Gaming isn’t what it used to be. As it becomes increasingly popular, players need to keep one thing in mind: security. Even though most people think about the fun and excitement related to gaming, for those who spend a lot of time gaming using their computers and mobile devices, the security of their information is critical.

From Desktop to Mobile

The online gaming industry is one of the fastest growing in the world. While PC games dominated the industry in the past, now we see an immense growth of mobile gaming. The portability of gaming allows users to engage pretty much everywhere. To make this possible, game developers integrate the latest tech features to reach new audiences and monetize activity. But underneath all of these interactions, there is a sinister threat – the risk of cyber attacks.

The Vulnerability of Online Gaming

There’s no denial that gaming, and games themselves, grow more sophisticated with ongoing and encouraged social elements. The main value of the games lies in their ability to transport users into a virtual world of entertainment. When immersed in the gaming experience, no one wants to think about security. Instead, players prefer to focus on the gameplay.

The social and networking aspect of gaming presents a threat in itself since it allows malicious cyber attacks to quickly take root and spread. Furthermore, in interactive games that include team play and chat, team members that play together for a longer time, share strong bonds. This can make members feel comfortable, so they begin sharing their real identities, locations and personal data. But this behavior can put them at risk of malicious use of their private information.

The software behind all of the best and most popular iGaming platforms is designed and developed by top professionals and additionally verified as safe by third-party enforcers to ensure the platform provides the fairest gaming experience. While Internet security today is the best it has been, there are still people that will try to exploit any flaws they may find.

How to Keep Information Safe?

There are many choices in today’s online gaming environment. Players and online gaming platforms alike need to make security a priority. A secure platform will protect players’ identities and personal information, bankroll and the players’ ability to play fair games. There are many ways to safeguard data and ensure state-of-the-art Internet security that every gaming platform and online casino should add.

Encryption Software

Usually, online platforms and casinos use data encryption technology to ensure data exchanged between them and players cannot be read or accessed by other people. The most common types are 128 or 256-bit encryption, or SSL (Secure Sockets Layer).  This type of encryption turns whatever personal and financial data players’  sent to the platform into unbreakable strings of code. The machine or the account of the intended recipient can only decipher the unbreakable code.

Random Number Generators (RNGs)

Reputable online casinos and gaming platforms use Random Number Generators to ensure every part of the game is as random as possible. The goal is to make everything,  from blackjack deals to roulette wheels to random gifts truly as random as mathematically possible. RNGs are part of the software code that generates a random sequence of numbers and/or symbols. It is a common practice for many platforms to have independent companies to regularly test and verify their RNG to ensure wins are distributed in a safe, fair and unbiased manner.

Privacy Policies and Gaming Licenses

Privacy policies are important because they tell players how platforms intend to use their information. Some platforms can collect and sell players’ data. And by signing up you, as a player, agree to this. Sticking to platforms and casinos that state they will not sell or rent data means your personal information will be secure. Additionally, gaming licenses are another important document that should be present on the platform’s website. Most online casinos and platforms post who issued their license, so players can go the authority’s website and check if the license is valid.

Information Security is Team Work

With the constant changes of regulations and advancements in technology, information security is becoming more important than ever. In truth, most cybersecurity measures prevent the vast majority of threats from causing harm, but players still need to be careful and not rely solely on the platforms’ security.

Players should also make sure they keep their devices and software up to date with the latest security measures and features. And more importantly, drop the notion that security impedes gameplay. In the last few years, security vendors have upgraded their software with game-boosting features to ensure players enjoy an uninterrupted gaming experience while the security is on.

For additional layers of security, they can also create a special email address for signing up to online games, and screenshot everything suspicious or bad, and report those instances. Use antivirus and anti-spyware programs, and use a firewall. Additionally, never download software and games from unknown websites, and avoid clicking links, images, pop-ups as they may contain viruses.

Online casinos are like any other competitive field that is constantly moving forward. The online gaming industry has been able to survive through the years and stay successful in customer-focused environments. But in recent years, casino slot gambling revenue has had many ups and downs. As a result, online gaming platforms are looking for new ways to stay competitive, drive more traffic to their sites, and keep players engaged. With the constant rise of community-based skill gaming, online casinos are increasingly looking to add community-based games to their offering. That way, they can increase playing times and expand player demographics.

