Trafficology JUNE 2024

TRAFFIC REPORT

Trafficology has partnered with data expert Casino City Press, to provide insight into website and traffic trends across affiliate industries – predominantly in gaming but including others. In this edition, we review affiliate programmes per vertical for April 2024 in Asia. The below is a breakdown of the top 20 sites, including both desktop and mobile, sorted by: overall ranking, casino ranking, sports betting ranking, bingo ranking, lottery ranking and poker ranking

THE REGULATORY CHALLENGES OF IGAMING INFLUENCER MARKETING

Famesters Team Lead (iGaming) Anna Zhukova speaks on the framework around iGaming influencer marketing

Over the last five years, influencer marketing has demonstrated itself as a powerful tool for iGaming product promotion: about 60% of operators permanently use this channel. Unlike traditional advertising, influencer marketing ensures deeper engagement with audiences, enhances a brand’s visibility and builds trust.

However, the iGaming sector faces unique regulatory challenges in leveraging influencer marketing. In this article we will delve into the complex regulatory framework surrounding iGaming influencer marketing, explore key considerations such as advertising standards, responsible gambling practices and jurisdictional differences.

IGAMING LICENCE

Firstly, there is a difference between a gambling licence and a gambling advertising licence. A gambling licence is an official authorisation granted by a regulatory authority that allows an organisation to operate gambling activities legally within a specific jurisdiction. Meanwhile, a gambling advertising licence is official permission granted by regulatory authorities to individuals or entities, allowing them to legally promote gambling-related products or services through various advertising channels.

A gambling advertising licence helps regulate the promotion of gambling, ensuring consumer protection and responsible marketing practices within the industry. Here, a local licence based on geography applies. For instance, influencers from Tier 1 countries take this licensing very seriously to ensure transparency and accountability in their endorsements. Here, having just a Malta or Curacao gaming licence will not work.

Another type of licence for promoting iGaming is a licence ‘authorised by YouTube.’ It refers to official permission granted by YouTube for iGaming-related content, enabling creators to produce and publish content on YouTube including gameplay videos, tutorials, reviews or promotional material. This licence may be granted if the brand operates as a social casino without real money involved.

REGULATORY CHALLENGES IN

IGAMING INFLUENCER MARKETING

Regulations vary and are frequently updated across different regions, so thorough research and understanding of local laws are essential to ensure campaigns comply with regional requirements.

KNOW THE GEO YOU TARGET

Promoting online casinos and gambling products through influencer marketing requires tailoring strategies to specific geos and taking into account unique local preferences of the audience. What works in LatAm may not be effective in France or the Netherlands, for example.

However, there are always interesting legal twists and turns in every region. Take, for instance, a recent tweet from the Indian Government on 23 March, advising against promoting gambling. However, while this guidance exists, enforcement seems lax. Instead of cracking down hard, it often leads to just a gentle reminder.

CONTROL INFLUENCERS’ CONTENT

When using influencers to market casinos, it’s important to think about being creative and ensuring that campaigns are captivating and fruitful.

Another consideration here is that sometimes influencers include ads or affiliate links in their posts, which could cause problems with regulations and harm your brand’s image. To prevent this, I recommend brands check creative drafts before they are published to make sure all influencers involved in the campaign follow their country’s rules and brief for a successful and legal partnership.

BE RESPONSIBLE

Responsible gambling practices and transparent communication with audiences must also be a priority for every iGaming influencer campaign. This includes sharing clear expectations in the key message (for example, never promise a $1m win in 2 minutes),

promoting responsible gaming behaviors, discouraging underage gambling and providing resources for individuals struggling with gambling addiction.

IN CONCLUSION

A thoughtfully planned strategy helps iGaming operators avoid potential legal consequences, fines and reputational damage. With over seven years of experience in promoting online casinos and gambling platforms, at Famesters, we see that successful influencer marketing campaigns demand a deep understanding of both the legal specificity within the vertical and the nuances of content creator partnerships.

ANNA ZHUKOVA

STEPPING INTO INFLUENCER SHOES

Slotsjudge’s Pauls Spakovskis talks about his experience as a slots streamer, his position as an influencer and the history of esports and gambling streaming

CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT YOU DO?

My name is Pauls Spakovskis. I am a Game Expert and streamer for Slotsjudge. I started out as an SEO Specialist, but Alexandra (Andrišaka, Editor in Chief at Slotsjudge) noticed my skills because I’ve been in esports for eight years. I’ve worked in television, in esports, I’ve done broadcasts and I’ve spoken in front of a camera.

YOU’VE BEEN A GAMES EXPERT WITH SLOTSJUDGE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. HOW HAVE YOU FOUND THE EXPERIENCE SO FAR?

