What is iGaming: Current Industry Trends, Creatives, and Laws
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iGaming has become one of the leading industries in the world with a revenue projected to reach US$100.90 billion in 2024. Due to the continually increasing revenue over the years, iGaming has become a hot niche among affiliates.
Are you one of them? Do you consider starting an iGaming affiliate campaign but know little of the specifics?
You’ve come to the right place!
In today’s blog post, we discuss what iGaming is, current industry trends and features, and how to attract more visitors to your offer with compelling creatives.
What is iGaming?
iGaming refers to all wager-based activities taking place on online platforms. This includes but is not limited to online games and services connected with sports and games.
The wide choice of game types is one of the factors that make iGaming popular among users and affiliates. Also, this vertical is known for being one of the most profitable ones in the whole world. Thus, high profits are always associated with high competition and this is just the case for iGaming.
Indeed, finding your place under the sun in iGaming is not easy, since a lot of pretty old and established companies with deep pockets ripe all the harvest. Along with high competition, the iGaming niche is also known for being seriously regulated and the toughness of these rules vary from GEO to GEO.
Features of iGaming: Evergreens and Latest iGaming Industry Trends
The features of iGaming constantly change and evolve to follow the latest gaming trends and regulations. And, while their features differ based on the platform, here are the main ones most platforms share.
- Variety of activities – games, surveys, fantasy sports – most modern platforms offer users a vast array of entertainments to choose from.
- Virtual and Augmented Reality – the latest trends in the iGaming industry, both technologies offer a real-life gaming experience.
- Cryptocurrency as a payment method – for a more secure, fast, and anonymous way to deposit and withdraw money.
- Progressive jackpots, bonuses, rewards, loyalty programs, and tailor-made events.
- Live streams – offer users live broadcasts of sports matches, on online sportsbooks, and live games, on gaming websites.
How to Tailor the Right Creatives for Your Ads?
Creatives are essential in the iGaming industry as they can attract or repel visitors. You need to know what works and doesn’t work with your target audience, and which creatives are evergreen for the industry.
Here are some tips to design iGaming clickable creatives!
Use Eye-catchy Visuals
People rely on visuals, so you must choose images that match your visitors’ interest or intent.
Athletes, cheerleaders, and flags of the playing teams work perfectly. On the other hand, vibrant-colored game shots and short videos are excellent for gaming websites.
Consider Pre-landers
Pre-landers are the transitional pages you see before the offer appears, acting as a warm-up for your future leads. For iGaming, a pre-lander might be a good idea, since it gives you some space to describe your unique offer, benefits, participation conditions, and whatever else can convince visitors to convert. So, experiment!
Have a Landing Page for Your Offer
Landing pages help convert visitors to users. Most iGaming CPA offers have them pre-made, but if yours doesn’t, make sure you tailor the one that contains relevant visuals and descriptions.
Aim for as Short as Possible Texts
No one enjoys reading essays online, especially in an industry where visuals rule. So, keep your written content straightforward, clear and as short as possible, even on pre-landers and landing pages.
Tell your audience what they get using precise numbers (e.g. 10% bonus) and simple CTAs, like a Register/Sign up here or Click for Bonus button.
Focus on Bonuses
Having bonuses as your main offer is a winning iGaming creative. Although most website visitors have already decided to play, offering a bonus or a freebie in return is a winning strategy as they reduce the risk of loss. What is more, bonuses always give one a competitive advantage, so make sure you shout out loud about them.
Some of the most common offers are a welcome bonus, free trials, and sweepstakes. There are also special events (tournaments and loyalty clubs) for returning players.
Be Consistent
Visual consistency is a key marketing element in the iGaming industry. Therefore, when designing your creatives, such as pre-landers, banners, and ads, ensure they share the style and colors of the landing page and the game promoted.
Refresh Your Creatives
Regardless of how successful and well-designed your creative is, refreshing its design reduces its efficiency over time. Users get bored seeing the same design and stop noticing them. This leads to fewer ad/offer clicks, reducing the conversion rate. It’s called “banner blindness”, when users just stop noticing ads, because they have already seen them a hundred times.
So, make sure you re-design your creatives by adding new images and messages once in a while and testing their efficiency.
iGaming and Laws: When Is an iGaming Site Legal?
As an ever-evolving industry, the iGaming laws change over time. Namely, countries where iGaming was illegal now allow it and some countries change specific regulations.
Of course, for an iGaming business to be legal, it must comply with the country’s gaming laws. Keep in mind that every country has different regulations every owner/affiliate must know. And, while the laws may vary from one country to another, they all require the iGaming business to have the following:
- A license from a reputable authority
- Responsible gaming features
- Financial security protocols
Now let’s take a closer look at the crucial one – the license.
Why is the License Essential for an iGaming Business?
The license ensures the business adheres to the regulations of the country/state, offering safe and secure gaming, fair play, and preventing gaming-related crimes. Hence, every iGaming business holding a license from a gaming authority is legal.
The license can be obtained from a reputable gaming agency within the area of operation. For instance, the UK Commission is the regulative body in the UK whereas the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is the licensing agency in and outside the EU. And, in the US, each state has a different gaming regulatory agency from which a company needs to get a license. If you are an affiliate, make sure to collaborate with licensed brands only.
Final Thoughts
iGaming has become the top choice of many advertisers and affiliate marketers in the last several years since it’s popular and highly profitable. However, the great competition makes it hard for affiliates to stand out.
Try your luck with iGaming: create highly clickable creatives, make sure they resonate with users’ intent and interest and feature appealing visuals, clear and short messages, and bonuses. And, don’t forget to affiliate only with licensed iGaming businesses!
PropellerAds, as always, provides stable and high-quality traffic for iGaming offers, so…
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