Skill- and Community-Based Games in Online Casinos

Online casinos are always attentive to their customer base, and looking to attract new audiences. So it’s not a surprise they are embracing skill-based gaming and adapting eSports to the online gambling scene. Research shows that millennials prefer community-based skill games as opposed to the traditional online slots and or card tables. The main reason online casinos are making a switch to eSports and  community-based skill gaming is to help them spark and maintain players interest for a longer period, and wanting to come back to the platform to play more. Ensuring a viable future for the gaming industry.

Younger generations are tech-savvy and very involved in eSports, whether as players or viewers. Skill-based games are often feature-rich, and keep the experience interactive and engaging. eSports give players the thrill of competing against each other in tournaments. And this never-ending competition can be later used and incorporated into loyalty programs. So it seems that adding new skill and community-based games or revamping some old ones is like hitting the jackpot.

Are eSports the Future of Gaming?

Many people believed that video games and professional competitive gaming are only of interest to a small group of people. But in reality, these are two are part of a really big, really successful industry. Professional competitive gaming, also called eSports, is an industry with a growing fan base. What’s even more impressive are the large wins players can score. For example, major tournaments, like League of Legends World Championship finals, attract millions of viewers, while gamers battle to win millions in prize money. In fact, eSports are so huge that participants can get up to $25 million when winning, including money collected from sponsorships and appearance fees. It is estimated that eSports viewers spend over 20 million hours watching gaming in 2018.  The industry is so big, that beside YouTube, there is another dedicated gaming channel – Twitch – that streams matches live, enables players to stream their own games, allows them to comment and engage in discussion. But eSports are not happening only online.

One of the main indicators that they are here to stay is when there is a real commitment by land-based and online casinos alike. Just like traditional sports, eSports also has its number of professional players, celebrities and commentators. What is more enticing though, is the total prize pool of eSports which exceeds $24 million. Compared to traditional sports, that’s more money than the prize pools of the US National Basketball Association – $13 million, and Golf Masters Cup – $20 million, put together. eSports and community-based skill games are attracting millions of players, but it takes great skill and strategy to win. It takes hours of practice a day, just like in traditional sports, to master the game. It’s challenging, unpredictable, and makes players keep coming for more.

The online gaming proves the immense growth of eSports, that can continue to thrive in this highly competitive industry. Finding an edge in a landscape that’s growing more crowded all the time, requires online casinos and gaming platforms to provide new experiences for players. And the emergence of eSports offers exactly that – a new challenge and a community of like-minded players that are eager to learn from each other and compete. On the other hand, the newness of skill-based games has its daunting challenges. Even though the industry of eSports is several years old, it is still in its early days as the product and platforms mature. So without performing a comprehensive analysis and setting a clear implementation strategy, it’s difficult to incorporate these type of games to an existing platform. But re-imagining some of the old games might be the first step in understanding what the path forward for adoption looks like.

Throughout the history of gambling, numerous high-stakes endeavors have resulted in gamblers securing the largest prizes ever witnessed. Presented below are some of the most significant jackpots in gambling history.

THE BIGGEST SLOTS JACKPOTS

$27.582.539
15 November 1998, Megabucks casino. The largest Jackpot ever won at “one-armed bandit” was $27.582.539 and went to a 60-year-old resident of Las Vegas.

$4.6 million
Elmer Sherwin, a World War II vet was 76 when he won a $4.6 million Megabucks Jackpot, a mere 10 hours after The Mirage opened to the public.

$8.9 million
Freemont Hotel, $8.9 million. A 71-year-old Amy Nishimura won her Jackpot after 3 hours with less than 100 dollars while on vacation from her home in Hawaii.

$39 million
Excalibur Casino. An unknown 25-year-old man from Los Angeles won more than $39 million while waiting for a basketball game.

$680.0000
The Palace Station Hotel, a 60-some-odd-year-old woman won $680.000 on “The Wheel of Fortune” machine.

$11 million
1996, a postal worker John Tippin went on vacation to Vegas and hit the Megabucks Jackpot of $11 million.

THE BIGGEST BLACKJACK AND BACCARAT WINS

1997, Kerry Packer, an Australian, won somewhere between $20 and $40 million in Blackjack and Baccarat in Vegas.