It’s really interesting, because I’m 25 and I’ve never had any experience in iGaming. I even told Alexandra, when this was offered to me: ‘It’s interesting, but I will have to learn the lingo. I will have to learn the actual games. I will have to learn everything’ and it’s still a learning process. It’s not done at all. The first few months have been a steep learning curve. I feel like I’m finally getting the hang of it... You’re getting thrown into something you don’t know. I worked on the Slotsjudge page as an SEO specialist. I got to look at the actual games, I got to see the numbers like: ‘Oh, what’s an RTP? What’s the volatility?’ It’s been a learning curve.

WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF AN INFLUENCER?

I got asked this question by a good friend of mine. He said: “Do you know, you’re defined as an influencer right now” and I can see that, especially now we’re growing the stream. We’re getting more people interacting. I’m having to spend more time, instead of thinking ‘What am I going to play?’ I’m thinking about how I will react with the audience.

We are starting to build a community. We have a Discord. We have regulars in the chat. I’m going to be in Malta and Malaga for different conferences. I’m going to be a speaker. So yes, I am an influencer.

I remember influencers in Latvia became big in 2018-19. It’s funny that I was like: “Oh my God, how can you be an influencer?” Now, when you get in those shoes, you understand it’s not something you want to be. It’s something you become.

TWITCH IS RELATIVELY NEW AND IS FAIRLY NICHE COMPARED TO SOMETHING LIKE YOUTUBE OR INSTAGRAM. BUT WHEN DID SLOT GAMING EMERGE ON TWITCH AND HOW HAS THAT EVOLVED IN THE PAST FEW YEARS?

I know that in esports, loot boxes, which I think are technically gambling, have been a thing since 2014-15. There were streamers who streamed how they opened loot boxes. It started growing on Twitch; nobody really did YouTube videos of “Oh, look at me unboxing Counter-Strike skins or Call of Duty skins.” It was on Twitch, where you could instantly get a reaction.

THE LIVE ELEMENT OF IT?

Yes, it’s a really good way to get instant reactions. I’ve done street interviews – usually you get a good interview when you get a good reaction and the same goes for live streaming. You just have to get lucky. Loot boxes are the same. It’s random and people get drawn to it.

There was a huge scandal with them. Huge streamers had sponsorship deals with sites that were created just for loot boxes. You get a skin instead of money, but you can convert the skin into money. It also created a huge issue with underage gambling, which is another topic. This was a huge thing that pushed Twitch to create slot streaming. That’s why it started evolving.

HOW DOES TWITCH MONITOR AND REGULATE SLOT CONTENT ON ITS PLATFORM?

Twitch has always been very hands off until it has to strike. There could be people going wild and Twitch would only react at points where it goes overboard. In 2016, there was one case of a streamer triggering his own spins. Gaming journalists picked up on it and started to pick Twitch about it. That’s when Twitch started to put harder regulations on it. At one point, slot gaming was banned from Twitch and when it started back up, it had more regulations.

WHAT DO YOU THINK DRAWS PEOPLE IN SPECIFICALLY TO SLOT STREAMING CONTENT?

Some people like it because they don’t have to spend their own money. They can watch how we spend €100 ($109), €500 betting. They can still get the thrill of seeing the big win. Another reason is a lot of people say “Oh, I only play these games” and we asked them, “Why do you play them?” I don’t know the mechanics of other games. So it incentivises us to try other games.

HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR CONTENT FRESH AND ENGAGING WHEN YOU STREAM SO CONSISTENTLY? WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED IN THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS?

I’ve done a lot of esports broadcasts. I’ve been in front of the camera for multiple hours, multiple days. I’ve worked in television, I’ve been on a television set for multiple days. It’s something that grows around you. For being online for multiple hours and talking constantly, being entertaining is like a performance. I am technically a performance artist. Also, I have to always sound good, look good. I have to always be interesting.

One of the things we do is choose games beforehand. Some, not all of them, and I read about them. What

is the mechanic behind it? Who created it? Even if we played for five minutes, I know that I can point back to that because, as I’ve worked in TV and esports, one thing you learn is that there’s always an opportunity to voice your opinion. If I don’t get to say it in those five minutes, I have, either before or after, the time to do it. I’d say that’s a big plus for me.

HOW DO YOU PROMOTE AND ADVERTISE GAMES RESPONSIBLY?

We have a banner for Be GambleAware. We only suggest spending money you’re okay with. I’ve talked with Alexandra about it and it’s something we try to send a message on, that we don’t endorse people going on Slotsjudge or the casino we are playing on... we haven’t endorsed people going there because we understand it would sound wrong, saying, “Oh, we’re playing on this amazing casino. Go here and spend, spend, spend.” It’s not our way. Our main goal is to build a community and to show that games can be interesting.

