iGaming Business magazine Mobile Gaming Outlook 2017 | Page 4

Mobile Gaming Outlook 2017
GAMIFICATION
IS THE TOOL OF THE FUTURE
Esports has some important lessons for igaming operators when it comes
to engaging the younger demographic, argues Christian Hellman,
sales director at Tain.
The advent of esports has some important
lessons for the online gambling industry and
how it should be looking at what it does to
engage with the younger demographic.
About a year ago on a visit to Malmo
I took in an esports tournament and I
was somewhat taken aback by what I saw.
The stadium had attracted a crowd much
bigger than many football matches in
Sweden – and younger. The enthusiasm for
the games was palpable, as was the degree to
which the spectators wanted to emulate the
players of the games.
Whether it is League of Legends, Counter
Strike or DOTA 2, it is clear that this new
video gaming generation – the Millennial
generation if you like – is one which has
grown up with technology.
Whether it is esports or social gaming -
which similarly attracts large proportions of
the same demographic - these consumers
are instinctively gamers. They want to be
entertained and engaged by their pastimes,
they like games with a skill factor, and they
want all this on a mobile device.
If the gambling sector is to attract these
consumers, it too needs to be thinking
about what it is offering these players.
What does gambling need to be doing
to make its product attractive for this
up-and-coming demographic?
There are no easy answers to these
questions. Previously, the online gaming
experience was all about slots and the
quality of gameplay. Similarly with table
games and sports betting.
But more is now needed. Gambling
operators need to be working on their
offerings, providing users with clear, precise
and intriguing offerings – and they need to
do this within the limited real estate offered
by the mobile phone.
This is a UX challenge and an expert
balance needs to be struck between making
the screen too busy and complicated, and
simplifying to the point that the experience
becomes boring for players.
There needs to be a clear player learning
curve that is attractive to every player
regardless of skill-game ability.
I believe the elements that need to be
considered are as follows:
• Rewards
• Engagement
• Badges and accomplishments
• S  ocial sharing including
closed-friend networks
• Forums to showcase achievements
I also believe the new mobile-driven audience
differs from previous customer demographics.
Classically, operators would find it difficult to
achieve cross-sell of hard-core sports betting
customers into casino and vice versa.
But the new audience is more fluid and
are less hemmed in by previous genre
definitions. The esports customer might
not play a traditional slot but they might
be attracted by a game with a skill-based
element or by instant, five-minute sports
betting markets.
Gamification in both instances works as
a bridge from other areas of entertainment
and encourages gambling operators and
providers to think about moving away from
previously rigid product splits.
Elements of the Millennial audience
are already with us, particularly in sports.
There are a handful of operators doing
some interesting things and this is a huge
market to tap into.
52 | iGamingBusiness | Issue 106 | September/October 2017
We need to attract the esports gamers
and the social gamers and to tap into their
enthusiasm. We need to look at what is
working in regions such as Asia and build
games that taps into how people are using
their mobiles already. Gamification goes
hand-in-hand with developments in mobile
and we need to be aware of that.
This audience might be relatively
young compared with current gambling
demographics and they will almost certainly
not be as high spending as yet.
But unless we as an industry gear up now
we will lose this audience in the future. They
have grown up with video games and I think
that interest will continue as they progress.
We need to take note of that, listen
to these players, and make sure our
experiences are something they will enjoy
and are comfortable putting their money
into. The main age group of people betting
on esports is early 20s. The opportunity is
to entice them with something different,
to encourage them and build up the hype
around gambling. The industry has a path
to follow here.
It is the industry that needs to adapt -
not the players. We need to listen to them.
Previously gambling companies set the rules
but now the roles have reversed and they are
setting the rules.
Christian Hellman is sales
director at Tain. Since the dawn
of online gambling Tain has been
developing full-featured solutions to
the global gaming industry. Providing
a comprehensive fully managed sportsbook
offering and casino content from the industry’s
most well renowned providers, all via a single
API. Join us on a journey of discovery where we
together can build tomorrow’s solutions today.