THE BIGGEST POKER JACKPOT

1996, Huck Seed, a professional poker player from Las Vegas, won $2.3 million at the 27th annual World Championship.

THE BIGGEST LOTTERY JACKPOT

April 1999, Maria Grasso, a nurse from Boston (Massachusetts, USA), won the Jackpot in the lottery of Massachusetts. The largest-ever lottery prize was $197 million.

THE BIGGEST HORSE RACING JACKPOT

Niv.30, 1929, in the races at Haydock Park, a horse named Cool came first. A 49-cent bet made based on 3410:1 brought Katherine Ensuort (UK) $1659.

THE BIGGEST ONLINE JACKPOTS EVER

The largest online winning is $1.4 million (Roulette in William Hill)
The second largest is $1.2 million (Carribean Poker).

A jackpot is truly the best gambling prize for all gamblers. To hit the Jackpot is the main desire and a great challenge for everyone, but these lucky people did manage to hit it.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

In the past 10 years, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a standard business practice. The companies that commit to a CSR program, it means kudos, along with improved reputation across stakeholder groups. The idea behind it is that businesses, as well as making money, can help enrich the community around them and the wider society.

What is Corporate Social Responsibility?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a wide term used to describe the company’s efforts to contribute to society in some way. The European Commission defines CSR as “the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society”. These responsibilities and efforts can range from donating money to non-profits, to implementing environmentally friendly policies in the workplace.

CSR is important for all companies, regardless of the size or industries. The overall goal is to achieve a positive impact on society as a whole while maximizing the creation of shared value for the owners, employees, shareholders and stakeholders.

Once a company decides to adopt CSR-oriented activities, a strategy must be implemented. Establishing a clear CSR strategy is crucial, as it also influences the company’s competitiveness. And this strategy should include policies and procedures that integrate social, environmental, ethical, human rights and consumer concerns into the business’ operations and core strategy; all in collaboration with stakeholders.

Benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility is viewed as vital in companies operating in relatively clean industries, such as manufacturing and technology. But for companies in industries that are commonly perceived as harmful for their customers, like online gaming and gambling, CSR is even more important and valuable. Some general benefits of CSR include:

Improved Company Brand

Proving to be a socially responsible company positively influences a company’s image and builds the brand. Engaging in relevant social matters create a positive image and improves public perception, which is critical to customers’ and shareholders’ confidence in the company. By being active in the community, the company can directly interact with potential customers and indirectly market the company and its products.

Stand Out from the Competition

Companies that are involved in the community and address social, environmental or human rights concerns stand out from the competition. This helps them demonstrate they care about more than just making money, but also to important causes. This gives them an advantage over companies that are not engaged in CRS. As a result, companies build stronger relationships with customers and investors.

Better Customer Engagement

Strong customer relationships are the cornerstone of a successful company. Having a social responsibility policy in place can impact the way buyers perceive the company, thus, influence their buying decisions. Customers are prone to choosing a product from socially responsible companies, even buying products that are more expensive when they know a portion of the profit goes to a worthy cause. In short, when companies invest in CSR, they help build positive relationships with customers, which ultimately can increase their sales.

Retaining Top Talent

It is often the case, that employees want to feel they are part of something greater, and social responsibility gives them the opportunity to leverage corporate resources to do good. Being part of a company that helps the greater good can boost employee morale and lead to greater productivity. Additionally, knowing a product is helping with a social cause creates a sense of pride, and that shows in improved relationships with other employees and customers.

CSR in Online Gaming

Gambling companies are frequently a target to CSR advocates due to their (negative) impact customers’ wellbeing – more often than not, players are left with no tangible assets as a result of their gaming spend. As a result, the industry has taken a hit. Even though this is rarely the case for iGaming operators, but they are assigned guilt-by-association.

In order to protect players, many online gaming operators invest in funds related to fighting and preventing gambling. Objectives such as ‘keeping crime out of gambling’, ‘ensuring gambling is conducted fairly and openly’, and ‘protecting children and vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling’ additionally boost the moral necessity of online gaming companies to endorse problem gambling support organizations. For iGaming sites, that is usually in the form of Gamecare logo and link to the organization’s site.  The industry has taken matters further and set clearly visible betting limits controllers on their sites via self-regulation and dictums on CSR set by regulators from the licensing jurisdiction of the brands operations. .

