How Do Online Casinos Attract New Customers?

Taking Advantage of Affiliates

A popular method for casinos to spread the word is to get others to talk about their offerings, and one of the ways casinos have very successfully done this is by offering affiliates the chance to make money from referrals. This means that if somebody shares a registration link or code, there is a chance that they will be making money out of it. This can be relatively lucrative for some of the bloggers and online personalities who share the information (especially if they have fostered a large fanbase).

Let’s say you follow a poker player online – you may notice that they are sharing more links and information about the casino sites they use to play and sometimes sharing links. These could be ways for players to make extra money. Affiliate schemes are pretty widespread, and even Amazon uses this method of getting new customers, so it is little surprise to see the casino industry follow suit. In 2023, 74% of iGaming operators used affiliate marketing, which is a staggering number but clearly an effective marketing strategy.

A Large Choice of Games

Naturally, casinos need to focus on what they offer first and foremost. In this scenario, the choice of games is absolutely crucial.

With so many different developers in the industry, it is little surprise that there are hundreds or even thousands of games at some casinos. Customers have become familiar with this standard, and the fact is that casinos can’t compete unless they offer something unique or at least a very wide selection of games catering for a large audience with different interests.

We usually see a mix of slot games and table games. A lot of casinos offer the chance for players to enjoy poker and other traditional games that have now been moved to a digital format, such as a personal computer or, more likely, on mobile devices.

Online Ads

Online ads are a good way for casinos to spread the word quickly if they have the budget for it. Some viewers may convert to paying customers, and there is a whole industry surrounding social media ads and the best ways to employ them to reach a wider audience. Facebook and Twitter (now X) are the most dominant platforms used for this.

Casino brands have a very competitive niche, though. It is one of the most expensive areas to advertise, and this means that they need to be confident that they are going to convert at a decent rate. Ads are often run by large networks, but there are some instances of individuals reaching out to individual webmasters and paying for banners or other ads.

TV, In-Person and Radio Ads

A lot of the legacy methods of advertising are still very popular for casinos and gambling brands. Advertising in the UK is still worth billions and video ads are one of the main ways that companies get the message out. This works well for television, and even though there are watersheds that mean most of the ads are shown later in the day, the gambling industry is a key player in terms of advertising. The US gambling and casino. industry spent $471.8 million (about £372.8 million) on TV advertisements in 2023, according to a December 2023 MediaRadar study.

You may have also noticed radio ads for casino games and other gambling brands, as well as some in-person options. For instance, sporting events have become commonplace for brands to advertise, and it is not uncommon to see things like billboards displaying brands or offers. Sponsorship can also be considered under this branch of advertising. How many football teams have gambling sponsors on their kit? This is all part of building brand awareness.

Offering Promotions and Bonuses

It has also become expected among many casino brands that there are bonuses offered to players. These usually come in the form of a signup bonus, where people get more than their initial deposit to gamble with when they register with a specific code. For example, a lot of casinos may match the deposit up to a certain percentage, so someone who deposits £20 may actually have £40 worth of credits to play with.

There is a lot of demand for other types of bonuses, and when casinos provide unique offers like VIP schemes, they gain a good reputation in the industry. This can potentially incentivise and attract new customers as it sets the platform apart from other players. Online casino players have so many options for where they play, so it’s often up to the casinos to offer something for players that will set them apart from their competition.