If somebody asks me, “Oh, are you going to splurge the money you’re winning,” and we haven’t had these questions much, but the main answer is I’m just having fun. I’m not trying to endorse. So, if you see me having fun, I’m not trying to endorse you to play this game to have fun. I’m trying to endorse you to watch how I’m having fun. Be in the chat, have the experience with the people. For me and Christa, my coworker, those are the things we try to focus on.

I think a common misconception, especially in the early days of Twitch, was that you’re just playing because you want people to play it. That is not the intention, but it’s something to keep in the back of your head when you’re watching. I think it’s more about people seeing that you can have fun just by watching. That’s the thing we talked about, “Why do people watch?” To have fun. If any day I feel like I’m doing this to sell something, that’s the point where I’ll press the brakes.

A GEN Z REQUIREMENT

Spribe CCO Giorgi Tsutskiridze speaks about Aviator’s partnership with UFC fighter Merab Dvalishvili and the importance of engaging with influencers in the contemporary market

WHEN WORKING WITH INFLUENCERS OR CELEBRITY FIGURES, WHAT CHECKS MUST BE DONE TO ENSURE THEY WILL WORK WELL WITH THE BRAND?

Collaborating with influencers or celebrities demands conscious research to ensure alignment with our brand ethos and messaging. Prior to any partnership, we conduct comprehensive assessments to evaluate their authenticity, relevance and engagement with our target audience. Transparency, credibility and a genuine connection with our brand values are paramount in determining the suitability of potential partners.

GIORGI TSUTSKIRIDZE

YOU BROUGHT ON MERAB DVALISHVILI AS A BRAND AMBASSADOR FOR AVIATOR IN APRIL. WHY DID YOU PARTNER WITH HIM, SPECIFICALLY?

Merab Dvalishvili was a natural fit for Aviator’s brand ambassadorship. As an accomplished athlete in the American market and with Georgian roots, his charisma and influence resonated with our target audience. His persona aligns with our brand values, making him an ideal representative to connect with our audience and elevate Aviator’s visibility.

DVALISHVILI IS NOT AVIATOR’S FIRST BRAND AMBASSADOR – IN FACT, SPRIBE HAS A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UFC. WHAT MAKES THE UFC AND ITS FIGHTERS A GOOD PARTNER FOR YOUR BRAND?

The UFC audience aligns with our core player base – Millennials and Gen Z-ers – and while it has a strong follower base, it’s popular with audiences around the world so it will help to further establish Aviator as a leading crash game in Europe, Africa, Asia and other territories.

This is of course a huge benefit to the operators that stock Aviator in their lobbies. This is essentially a branding activity for the game, putting it in front of potential players at scale. These players can then find the online casinos that stock it, strap in and take flight.

Of course, it also helps us to drive awareness of Aviator among operators making the partnership a win/win for us. Despite the success of Aviator, we still need to ensure that all operators in all regulated markets know of the game and this is an effective –and fun – way of doing that.

BOTH CRASH GAMES AND INFLUENCER MARKETING ARE RELATIVELY NEW TO THE GAMING INDUSTRY. DOES THIS MAKE COMBINING THEM ADVANTAGEOUS?

Absolutely. The novelty of crash games and influencer marketing presents a unique opportunity for synergy within the gaming landscape. By integrating these approaches, we can harness their combined power to captivate audiences, drive engagement and expand brand awareness. This fusion enables us to navigate emerging trends and pioneer new avenues for reaching and resonating with our audience effectively.

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO WORK WITH INFLUENCERS AND CELEBRITIES WHEN MARKETING TOWARDS GEN Z?

In today’s digital age, influencer and celebrity partnerships are required tools for connecting with Gen Z consumers. With their innate distrust of traditional advertising, Gen Z gravitates towards authentic, relatable content creators who mirror their values and aspirations. Collaborating with influencers and celebrities allows us to forge connections, spark meaningful conversations and cultivate brand loyalty within this discerning demographic. Leveraging their influence enables us to craft narratives that resonate with Gen Z, driving engagement and fostering long-term brand advocacy.

“In today’s digital age, influencer and celebrity partnerships are required tools for connecting with Gen Z consumers”

SHAKING UP PERCEPTIONS

Trafficology speaks with Mecca Bingo Head of PR and Social Media Mark Cheevers, on influencer marketing in bingo and how it aims to defy long-standing market stereotypes

CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE EARLY DAYS OF INFLUENCER MARKETING AT MECCA BINGO; WHAT DID IT LOOK LIKE AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

Mecca Bingo has a fairly extensive history of working with celebrities and performers – whether in our marketing, appearing in our venues or via live streams on our website. But it’s comparatively recently that we’ve started working with social media influencers and creators… it still feels like relatively early days for us!