The Bottom Line

Whether companies use CSR for good, or as an exercise to enhance their brand, corporate social responsibility has become an integral part of the global business landscape. And the companies that take CSR seriously and make it part of their overall business vision and service and product offering generally outperform companies that are not engaged in any CSR activities.

To capture customers’ interest and encourage them to make a purchase, it is essential to provide them with something that fulfills their desires and requirements. It is crucial to present a compelling rationale as to why your product or service surpasses that of your competitors. This entails committing to provide additional value and advantages, which is referred to as the value proposition.

A value proposition should be clear, concise, and interesting. At the same time, it should answer three main questions:

What does your company do?
Whom do you serve? (who is your product/service intended for)
How are you different or unique?

In today’s digital economy, where attention spans last several seconds, it can be a bit challenging to differentiate yourself from the competition. That is why a value proposition that is user-centered, and focused on what the user needs as opposed to what you offer is key to getting more customers.

Why Developing a Value Proposition is Important?

Giving your leads and prospects a well-thought-out and well-written value proposition can be the key to turning them into customers. Of, course, you would have delivered on your promise otherwise you will lose them, but that is a different subject matter.

Developing a powerful, attention-grabbing value proposition is important because it can help your business differentiate itself from the competition; and attract the right prospects by increasing the quality of prospective leads. Additionally, assists you as an enhancing tool that will help you close more deals and, therefore, increase your market share among targeted segments. But having a value proposition is very important for the business too – it improves operational efficiency by setting a quality standard for the product/service you deliver, each time, to every customer.

How do you create a strong value proposition?

To create a value proposition start by brainstorming about your target demographics and their pain points. You can assist the process by using questions such as “Who are my target customers?”, “what do they have in common?”, “what do they need that my business can provide?”, “what is important to them?” The main purpose of a value proposition is to identify an unmet need that your target market has and satisfy it through your product or service. It is a lot simpler to create your value proposition when you offer a unique product or service. But when it comes to products where the competition is high, start thinking in terms of design and customer experience. Offering a more appealing product or a stellar user experience can be the key differences that will guide customers your way.

Tips for Writing a Value Proposition

If you are writing a value proposition for the first time, it can be tricky, but it’s not rocket science. Keep in mind that you need to maximize the most appealing benefits that set you apart from the competition. Try to put yourself in the customers’ shoes, and understand what they need. Think of things like this: when a person is buying a quarter-inch drill, they need to make a quarter-inch hole.

And this applies to whatever you sell – even in the online casino and gaming business. People don’t go to play on your website because they want to spend money – they visit your online casino because they are looking for entertainment and social interaction. But they also choose one site over another due to one or all of the following benefits online gaming sites offer: fast and convenient login and payout options, cross-device functionality, good privacy protection and anonymity, a variety of games offered, and lastly, the best playing experience. Now that you understand what creating a value proposition is all about, follow these five tips on how to write yours:

Understand what customers want most, identify their pain points, and define how your product offers them the things they need and want the most.

Point out the benefits they will receive by using your product as well as the differences that make your product superior to the competitors’ products.

Use simple everyday language. Yes, you can use industry-specific terms that would be appealing to the target market, but don’t be too technical.

Keep your value proposition short and precise. A good practice is to write two to five clear and interesting sentences.
Test it. Test whether it is relevant and resonates with your audience. If the answer is no, then go back to the writing board and change it. Then test again. Repeat the process until you have a winner.

It’s your turn now! Write a killer value proposition and start winning customers over!

The iGaming industry is experiencing rapid growth and development. Companies are encountering intensified competition and more stringent regulations, including an increasing number of directives aimed at preventing money laundering, licensing requirements, and GDPR compliance. Additionally, advertising limitations are reducing the ability to promote free spins and bonuses. These factors are reshaping the industry landscape and posing challenges to brands’ marketing and acquisition strategies. As competition becomes fiercer, attracting attention and fostering player loyalty becomes increasingly difficult. Offering the same offerings to all players is no longer effective. Personalization, among other factors, is gaining prominence across all markets, including online gaming. The rules of the game are changing, and the brands that recognize the significance of customer experience will gain a competitive advantage.

Why does Customer Experience matter?

