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Majority of gamblers hit with affordability checks have handed over info, but wider betting population unwilling
- Most bettors asked to undergo financial checks agree
- Higher spending players more willing than lower spenders
- Most who’ve not yet faced affordability checks say they will refuse
The majority of bettors who have been asked for proof they can afford to gamble have provided it, but there are big questions over how things will play out if checks become mandatory or more common, the results of a new study by sports betting community OLBG show.
A survey of bettors carried out online by YouGov for OLBG found that the majority of those who had been asked by gambling operators to provide documents such as payslips, bank statements or other documents had complied with the request.
The survey, which polled 1,007 bettors, found that 21.8% of bettors had already been asked for documents by at least one bookmaker. Of these, 74.3% had provided them, but 17.9% had refused and started playing with a different licensed operator instead. Of the remainder, 4.1% refused and moved to an unlicensed operator, while 3.7% stopped betting entirely.
The willingness to provide documentation was less widespread among those who had not yet been asked to do so, however.
Of the 78.2% of punters who had not yet faced affordability checks, 37.3% said they would refuse and simply stop betting, 35.0% said they would move to a different licensed operator and 4.1% said they’d go to an unlicensed company. Only 23.5% indicated they would be willing to provide the documents.
“Most bettors who have been asked to provide documents have done so. More importantly, very few of those who were asked stopped gambling or went to the black market, the latter being the worst unintended consequence of measures aimed at making gambling more responsible,” said Richard Moffat, CEO at OLBG.
“However, there is a stark difference between those who have been asked and those who haven’t in terms of willingness.”
As the below table shows, overall 65% of bettors reported not being willing to comply with affordability checks. Those betting lower monthly amounts were the least open to handing over financial documents, with more than three in four (75.4%) of those betting less than £5 a month and 72% of those betting £6-15 a month unwilling to undergo affordability checks.
“Few people who are spending at this level are likely to think it is proportionate for a bookie to ask for proof they can afford it and it’s quite surprising how many lower spending players report already having been asked. From the rumours about what level mandatory checks might come in, it seems unlikely checks will be forced on players at levels under £100 per month,” said Moffat.
Players spending less than £100 per month
Have you been asked by a gambling company to provide payslips, bank statements or similar documents as part of an affordability or proof of funds check? | All bettors | Less than £5 | £6-15 | £16-25 | £26-50 | £51-100 |
Unweighted base | 1,007 | 235 | 224 | 147 | 154 | 93 |
Yes, I have and I provided the required documents | 16.16% | 6.00% | 10.08% | 20.86% | 16.55% | 14.27% |
No, I have not but I would provide the documents if asked | 18.45% | 18.20% | 18.06% | 23.14% | 20.31% | 21.62% |
Yes, I have, but I didn’t provide the documents and bet with a different licensed company instead | 3.92% | 0.40% | 1.77% | 4.22% | 4.53% | 6.57% |
Yes, I have but I didn’t provide the documents and bet with a different unlicensed company instead | 0.90% | 0.00% | 0.47% | 0.71% | 1.29% | 1.08% |
Yes, I have but I didn’t provide the documents and stopped betting | 0.79% | 0.00% | 0.43% | 0.70% | 1.94% | 1.10% |
No, I have not and if asked I wouldn’t provide the documents and would bet with a different licensed company instead | 27.40% | 20.40% | 31.52% | 24.80% | 35.25% | 38.36% |
No, I have not and if asked I wouldn’t provide the documents and would bet with an unlicensed company instead | 3.20% | 1.30% | 3.57% | 4.17% | 3.27% | 1.11% |
No, I have not and if asked I wouldn’t bet | 29.18% | 53.60% | 34.10% | 21.40% | 16.86% | 15.88% |
Total willing to provide documents | 34.61% | 24.20% | 28.14% | 44.00% | 36.86% | 35.89% |
Total unwilling to provide documents | 65.39% | 75.70% | 71.86% | 56.00% | 63.14% | 64.10% |
Players spending more than £100 per month
Have you been asked by a gambling company to provide payslips, bank statements or similar documents as part of an affordability or proof of funds check? | All bettors | £101-200 | £201-300 | £301-500 | £501-1000 |
Unweighted Base | 1,007 | 57 | 16 | 16 | 20 |
Yes, I have and I provided the required documents | 16.16% | 30.04% | 31.87% | 50.63% | 40.65% |
No, I have not but I would provide the documents if asked | 18.45% | 19.41% | 12.94% | 0.00% | 4.79% |
Yes, I have, but I didn’t provide the documents and bet with a different licensed company instead | 3.92% | 12.40% | 6.73% | 0.00% | 15.35% |
Yes, I have but I didn’t provide the documents and bet with a different unlicensed company instead | 0.90% | 1.77% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Yes, I have but I didn’t provide the documents and stopped betting | 0.79% | 1.70% | 0.00% | 6.45% | 0.00% |
No, I have not and if asked I wouldn’t provide the documents and would bet with a different licensed company instead | 27.40% | 24.19% | 36.36% | 30.49% | 28.90% |
No, I have not and if asked I wouldn’t provide the documents and would bet with an unlicensed company instead | 3.20% | 5.19% | 12.10% | 6.45% | 5.12% |
No, I have not and if asked I wouldn’t bet | 29.18% | 5.31% | 0.00% | 5.98% | 5.20% |
Total willing to provide documents | 34.61% | 49.45% | 44.81% | 50.63% | 45.44% |
Total unwilling to provide documents | 65.39% | 50.56% | 55.19% | 49.37% | 54.57% |
* Players spending more than £1,000 per month were excluded as numbers were too small to be statistically significant.