With anything new there’s an element of testing and learning. We learnt quickly to be really clear in our minds and with our stakeholders about what we want our influencer work to achieve. On occasion, we might try and use an influencer to help us deliver a promotional campaign message, but more typically, we prefer to take a broader perspective… it’s all about building our brand. To attract new people into our brand, particularly into our clubs, means we need to drive consideration and get bingo on their radar as a viable option for a fun, affordable and entertaining activity. I’m a big believer that show beats tell, so showing influencers doing just that felt really cogent for us.

We learnt quite quickly not to just focus on using the most recognisable influencers or assessing by follower counts. We’re becoming much better at being guided by engagement – who will help us deliver impactful work that entertains and amuses, is sharable and fun while also dismantling the misconceptions around our brand. We also learnt to do our diligence and ensure we partner with capable, professional creators who understand branded content, know their audience, take our brief on board and deliver quality content.

WHEN IT COMES TO REACHING OUT TO INFLUENCERS, WHAT IS THE SELECTION AND VETTING PROCESS LIKE?

At its heart, our brand is all about entertainment, friendship and fun – so we look for influencers who feel coherent with this. It might vary slightly on a case-by-case basis but broadly

we look to find people who make entertaining content, who have a fun tone of voice or a playful sense of humour. We look for people with engaged audiences and we assess their previous content to check it’s of a great standard and feels tonally suitable.

There are of course the regulatory requirements that we layer into the selection process too – elements like their age, their overall appeal to young people and the age demographics of their audience. While influencer marketing is never a wholly authentic exercise, we do try to avoid our work seeming overly transactional… we’ll often partner with known fans of bingo, people we’ve used previously or people that have a real affection for the game – so the enjoyment conveyed in the resulting content is as genuine and sincere as possible.

MECCA BINGO HAS WORKED WITH INFLUENCERS RANGING FROM DRAG QUEENS TO WRITERS TO YOUTUBERS. HOW DOES WORKING WITH A DIVERSE RANGE OF INDIVIDUALS REFLECT AND BENEFIT THE MECCA BINGO BRAND?

In most cases, the influencer work we do plays a top-of-funnel role for us – we want to drive salience and consideration for Mecca among UK adults, so it feels really logical to work with a diverse range of influencers. Getting our brand in front of varied influencers means we’re reaching diverse audiences who may not otherwise see our communication efforts in other channels.

And despite the fairly deeply ingrained stereotypes around bingo, we know our brand does appeal to an increasingly broad range of people… we see that clearly in the demographics of those playing in our venues or on our website. So, naturally we’re keen to reflect that in the range of influencers we work with.

MECCA BINGO HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME; OVER 60 YEARS. WHAT ARE SOME COMMON MISTAKES YOU HAVE

NOTICED BEING MADE BY PRE-INTERNET OPERATORS ADVERTISING IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA AGE?

It’s fair to say our venues business has been around for a while – but in principle we are now as much a digital business as a retail one, so I think that perhaps helps us avoid some of the more common pitfalls.

That being said, we are acutely aware of the specific risks around treating social media like any other marketing channel. We don’t always get it right – but I think we are getting better at focusing on developing content that’s native to the platform, prioritising engagement over reach and looking for opportunities to make our content as culturally relevant and distinctive as possible. Of course, that extends to using influencers with real expertise on their platforms to help us.

WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF INFLUENCER MARKETING AS A LEGACY BRAND?

As is often the case with legacy brands, perceptions (and misconceptions) can become hard to shake. So it becomes increasingly difficult to be perceived as relevant and contemporary, which leads to a steady decline in consideration over time.

We know there’s all sorts of stereotypes around our sector, so one of the clearest pros of influencer marketing is that we can try and tackle some of those head on. Celebrating our brand, showcasing our proposition and demonstrating people of all ages having a great time playing bingo can only help drive reappraisal of what we are and what we offer. There’s more to Mecca than bingo: our venues offer an excellent range of drinks, a wide selection of slots, lively events and great food – so influencers are a great way to convey the full breadth of our offering.

There are one or two cons – we know there’s a debate around authenticity and some consumers are becoming more discerning where they see #ad. Internally, direct attribution to the short-term metrics can be tricky.

And it does require consistent investment to drive meaningful longer-term impact.

IN TERMS OF REGULATION, HOW IS GAMBLING ADVERTISING ON SOCIAL MEDIA WITH INFLUENCERS DIFFERENT TO ADVERTISING THROUGH TRADITIONAL MEANS LIKE POSTERS AND TV ADVERTS?