Simply put, customer experience (CX) is the impression customers get after interacting with your brand – the way they think and feel about your brand, across every stage of the customer journey. Therefore, an effective CX strategy outlines an actionable plan, which ensures customer satisfaction, repeat business and customer loyalty. The most robust CX strategies entail all interactions across all departments, including pre- and post-sales activities, even with those who do not interact with customers directly. Here are the numbers to back up the importance of CX:

1. Businesses which invest in customer experience can increase their revenue by 5-10% (McKinsey)
2. Brands who prioritize CX, in 2-3 years, can see a reduction of costs by 15-25% (McKinsey)
3. In the next 2 years, 81% of companies will compete mostly, or completely, based on CX. (Gartner)
CX strategy checkpoints

Surviving in a customer-focused market largely depends on customer satisfaction. To achieve turning visitors into players, and make them loyal, your brand depends on bridging the gap between customers’ demands and actual brands’ offerings. Branded, personalized moments for each player at every point of customer engagement is what market leaders are offering. So should you if you want to stay on top of the game. Here are the 4 main checkpoints which are key for getting your CX up to  standard:

1. User-centered websites and gaming platforms

The first checkpoint is offering online gaming websites, platforms, and apps that have a user-centered design. It is crucial to learn your players’ needs and wants. More importantly, it helps you build a gaming website or platform that provides an optimal CX and intuitively caters to these needs, thus eliminating the need for other fixes along the customer journey.

2. Personalized communication and offers

While personalization at every step might prove unnecessary, certain engagements require it. It is important to identify those moments throughout the funnel and ensure you add the extra finesse. To achieve this, try to find an automated solution that will enable you to create personalized experiences for your customers.

3. Clear and simple problem-resolution paths

Sometimes, technology cannot do everything and a human touch is required to resolve more sensitive matters. Make sure to provide a clear path to resolution, with an immediate and intelligent change of communication channels. Always have a clear picture of the customer’s needs and make sure to have the full story when dealing with a specific situation.

4. Synced customer data across channels and devices

Since most actions and interactions are coming from mobile devices, it is no surprise that players often defer to social channels when seeking a resolution. Constant monitoring and syncing of social channels and your CRM platform are crucial for ensuring there are no unanswered questions or comments on your social media or other customer support channels.

What’s next?

Focusing on your CX strategy in a customer-centered market where rules are constantly changing is not only necessary but the difference between winning and losing players. Learning what players want offering that, along with constant health checks and updates to your CX strategy are the answers to keeping customers happy. In iGaming, customer service and communicating with your players means anticipating their wants, needs, and problems even before they arise. In 2019 and beyond, the game will not be won on the gameplay or sing-up complexity fronts, but rather it will depend on the entirety of your players’ experience.

For many years, the gaming industry has utilized insights from human psychology to inspire user actions. Players can dedicate extensive amounts of time to a particular game and experience a state of deep immersion more effortlessly compared to other domains. This is not a coincidental outcome, as game developers employ methodologies and ideas derived from neuroscience and neuromarketing to examine consumer behavior and ascertain how individuals will react to different factors, including marketing strategies. The goal is to optimize engagement levels and stimulate sales.

Neuroscience Concepts used in Gaming

Based on the key neuroscience concepts, cognitive load, search and attention, and branding, iGaming companies and casinos use several tools to design and develop gaming sites and platforms which attract a large number of players and maximize spending to ensure players will come back to play again.

Cognitive Load

The cognitive load refers to the amount of information people are processing at any one time. Cognitive load is connected to working memory, thus the more information in the short-term memory, the higher the cognitive load. Consequently, as the cognitive load increases, consumers’ ability to make purchasing decisions decreases.

That is why it is important to manage consumers’ cognitive load proactively and lower the number of choices or features. One clear implication is creating simpler UI/UX that lowers the cognitive loads, thus yields better engagement.

Another important factor in product design and creation is the underlying product mechanics. Slot machines are a great example here for proving why a simple game can be very popular for a very long time. The game mechanics of slot machines create the lowest cognitive load for players. This game provides entertainment without using too much (mental) energy.

Search and Attention

Another very powerful application of neuromarketing is based on a consumers’ search process and the selection they make afterward. There are two types of search, driven by different parts of the brain.

Bottom-up search, where a person makes an unconscious decision because something grabbed their attention. This search is generally driven by color, contrast, shape or density, and the persons usually end up buying something unplanned.  The other type is top-down search where a person is looking for something specific and makes a more conscious decision.