However, while willingness to undergo affordability checks does seem to increase among players who spend more on a monthly basis, even among those spending £100-plus per month, less than half were open to affordability checks.
One big difference between players at lower spend levels and those spending more than £100 was the likelihood of players stopping gambling if asked to undergo checks. While 53.6% of those betting less than £5 said they wouldn’t gamble if faced with affordability checks, just 5.31% said the same in the £101-200 per month category.
Higher spending players were more likely to have moved to a different licensed company rather than provide documents, but across all spending amounts a significant proportion of players reported plans to do so if asked to provide documents.
“Many players reported either having already moved to a different licensed operator or being willing to do so over affordability checks. Therefore, there is now a big question mark over what might happen if affordability checks become mandatory and all licensed operators have to impose them at certain levels,” said Moffat.
The survey also found that younger players were more willing to submit to financial checks. About one-third (33.34%) of those aged 18-24 said they had been asked for and provided documents, while 22.86% said they hadn’t been asked but would do so. In the 55-plus age group, the percentage of players reporting the same fell to 6.40% and 15.37%, respectively.
More details on this breakdown can be found in the full survey report, along with various other findings on the UK’s gambling habits.
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Most effective marketing strategies in iGaming
Gone are the days when casino games were merely the preserve of brick-and-mortar casinos. Much like every other sector, gaming has long gone digital. In Europe alone, the online gambling industry is projected to generate around €43bn in 2024. According to German data gathering company Statista, the market should reach up to 74.7m users by 2029.
Part of this success comes down to the marketing techniques the industry has been applying to great effect in recent years. So, how do casino operators keep attracting users in droves? And how can new platforms ride that wave to make a name for themselves and thrive in such a heated environment? Let’s delve into three marketing trends worth imitating.
Insightful SEO strategy
Online discoverability is key to making it in the digital world, pushing websites to invest massively in search engine optimization (SEO) to overtake their competitors online. Finding the right keywords goes a long way in ranking higher than the competition. To target the most relevant search terms, casino operators use marketing tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest and SEMrush. Likewise, optimizing a site’s metadata and backlinking can do wonders for search engines.
Mastering the SEO game is no easy task as it requires keeping up with ever-evolving SEO guidelines. From Google to Bing, search engines constantly update their algorithms to improve the pertinence of their results. Websites big and small need to reflect these changes in their SEO approach. Going with the times also means looking into current trends and changes in consumer habits, considering new online behaviours such as voice search. Meanwhile, casino sites always need to comply with local regulations across all the markets they operate in, which translates into a business model fostering adaptability and responsiveness.
A sharp eye for innovation
Operating in an overly competitive environment can be a powerful stimulant. Many iGaming operators are quick to adapt their marketing strategies to emerging trends, just as they are quick to adopt new technologies and innovations to pique the interest of their target audience. Always the trailblazer, the online gambling industry was among the first to invest the mobile space. Over the years, most platforms recognised the needs and preferences of modern players placing convenience above all other metrics, developing ever-so-smooth graphics and user-friendly features on mobile.
Additionally, casino operators have been early adopters of blossoming technologies like virtual reality and blockchain. While many industries were struggling to figure out what is blockchain, major iGaming players went all-in on the technology. Crypto-casinos did much to bring currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum into the mainstream. Incidentally, it is no surprise that metaverse projects like Decentraland made room for virtual casinos into their digital space, with iGaming companies trusting this risky yet daring move to bolster their brand image as tech pioneers. From AI-driven data to AI chatbots answering users 24/7, the AI revolution has also been afoot in the industry.