The regulations around gambling advertising can be tricky to navigate, but we understand how important they are and we take our commitment to responsible marketing seriously. It helps that we have a supportive, collaborative Compliance department who help us take a rigorous, methodical approach to assessing potential influencers.

Some elements of the regulation do feel a little open to interpretation and potentially pretty subjective, which can be problematic – but we try to approach this as responsibly as we can, and engage with the spirit and intent of the regulation. As much as we’re hoping to drive reappraisal and consideration of bingo with new audiences, we certainly wouldn’t work with any influencers who could be perceived as having appeal to young people – and we wouldn’t work with any who are, or even appear to be, under 25 years of age. We’re also careful with how gameplay is depicted and the language they use when describing their experience at the bingo.

Beyond that, the regulations around influencer marketing do have similarities to more traditional formats – we include similar wording in terms of the safer gambling message and we endeavour to ensure no more than 25% of the likely audience is comprised of those in the protected age category (under 18). In fact, even if it’s under 25%, we’ll seek to avoid any scenarios where a significant quantity of that age category could be reached. Most social platforms now offer decent visibility of audience age demographics and we’ve found prospective influencers tend to be generally agreeable to sharing these – so perhaps adherence to the regulation can be more demonstrably achieved with influencers than is possible with some other advertising formats.

THE HUMAN TOUCH

Following StatsDrone’s findings that MyAffiliates was the market’s most used affiliate marketing software, we spoke with MyAffiliates CEO Clemence Dujardin about how it got here and the importance of developing relationships

STATSDRONE RECENTLY FOUND THAT MYAFFILIATES HOLDS A 15.6% MARKET SHARE IN AFFILIATE MARKETING SOFTWARE. COULD YOU TELL ME THREE FACTORS YOU FEEL HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THAT?

The human touch. Our company motto is that we are going to be human. We know all our clients, we speak to all our clients, we have a friendship with our clients. We know if a client is sick, if the children are sick, if they’re getting married etc; something I wanted to do was keep the human touch. We work in a very flat organisation where if our client needs to speak to me, they always find me and there will always be a reply on the other end. It’s giving names, but not only names. There is a life story behind every client.

The second thing is what we have invested in our support. Our support is trained to be there answering questions, answering issues. That’s very important. That’s how you build your reputation. You can have products, but if you have good support, automatically, it makes it better. We have a very good product, which is essential and it’s not because I say it!

We keep learning with competitors. We are thrilled by competition and we want to keep having competition because that’s what keeps us on our toes. That’s how we keep improving, developing, giving what clients want. When they tell us, these

guys are a competitor, they have this, we understand what they have and how we can make it better. So, we not only make it for you, but make it better so that we make sure we’re on top. So again, it’s an individual approach.

That’s the three major things that have gotten us here today.

MYAFFILIATES HAS BEEN IN OPERATION SINCE 2007. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WERE SOME KEY MOMENTS THAT IMPACTED THE TRAJECTORY OF YOUR PRODUCT?

The first key moment is 2007 when Betsson signs up. At the time there is no company in Malta; it’s three software developers sitting in Australia. Somehow, this picks up. It’s completely robotic, practically no backend or frontend – it’s mostly code out of a box. I think Steve (Steven Harris, Director) met the right people at the right time and Betsson bought it. This is how the product started going, because Betsson would send requests, ‘This is what we need to be able to do. This is what the market requests.’ We started that and these are the building blocks.

For the first four to five years, the product was built on mostly Betsson requests. When I joined in 2012, there were about six clients. I’d worked for the competition before, I knew what major software needed to look like. I knew the potential

of what I was seeing. But there was a lot to do. So, we started from scratch. Investing in people, investing in development. Our first conferences, we had no stand. We’re walking with our little leaflets that we had in our hands. But we started building relationships and this is where it starts. While we’re building the software we’re also building relationships. The success comes when you listen to your clients, so no matter the size you still listen to each and every one of them at the same level. You give the same importance to every client, whether it’s a small-sized client or a very big client. This is how you grow a business. It’s not only putting money into it, but it’s putting people into it.

LIKE YOU SAID EARLIER, IT’S THAT PERSONALISATION YOU BRING IN.

It’s also investing in the right people internally; understanding a fit form. A customer team to your own clients, is it going to fit the MyAffiliates company and atmosphere and vibes and culture, but is it also going to fit into what our clients expect from us? From our support, tech support and so on, it’s investing in the right people.

HOW DO YOU BALANCE INNOVATION WITH ACCESSIBILITY?

It’s a difficult balance, because development in 2024 is very expensive and the industry is always trying to drive down the prices. However, again, it’s communication. When someone comes and asks you for a discount, there is a point where you need people to understand that you don’t buy a price, you buy a product... You need to be profitable, but you need to keep your expectation of profitability down because we need to make money. We need to be able to pay our people, but we don’t need to become millionaires the day after.