When creating a gaming platform or online casino site it is important to determine the type of search your consumers will conduct. Then, based on your UI/UX on that insight. If you want players to engage easier – try a new game, increase their in-game time and spending – then you need to make those options stand out during a bottom-up search.

Importance of Branding

The value of branding is much debated in neuromarketing, but it shows as very important, and at times crucial for consumers making a purchasing decision. Branding helps consumers minimize the cognitive load and makes decision making easier. A familiar brand tells consumers a lot about the product (style, quality, durability, etc.), whereas an unfamiliar brand requires spending a lot of mental energy assessing that information. Thus, a familiar product will probably be chosen.

Branding also helps ease the search process, especially bottom-up search – a familiar brand is more likely to attract the consumers’ attention. Additionally, strong brands create (positive) emotions around products even before consumers consciously evaluate the product.

Influencing Players’ Behaviour

Neuromarketing is a fairly new discipline that has major implications in gaming. In combination with neuroscientific tools like reward escalation, social proof and collaboration mechanisms, iGaming sites and online casinos ‘hook’ their players to stay in the game for longer periods of time to try to out-score their opponents.

Understanding how players’ brains work and what motivates them can greatly help game designers to tailor games for better in-game experience, thus encouraging players to come to the same platform again and again. Ultimately, the cycle of playing, competing and occasionally winning, translates to better business and bigger profits for iGaming sites and online casinos.

The main goal of web design is to captivate the visitors’ attention. Well-designed websites provide a free-flowing user interface and intuitive navigation which guide visitors through the site easily and efficiently and help them find what they want plus what they need. The same goes for gaming web sites, plus there is the additional challenge of designing a website that can provide a suitable gaming layout that works seamlessly across multiple devices and at the same time has a solid technological background to supports future scaling and upgrade.

Web Design Trends that are Shaping Online Gaming

If you analyze website and video games designed ten years ago, you can find noticeable differences in the visual and technical design and capabilities. That is the result of constant technological advancements. As a consequence, the gaming industry creates numerous upgrades to their online games and websites that reflect the latest and greatest trends. Gameplay, in-game interactions, characters, score and result charts become faster, more accurate and vivid, providing players with a lifelike experience.  But just like before, designers focus on creating a pleasurable gaming experience through a good user interface and design methods. At the same time, they are trying to choose the trends that will help them design distinctively unique websites that come out of the crowd effortlessly.

Let’s take a look at the best web design trends that are shaping online gaming in 2019.

Responsive design and thumb-friendly navigation

Statistics show that more than 50% of revenue involving online gaming comes from mobile devices. That is why it is of paramount importance for online casinos and gaming sites to embrace this trend more rigidly than other markets. Easy-to-use interfaces, exceptionally simple and thumb-friendly navigation (including drop-down menus and clickable icons) are key components of the ensemble. Additionally, responsive design should take into consideration all devices and screen sizes and ensure a seamless cross-platform experience.

Minimalistic clean design for faster loading times

Another trend that online gaming websites need to pay attention to this year is the minimalistic design that has outstanding logical structure optimized for the best possible (mobile) gaming experience. Clean look, clear explanation of the registration process and an overview of the gameplay are very important. Additionally, explainer videos and animations and promotional offers should be valuable and actionable, strategically placed above the fold, and optimized for fast page load times.

360 videos and VR/AR for an improved gaming experience

AR/VR have already entered the gaming world, enabling web and game designers to provide players with new unique immersive gaming experience where players are put in a more entertaining environment and can interact with and engage in the gameplay. But these technologies are not only influencing the way games are designed, but also play a big role in web design. Using these technologies will surely give players a reason to visit, discover and stay on your website.

Heightened security for customer safety

Since the beginning, online gaming software and online casino websites have required considerably deep and high-quality website encryption. The best way to ensure high levels of data security is applying 128-bit or even 256-bit encryption and safeguarding customers’ personal details and financial transactions. Customers feel better and are more likely to play using your website when they know they are safe, so when designing your website, make sure to include a label that shows off your encryption type.