User-centric approach
Whether online or in the physical space, users increasingly seek validation and acknowledgment of their unique needs – one marketing facet that iGaming operators have been all too eager to exploit by analysing data to roll out personalised bonuses based on players’ profiles, online behaviour, and gaming patterns. Individual users can benefit from tailored recommendations for exploring new games or discovering freshly released titles before anybody else. They may also receive exclusive deals and casino offers. Such promotions might target high rollers and frequent players, affording them special privileges to reward their loyalty. Similarly, high-stakes gamblers may enjoy extended withdrawal limits and earn VIP status.
Newcomers also receive incentives to register on a specific platform. On top-rated platforms, newly registered users can grab no deposit bonuses. While players cannot cash out these extra bundles of cash, they can use these free credits to play a range of casino games. As such, no deposit bonuses are an effective means of allowing users to test a site’s catalogue risk-free. Players can then keep their earnings to bolster their bankroll, with casinos riding on that momentum to drive engagement and keep first-time users logging back on their accounts.
Implementing the right marketing strategies often boils down to analysing what works for the competition. In that sense, the iGaming industry encourages emulation that benefits well-established platforms and new casinos alike. Betting on flexibility, innovation, and personalisation, online casino operators manage to evolve with the times and stay ahead of the current to appeal to a broader range of players from all backgrounds and demographics.
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Pirate Multi Coins – Feature-rich New Title from Fantasma Games
Slots players are taken on a swashbuckling adventure as they seek to unlock the Golden Chest in latest release from Fantasma Games
Pirate Multi Coins, a 6 reel, 5 position slot, is the latest title to hit the market from the Stockholm-based developer, Fantasma Games.
Golden Multi Coins are the key to unlocking big wins and features, with a random number of Coins appearing on each spin. Coins can hold either a monetary or multiplier value, and landing five on a spin awards all values shown.
In a break from standard slots, Pirate Multi Coins features no set paylines, with wins achieved when eight or more matching pay-symbols appear anywhere on the thirty-position matrix. Each win combines those symbols into another Coin, helping trigger the Multi Coin feature. The remaining spaces are filled by an Avalanche, which is Fantasma’s proprietary take on cascading reels.
Another air of suspense comes in the form of the Golden Chest at the top of the playing area. Any Coins landed during a spin which does not trigger the Multi Coin feature are added to the Golden Chest. The Golden Chest can trigger during any base-game spin where a coin is added to the chest, which rains more coins down upon the reels, guaranteeing a Multi Coin feature.
Finally, there is also a Free Spins feature, where landing four or more Scatter symbols awards fifteen free spins. Retriggers are also available during the feature, with three Scatters awarding five more free spins, and four Scatters awarding an additional fifteen spins!
Pirate Multi Coins comes with RTP options of 86%, 94.35% and 96.08%, sits at the medium range of the volatility scale and has a max win potential of 4999.x. It features a Scatter Boost option as well as a Bonus Buy for jurisdictions where this is applicable.
Fredrik Johansson, Founder and CEO of Fantasma Games, said: “In our first venture into the quintessential Pirate slot theme, Pirate Multi Coins brings a host of great features to all types of players.
“With multiple ways to trigger our various features as well as a medium level of volatility, we hope that it really appeals to every type of slots’ fan looking to find some buried treasure.
“Pirate Multi Coins takes to the high seas in thirty-four languages across our network of amazing operator partners on April 30th.”
Casino Games
BetMGM is launched in the Netherlands, bringing an authentic Vegas experience to the Dutch market
The golden Vegas offerings and entertainment of BetMGM is coming to the Netherlands, following a successful launch in the UK. BetMGM will offer a best-in-class Las Vegas experience to deliver a new golden era of online casino and sports betting in the Netherlands. Leveraging LeoVegas Group’s proprietary technology and platform, the launch marks a significant step in the brand’s international expansion.
BetMGM, the entertainment and sports brand known for its golden offerings and authentic Vegas experience, is launching in the Netherlands. The new brand is set to provide customers with exciting new product features, including large-scale jackpots, loyalty rewards, exclusive slots, as well as unique and compelling sports promotions. Utilising LeoVegas Group’s proprietary technology and platform, this expansion into the Dutch market represents the second European launch, succeeding a well-received rollout in the United Kingdom.
Gary Fritz, President of MGM Resorts International Interactive, said “We are thrilled to launch BetMGM in the Netherlands and build on BetMGM’s successful expansion into global markets. The Dutch market offers an exciting opportunity and will be an important part of our international expansion efforts and strategy to become a global gaming leader.”
Gustaf Hagman, Group CEO at LeoVegas Group, said “Our launch in the UK was tremendously successful, and we eagerly anticipate bringing the golden Vegas experience to the Netherlands. This launch in the Dutch market is an important step in our international expansion, but we have much more in store.”
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