You keep grounded and say this is going to be successful because we invest in the project, because we invest in people, because we pay people the right way. But, we also give the right price to make it accessible. If you price it well, you give it exposure. This exposure means affiliate managers that move from one place to another, the next place they go they’ll say ‘No, I don’t want to work with this system, because I know MyAffiliates.’

There is a lot to look at, but if you build on your reputation, you can make things accessible. You remain human. You remain human to your staff, your company, your clients. Even in the size of the product and the way you design it, you understand the needs of people. That’s the base of everything.

WHEN IT COMES TO USING

NEW TECHNOLOGIES, HOW DO YOU EVALUATE WHETHER IT IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD BENEFIT YOU AND YOUR

CLIENTS? WHAT’S THE INTEGRATION PROCESS LIKE FOR NEW TECHNOLOGIES?

We don’t really integrate new technologies because we have our own. We get new technology on databases or coding or coding languages, but we develop our own technology.

If we want to speak about how we integrate AI into our system, we looked at what one of our competitors did back at iGB, saying, ‘We’ve integrated AI.’ The minute you dig, you see they haven’t actually integrated AI, they have integrated a chatbot that gives you something the report gives you. This is not integrating new technology. This is integrating a chatbot. If we had to integrate AI and invest in this, we’d want something that gives added value. For now, we haven’t done it because we haven’t found any technology that could give added value. I have in the report how many new deposit customers I had, what the deposit amount was, etc. We have it already. Why would I spend that much money putting that in words? Managers are better than that.

WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO TO KEEP YOUR TOP MARKET SHARE POSITION?

First of all, we need to keep doing what we’re doing, because we’re doing something right. What we plan to do is more market analysis. We’ve taken a step into doing this with the Head of Sales and that’s a very good insight. It’s an insight most of the industry didn’t have. Now we need to dig more.

We need to convince people that migration can be done successfully. A pain point of our industry is that people are scared of migration. So, we need to be able to put across the message that we have experience migrating people. We have migrated hundreds of systems from the competition, and we can do it and do it well. We need to be able to reassure people of this because this is always a scary thing. Once we put that message out there and convince people that it’s not that hard, then we’ll be able to go to level three. There are big plans for level three; it’s coming.

CLEMENCE DUJARDIN

A COMPLETELY NEW RULEBOOK

Trafficology speaks with Big Pond Digital Founder Ari Pournaras on the misconceptions of SEO and the impact of AI

COULD YOU GIVE ME A BIT OF A TIMELINE OF YOUR CAREER AND HOW YOU GOT TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?

I got into SEO in late 2008; I was straight out of university and got an internship with a local agency in Scotland. A small agency at the time, but within two or three years it grew to one of the biggest in the UK.

They specialised in fashion. I spent four years there and got a lot of experience with big accounts. After that, in 2012, I worked for a company called Dublin Bets. That was my introduction to gambling. I spent two years there leading their SEO. At the same time, they encouraged you to launch your own affiliate business and drive traffic. So, that’s what I did and eventually I went off on my own and set up my own affiliate network and websites. That was in 2012 to 2015 roughly.

From 2015 onwards, I was set up as a consultant. Got to 2018 and I got to a point naturally where it was too busy to handle all the work myself. The natural next step was to start an agency and in 2019, Big Pond Digital was born. We now have 11 core staff and also work with freelancers on certain projects.

HOW HAVE YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES HELPED YOU IN YOUR CURRENT ROLE?

I’d say the best way to learn to do SEO or PPC is to have a few websites of your own that you experiment with and learn with.

The best way is to actually go ahead and do it. That helped me because, especially with affiliate marketing, it’s quite hard at the moment to get into the space with SEO and rank.

Back then, I bought a website and started investing in it, into links. Eventually I managed to rank it. So, I learned a lot from doing that. Also, things like Google updates and how they affect the site, all the algorithm updates.

So, the best way is to get your hands dirty and launch a project, even if it’s on the side. I very much encourage all staff here to do the same. I’m even willing to invest in the project to get them to learn fast and learn from mistakes.

IT’S LIKE A TRIAL BY FIRE.

When you go online, everybody talks about amazing case studies and ‘We upped traffic by 500%.’ No one really talks about failures and the failures are the ones that lead you to results. You need to burn a few sites of your own first to learn how to do it, and then apply those practices to another site and be successful.

WHEN IT COMES TO SEO, WHAT ARE SOME COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS THAT BUSINESSES MAY HAVE ABOUT IT?