AI and Chat Bots for

Online gaming websites and casinos have visitors 24/7. So their customer support should also be working non-stop. AI and chatbots are a great way to ensure players always get the necessary help and assistance and give them a greater level of assurance and trust in online gaming and casino brands, which is crucial given the amount spent by players on a daily basis. We saw this trend last year, but now we can notice that 24/7 customer support features are becoming a core part of almost any website.

Implement What Suits You Most

Implementing the latest trends should be about improving your website in terms of UX and UI, safety, speed, and functionality. Depending on your website and business needs you should apply only the trends that are key to ensuring online success and can enhance your website visitors’ (gaming) experience, not all of them.

ICE ExCel is almost upon us with tens of thousands of delegates attending the world’s biggest land-based and online gaming and gambling trade show. Here are our quick guide and tips to surviving the show!

Tip 1 – Print your badge Before Your Arrival

Sounds basic right, but if you want to avoid the long lines and people hazards, print off your e-badge x 2 copies and also take a picture in case you lose the printed copy in order to avoid the congestion charge!

Tip 2 – Take a Compass

Remember the show is vast and confusing. So use your iPhone compass to make sure you know what entrance is North and South in order to navigate to your desired meeting booth or zones.

Tip 3 – The Bear Grylls Survival Tips & 10,000 Steps Challenge

Eat a hearty, and with protein and some starchy carbs for breakfast in your hotel before hitting the show. Remember you will likely and be easily doing over 10,000 steps for all you Fitbit aficionados daily, so your body needs fuel to walk around the show – never mind the body weight exercises of carrying all that free swag, goodies and gifts that are handed out over the 3-days experience.

Tip 4 – Buy Two Power Banks

Yes, two, one as a spare. But of course remember to bring your phone, as how many times has it be left in the hotel or DLR? As you know what shall happen, people will ring trying to rearrange your pre-planned meeting schedules at booth XYZ. And given we are in the selfie era, your Instagram is likely to eat all your data and battery power of the iPhone.

Tip 5 – Find a Chill Zone

ICE is intense, full of distractions which drain you both emotionally and physically and in order for your adrenalin levels to return to normal; for your blisters on your feet to stop aching, you need to find a ‘chill zone’.

And where can you find this ‘sea of tranquillity’, well at Stand #S2-350.

Digitain’s iGaming Digital Experts shall be on-hand to provide a warm, friendly welcome to all weary, and battle-hardened ICE Delegates with a cup of English breakfast tea or stronger libation if you prefer.

We will help you recharge both mind and body and focus on why Digitain can assist your business and brand with a proven market ready sportsbook and casino solutions.

Book a meeting as spaces are limited to arrange a confidential no-obligation conversation today at ICE Stand #S2-350 using the following link: here 

What Does 2019 Hold?

We are already nearing the end of January and time goes by quicker every year.  So what are our predictions for 2019 in the iGaming Vertical? We believe three central areas shall be pivotal within the iGaming supply chain.

CX – The Importance of a Good Customer Experience

Customer Experience or CX is now widely regarded in other verticals as paramount for a brands survival in the unforgiving digital economy where attention spans are measured in seconds likewise customer fulfillment in nanoseconds.   iGaming Platform providers won’t be immune to this as a shift occurs from product orientation to one of CX experience within the buyer behavior cycle. The supply chain is highly competitive and demanding, and with commoditization across all products, CX will become more critical in B2B decision-making, as we are all consumers and have high expectations when it comes to customer experience.

Co-development and Inclusive Collaboration

This goes hand-in-hand with a central CX strategy. Operators are more demanding and quite rightly wish to have more control over the brand and customer journey technology touchpoints.

Platform providers that continue to rely on the traditional model of supplier/client shall succumb as their inflexibility in a cultural mindset and technology stack will ultimately impinge on their growth prospects and ability to service clients who wish co-development of their own brand journey and technology road-map.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

In every industry sector, businesses across the globe are reaching towards AI to improve their product pipeline, streamline and automate services which ultimately and hopefully shall deliver higher levels of both customer experience and satisfaction.  The B2B technology platform sector won’t be immune as they seek to offer the best inclusive customer experience possible to their clients and ultimately the end user, the player.  Look out for more AI-driven software testing processes that can replace manual and repetitive testing and improve QA cycles to production release. There will be a raft of productivity tools, which allow the co-development ethos to evolve and empower lean teams within the operator brands to control the brand’s development in concert with the platform partner.