Using data to win in online gambling

In collating our new report on the state of the online gambling industry, it became clear that the collection, retention and ongoing utilisation of player data is a complex issue. On the one hand, the Gambling Commission has been explicit about the fact that operators need to collect and retain data as part of its continued drive to support socially responsible practices, such as self-exclusion and the combating of crime and money laundering. On the other, GDPR has of course mandated that organisations place user consent at the heart of data acquisition and use.

But in talking to the range of industry experts who contributed to our paper, it was apparent that most view data not as a minefield, but as something that’s both critical to get right, and a huge potential source of competitive advantage.

Here are some of the key findings of our conversations.

Real time is key

Collecting data is not enough; it is viewed as imperative that that the data is available for real-time decision-making. Lindar, for example, was able to establish that most deposits happen within the first three minutes of registration. Using real-time data, the company was then able to speed up its registration process and ensure that customers could get fully registered and deposit funds within this time window.

That immediacy of data also helps keep a check on problem gambling. Lindar is able to execute enhanced due diligence checks and thresholds, so when a player performs certain actions, we then trigger specific events, potentially protecting the player from getting into trouble. 

Know your customer to entertain your customer

Understanding customers is not just a matter of compliance. In order to work out what customers enjoy – thereby building loyalty and increasing player retention – operators use CRM in combination with data analytics to understand players’ game preferences and make suggestions based on those preferences. The cardinal sin is to let a player become bored.

While these actionable insights from CRM tools are useful, they also need to be integrated into areas such as affiliate marketing, promo offers, and social media engagement.

Innovative player engagement is key to differentiation

The majority of operators are run off one of the top platform providers, and the truth is there’s not a great deal of differentiation from one game to the next. That means that the way the operators engage with players – and the innovation they apply here – is absolutely critical. It might be about making offerings in real-time in response to triggers in player behaviour, but even that might not do the trick. Players can get marketing message fatigue.

This is where the 3radical Voco platform can really help, since we work with real time segmented data to drive two-way interactions rather than simply offering an email promotion. How do you respond if your player has had a big win? What if your player has had a big loss? What if a player’s play frequency is dropping? Using Voco you can decide how to respond and encourage and reward them to alter player behaviour. After all, players have high expectations, so it is important to look at innovative ways to market to them.