It’s not that difficult to communicate, but depending on the level of knowledge of say, the client, it can be like starting from

“You need to burn a few sites of your own first to learn how to do it, and then apply those practices to another site and be successful.”

scratch. There’s a period at the beginning where you have to educate them on what exactly it is. You need to set expectations, especially in gambling, because (in my experience) most new casinos and sportsbooks go after the affiliate route initially, because it makes sense as a faster way to get first time deposits from day one.

When they invest in SEO, you need to set the expectation that this could take a couple of years and a large investment to get to the point where you’re driving traffic. It’s setting the timeline right, being patient and finding areas where it’s not as competitive so you can actually get in if you’re a new player.

I’ve been doing this over the past 16 years. I’ve made the mistake in the past of not communicating the timeline properly. As you can imagine, somebody that’s used to paid media or affiliates might invest in SEO and expect something after the first, second or third month. In most cases, if it’s not an established brand, that’s not the case. For me, that’s huge.

It also doesn’t help that the barrier for entry is so low. Anybody could go online and claim they’re an SEO expert... If you’re looking for somebody, you need to vet them. Look at the reviews, call up some of their customers if you can, do your research. Because I’ve known quite a few businesses that have been burned multiple times and if you get burned two or three times, you lose interest in the channel.

HOW HAS AI AND MACHINE LEARNING IMPACTED SEO, AND WHAT ARE SOME COMMON MISTAKES YOU’VE SEEN AFFILIATES MAKE WHEN USING IT?

It’s changed things a lot. We started using a version of it before ChatGPT and we couldn’t believe what it could do... I see websites getting away with mass producing AI content and farming. But that’s not a strategy that’s going to be sustainable in the long term. Anybody can put out as much as possible now, but it’s not helpful and that’s what the update was all about.

A lot of affiliates have been hit with this update.

It wiped out quite a lot of websites. To be honest, if you’re applying those tactics, you should expect at some point that Google is going to catch up. You need to diversify and do different things.

WHEN IT COMES TO SEO, ARE THERE ANY CHALLENGES YOU OR OTHERS FACE THAT AREN’T TALKED ABOUT MUCH?

When it comes to Google indexing JavaScript websites, it’s a completely new rulebook, so you need other methods. A lot of the things that used to apply to an older website will not apply to a new interface. When it comes to migration, I’ve seen quite a lot of migrations going wrong. It’s a whole new area that needs to be explored because it’s going to become more popular.

That’s something to keep in mind, especially for operators. If they’re looking at replatforming and they’ve built a huge SEO ranking profile over time, picking the right platform and considering how to migrate is a really important step to not lose loads of traffic.

Now, this is talked about, but Google is going to be integrating AI into search results. That’s the Search Generative Experience (SGE) which we’re experimenting with at the moment. That’s completely changed SEO because suddenly you have TikTok videos ranking in the place of a search result that was text. It could be YouTube, Instagram, anything else. We’ve seen a lot of red results rank. It’s constantly evolving, constantly changing.

WITH THE AMOUNT OF TIME YOU’VE BEEN IN SEO, HOW MUCH HAS IT CHANGED?

It’s changed a lot, but at the same time, I’ve seen a lot of older tactics still working.

LIKE FASHION. IT JUST KEEPS COMING BACK AROUND.

ARI POURNARAS

HOW THE RISING COST OF LIVING IS IMPACTING GAMBLING BEHAVIOURS

Go Gambling Head of Digital Marketing and Strategy Vita Martin explores how the cost of living is pushing some vulnerable individuals towards gaming – and pushing others away

The cost of living crisis gripping the UK and much of the world is having a profound impact on gambling behaviours, serving as a catalyst for shifts within the digital gambling landscape. As households grapple with escalating expenses and dwindling purchasing power, individuals from diverse socio-economic backgrounds have found themselves navigating uncharted territories in their search for financial stability.

This change in gambling behaviour has shown itself in various ways, such as people heading to online knowledge hubs and visiting brick-and-mortar betting shops to keep warm as energy bills rise.

UNEXPECTED FINANCIAL STRAIN: A KEY DRIVING FORCE BEHIND ONLINE GAMBLING?

In the face of mounting financial pressures, the allure of online gambling as a potential source of supplementary income has become increasingly enticing. For some people, the cost of living crisis has led to a surge in online gambling activity. Faced with the daunting challenge of meeting basic necessities on limited budgets – such as paying bills, buying groceries and affording childcare – a subset of the population has turned to gambling as a means of boosting their income. In fact, according to a 2023 study from GamCare, 42% of respondents were optimistic that gambling would enhance their financial situation in the coming year.

The psychological toll of financial strain also comes into play, highlighting a link between economic hardships and gambling behaviours. As individuals struggle with mounting debts and dwindling financial resources, the allure of online gambling as a potential escape from reality has become increasingly enticing.

