It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that tens of thousands of online casinos and sportsbook operators pop up every year. Some would say that it dilutes the market, while others would say that it makes the market more competitive. Regardless of your stance from this point of view, true competitors must do their best to stay afloat, progress, and achieve a dominant market share.
Entrenching yourself in the online gaming field is more than just providing a qualitative product. It’s also about making it more visible and desirable for new users while ensuring that the current customer base stays loyal. It’s a constant dance between priorities and a balancing act of supply and demand.
Since the health and success of an iGaming brand is a sprawling collection of factors, the effort must be multilateral and consistent. This article will be our effort to ensure that we cover the primary facets of a marketing approach that prioritizes player acquisition.
This is for the sake of ensuring you know the true purpose of every move that online casinos make, especially if you’re a prospective player.
What’s player acquisition (and retention)?
Player acquisition is, in the case of an iGaming brand, the act of obtaining the registration of a player who chooses to deposit, thus investing in the platform. Becoming a player in that department depends on your level of intensity of betting, as well as your capacity to deposit and become a regular customer.
Naturally, an online casino user would want to make sure that you’re a high-quality player, meaning that you are a valuable asset in the long run. If you’re simply willing to engage in the process of casual gaming without planning on returning too often, you’re in the lower tier of intended targets.
They want to make sure that you are the type of player who likes the casino’s product and would consider returning to that gaming brand and continuing to deposit. If your investments and betting sessions are consistent and valuable, the casino would expect to snowball in popularity.
Retention is all about convincing the player to choose a brand over its competition by providing a visible, transparent, and qualitative product.
SEO practices for increased traffic
SEO, the abbreviation for search engine optimization, is a set of practices that aims to make a website more visible on the internet. Its purpose is, quite simply, to make sure that the search engine accounts for the website correctly and that it attracts more traffic.
SEO practices are all about increasing the authority and optimization of a website. Google’s guidelines for helpful content are all about the idea of providing a valuable experience for the users of a website, thus dictating much of the outcome. Naturally, research and use of valuable keywords are just as important. It allows the search engine to present the website as a fit with the searched intentions of the user.
Naturally, SEO is quite a complex practice that also includes consistent link-building through backlinks and outsider linking. This idea is about creating an internal network of links, including a sitemap that would have a similar purpose. In the case of an online casino, such practices are necessary because they create a stronger visibility through a strong website.
Affiliation programs
Affiliate marketing is a big trend all around the globe. A DemandSage study shows that, in 2025, the industry works with figures around $28 billion. It’s a tremendous market that many operators tap into by creating their own Affiliation division that can work with specialty marketing companies.
The usefulness of such programs is very easy to ascertain. As long as there is an interest from players to find optimal betting sites, affiliate marketing can serve as 3rd party help. However, these operations are more than just exposure.
Naturally, presenting your gambling platform through an authoritative affiliate website is very useful. Having exposure to it is a valuable start, but there are other metrics of usefulness. For example, casinos can promote the existence of a no deposit bonus in such a way. Given that bonuses are still highly important as a promotional tool, promoting them through a 3rd party opinion is valuable in terms of trust.
The rise of personalization in the promotional field
We’ve alluded to the importance of bonuses and promotions in iGaming. Several questions about the validity of this incentivization form have been asked, one of the most important being an editorial on casino bonuses by iGB. The idea is that many regulators try to curb bonuses and restrict them from becoming predatorial practices.
Personalization is the logical next step. As early as 2019, a research paper on data science in online gambling posed the question of the usefulness of such a practice. In the age of Big Data, it’s certain that many operators will try to use their databases to analyze customer behavior.
The purpose is to provide personalized promotions that follow the practices and desires of a player. Despite this move’s value as a retention tool, it also creates a precedent that can be easily marketed.
Celebrity/Influencer marketing
Consider the scenario when a casino makes a habit, or a company policy, to provide all its gifts in a personalzied manner. All of its bonuses are for personal use and emphasize how a player chooses to bet or play. This sounds like a very attractive prospect for any potential user. How does the casino disseminate such a unique approach?
Celebrity marketing is certainly still in play. Social media influencers can leverage their fame and visibility due to the algorithm’s propensity to push their content forward. As a result, iGaming operators can enter partnerships with such personalities and promote their brands expeditiously.
Any interesting or standout aspect of an online casino platform gains traction thanks to a careful presentation showcased on a high-powered social media platform. If the promoter is an influencer with an outstanding following and reach, the marketing potential can be extremely helpful.
Conclusion
Player acquisition is a battle on multiple fronts that looks more and more like a royale rather than a direct confrontation. Users and operators worldwide are in constant search for the perfect match for their wants and needs. If you’re a prospective bettor, our particular advice is to have choose your platform based on research, not just marketing, but also bet responsibly!
