly conscious when it comes to cybersecurity and employ sophisticated technology to keep data secure.
What happens next?
Once the operator has collected this data, they can begin to start marketing to the player. They can send the right messages at the right times.
For instance, at around 7.30 pm, they could send a notification to a middle-aged father who has a tendency to play games at 8.00 in the evening after he’s put the kids to bed. The notification could be of an offer he may find interesting, sent at a time at which he’s likely to be more receptive to it.
One type of offer the casino might send is that of free spins on a new slot. Offers and promotions such as this are not just a good way to get a player onto the site, but also to gradually transform them into a loyal customer who may sign up for the casino’s rewards scheme or loyalty programme.
Online casinos and digital marketing
Details around the player’s gaming activity and characteristics aren’t the only data an online casino might collect, however, for their marketing.
Operators will make the most of digital marketing tools to help increase their engagement and visibility on the internet.
One way they’ll do this is to use keyword research tools, which allow them to see the types of phrases players use when searching for online casinos in search engines. Tools such as Google Search Console can also help them to identify the phrases for which their site is appearing in online searches (so they can incorporate these phrases more into existing content) and to spot technical issues that might be harming their visibility.
Not only this, but keyword research provides online casinos with broader insight into what players and potential customers are looking for. The phrase “poker tips”, for example, would indicate that someone online is trying to improve their poker skills. The casino may decide to create a blog post or a video providing poker tips, and then publish it online to help their customers and potential new players.
Online casinos are operating in a highly competitive market, and it takes immense strategic skills to succeed. Collecting data to decipher the needs of different players is a major strategy and bears a lot of fruit for companies. This is done ethically, though, so that casinos can offer their customers the best experience without intruding on their privacy.