Plus, the proliferation of online gambling platforms has further amplified the accessibility and convenience of gambling. Though many people choose to visit brick-and-

mortar betting shops (one in six people gambling at harmful levels had used a warm bank in the past 12 months according to YouGov compared with 5% of the general population) a growing number of individuals have turned to digital gambling as a means of alleviating boredom and escaping the limitations that come with having minimal disposable income.

BETTING REMAINS POPULAR IN DEPRIVED NEIGHBOURHOODS

According to Patterns of Play – a report commissioned by GambleAware in the UK, conducted by the Gambling Commission (GC), in conjunction with National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the University of Liverpool – betting on football and horseracing remains highly popular, as do bets associated with higher risks of significant losses, especially amongst those in deprived areas.

GamCare has also investigated the impact of the cost of living on gambling trends and found that those on Universal Credit and people living in deprived areas are likely to resort to gambling to boost their income. National Gambling Helpline advisors have heard numerous reports of how the rising cost of living is impacting the lives of callers.

In total, 29% of gaming accounts come from the most deprived areas, while only 13% came from the least deprived areas. Similarly, 25% of customer losses from gaming came from the top 20% of deprived areas in the UK. This highlights the increased chance of someone from a deprived area resorting to betting to lighten their financial burden.

Over the last year, advisors have heard from callers who have been using betting shops as a warm bank, people on Universal Credit gambling to make extra money to cover their bills, as well as people on disability benefits who have turned to the gambling to try and make ends meet.

PARENTS RESORT TO BETTING IN LIGHT OF FINANCIAL STRAIN, BUT REPORTS ARE CONFLICTING

GamCare’s findings, conducted by YouGov, also shed light on a specific subsection of society - parents. For those struggling with gambling problems, it’s not uncommon for parents to sacrifice essentials for their children to allow for bets to be made. In fact, half of parents who are problem gamblers were going without food or clean clothes to support children, compared with 20% of parents overall. This can have a huge socioeconomic impact, placing many families who are already struggling into further challenges.

However, despite GamCare and GambleAware both stating that the cost of living is likely leading to an increase in betting and gambling, there are conflicting figures. GamCare’s report also suggests that for most consumers, the recession and cost of living crisis have not significantly influenced their online gambling spending habits negatively. The report further states that if anything, gamblers have reduced both their offline and online betting activities in accordance with the increased financial pressure.

THE COST OF LIVING’S IMPACT ON GAMBLING DEPENDS ON PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Of course, it’s impossible to say that the cost of living has impacted everyone’s gambling behaviours in the same way, as explained by the Gambling Commission. For some segments of the population, the rise in the cost of living can serve as a moderating force. Faced with mounting financial pressures, some individuals may adopt a more cautious approach towards gambling, exercising greater restraint and discernment in their wagering activities.

This subset of gamblers may view gaming as a discretionary or optional expense, susceptible to adjustments in accordance with changing economic conditions. This means that the rising cost of living could prompt a reassessment of priorities, leading to reduced gambling spending and a heightened awareness of the need to be money-savvy.

Conversely, the increase of economic hardships and escalating living costs may exacerbate vulnerabilities for certain consumers, increasing the risk of gambling.

As households contend with strained budgets, the appeal of gambling as a potential means of income could intensify, particularly among those struggling with precarious financial circumstances. It’s easy to see how someone could feel that betting is one of the only ways to overcome financial hurdles, especially if there are no other ways to boost their income. It’s a lot easier to succumb to problem gambling when faced with economic uncertainty.

SUPPORTING PUNTERS THROUGH THE COST OF LIVING CRISIS

As the cost of living continues to influence consumer behaviours, particularly within gambling, it is important to recognise the diverse and nuanced ways in which individuals navigate these economic challenges. Amid these evolving dynamics, Go Gambling is dedicated to empowering individuals with the resources and information needed to make informed decisions about betting.

Trafficology is brought to you every month by the Gambling Insider team at Players Publishing.

For all editorial enquiries please contact us at trafficology@gamblinginsider.com For advertising enquiries please contact commercial director Deepak Malkani at sales@gamblinginsider.com

We would like to thank the following contributors to this issue: Casino City Press, Anna Zhukova, Pauls Spakovskis, Giorgi Tsutskiridze, Mark Cheevers, Clemence Dujardin, Ari Pournaras and Vita Martin.

Do you think these glasses make me look smarter? No, you can still see your face – Grease, 1978.

Players Publishing Limited, all rights reserved.

VITA MARTIN

1XBET AFFILIATE PROGRAM

Y O U R P A R T N E R I N P R O F I T