Mental Health: Jane Thomason, Emeritus Chair of World Metaverse Council
Gambling Insider attended several panels during SiGMA Manila 2024, with one of the most thought-provoking coming from Jane Thomason, Emeritus Chair of World Metaverse Council. This focused on how several studies have looked into the positive effects gaming can have on an individual, especially games that foster creative projects and teamwork with others. These can include activities that involve using collaborative and
group skills to solve tasks or puzzles, or strategies to overcome a wider narrative. This sense of gamification has been widely adopted by education and business courses to improve team building between students or colleagues, as well as ease feelings of stress and anxiety.
However, there’s no easy way to translate this over to gambling content, no matter how much you describe slots and arcade titles as ‘games.’ Even though they may share some similar aspects as traditional video games, the fundamental mechanics are different; people don’t need to risk money continuously to keep playing video games. Most video games are a single purchase, or a monthly subscription, but do not operate on a ‘pay per play’ system like casino ones do. Not only that, but many developers are careful to balance out the harmful effects of video games alongside the positive ones. There’s just a little extra that needs to be accounted for when it comes to gambling. This can include transparency with potentially addictive game mechanics, accessible education and protecting vulnerable people; most of which are still ethical decisions on the developer’s part rather than distinct laws. Nonetheless, as the iGaming space continues to grow and expand, it’s certainly a topic that shouldn’t be shied away from. Instead, panels like this can be used to discuss how the gaming industry has navigated this particular issue ahead of us and what we can learn from it going forward.
Even if the research into video games can’t be directly applied to casino-style games, there’s still a wealth of information that should be embraced and analysed, rather than ignored.
Online Marketing: Mikhail Jon Penalosa, Marketing Director of Saakuru Labs
The next panel we attended was called ‘Decoding Online Marketing Trends in Asia’ with Mikhail Jon Penalosa, Marketing Director of Saakuru Labs, Gerry Go, Founder & CEO at MagniViral 360 Performance Branding, Karl von Brockdorff, Head of Brand at Wicked Games and Richard Mifsud, Xprizo CEO. They discussed the roles of social media influencers in traditional marketing and how this could be reflected in the gambling industry, along with the importance of localisation for each region. Of course, using influencers is nothing new.
Almost every industry under the sun has realised the importance of reaching an audience in the more organic manner that influencers allow for. They will often build a parasocial relationship with their audience and discuss things with them as if they were real friends, which makes their place in marketing vital. If an influencer recommends something to their audience, it feels like it’s coming from someone they trust.
However, there’s one thing even more important than being able to use any old influencer, and that’s being able to use a relevant one. That’s where localisation comes in. Even though every product wants to have a localised market in mind, this is even more important when you consider which ambassadors and affiliates could be used alongside them. There’s no point in using a Scottish football player to promote Teen Patti if the Asian audience won’t resonate with him. In a sense, this panel emphasised how knowing your audience is one of the most important aspects of the creation process. They discussed how it’s better to develop meaningful products that will resonate with a particular audience, rather than creating a product and trying to match it with a group afterwards.
SouthEast Asia regulations: Andrei Beu, CCO of Gamingtec
On the topic of specific regions, a panel on Southeast Asia discussed some of the biggest challenges these markets are facing. This comes after a wave of big announcements from this region so far this year, including talks on opening a new casino in Thailand, a multiple-entry visa being agreed on between Hengqin and Macau, Malaysia denying reports of a second casino being built and, of course, plans for an Osaka casino in Japan. While there is a growing interest in these markets, government regulations are still a major factor (or perhaps hurdle) when it comes to expanding the industry further than it already is today. There are frequent discussions held by politicians regarding taxes and other rules, although it seems like there’s not going to be any clear answers any time soon.
Some countries are pushing to support gambling, while others are still facing strict resistance from both politicians and the public.
However, the panel did agree that if one of the more influential nations, such as Japan, started to take steps to promote and regulate its industry, other nations might feel confident enough to follow in its footsteps. Not only that, but if Japan can prove that certain rules work to benefit customers, its Government and operators all at once, it’s much more likely that similar laws could be picked up by neighbouring countries. The panel was hosted by Andrei Beu, CCO of supplier Gamingtec and had Alex Czajkowski, OG of PlayersToday, Michael Charlton, Asia Pacific Director of Entain Group and Bhavesh Parthi, Managing Director of Oppa Asia, in attendance.
Women and inclusivity: Roanna Jamir, CRM HCM Nexus
SiGMA 2024 also hosted a panel on women in the gambling industry, which was moderated by Roanna Jamir, Client Relationship Manager of HCM Nexus, who was joined by Ellen Frojd, CEO of SmartRecruitment.com, Crystal Nadal, Yolo Group Asia’s Head of Sales and Wong Wei See, Head of Sales APAC of Group-IB. Although several of the panel were asked questions specific to their industries, including cybersecurity and AI, each of them highlighted the importance of inclusivity in the industry, particularly within the hiring process. When a particular field is traditionally male-dominated, such as gambling, it can pose some unique issues that aren’t always instantly obvious.
For one, it can be daunting to place yourself in an environment like that as a woman, as the support systems aren’t always there once you’re on the inside. This is something the panel discussed, saying that one of the most important things men could do was also advocate for their colleagues, especially if they’re thinking of going for higher positions within a company. It’s one thing to have the right experience and attitude to gain a promotion, but it’s another thing to openly have the support of your peers.
A recent study showed that, worldwide, there has been a 22% increase in women establishing themselves in the gaming industry, with 45% of this coming from the US alone.
Digital design in a land-based arena
Elsewhere, as part of a keynote speech, SCCG Management Founder Stephen Crystal discussed how casinos in Asia use marketing differently, and how this translates into the way the wider population then views those properties. Crystal explained that every nation, whether it is the Philippines, Malaysia or Cambodia, offers something specific but unique to its customer base.
“There is differentiation in the market in Asia due to the design elements used,” he said. “When people go to a casino, they know they are going to lose money but the challenge is how to get them to spend more and have a good time while doing it. In Asia, digital signage is at the next level and loyalty programs have been successfully exported from the US. Casinos embody local customs in Asia but also connect their environment through the use of technology today.”
Crystal went on to explain that it’s also the approach to personalisation that has made a real impact. This included individualised notifications, achievement badges and even leaderboards that make customers feel like they’re being invited into the experience, rather than simply being a passive participant.
Omnichannel gambling:
While it might be all the rage for operators to focus on omnichannel offerings, a panel moderated by Harmen Brenninkmeijer, MD of NYCE International, and attended by Kurt Quartier, President of Tyche Gaming International, Joe Pisano, CEO of Jade Group, Angel Sueiro, COO of PH Resorts and Yo-Sien Low, Senior Director of Moloco Singapore, discussed the reality of it in day-to-day operations. A true omnichannel experience would mean a customer can interact with a casino across its physical retail location and its online platform seamlessly. This could include funds, game progress and even potentially offers. However, the panel noted that there are very few examples of true omnichannel experiences in the gambling industry, especially when it came to aspects like joining wallets.
There is one prominent concern when it comes to omnichannel offerings, however, and that’s the lurking possibility of cannibalisation. If customers can access the same games by playing on their phones at home, will they still travel to their local casinos?
Well, according to both the panel and using Caesars as a case study, an online casino platform can actually entice foot traffic to land-based casino properties. While mobile gaming offers an accessible way to play casino-style games on the go, live dealers and other patrons at a casino create a unique atmosphere that can be difficult to replicate through a remote platform.
Data and AI: Mariusz Gąsiewski, CEE Mobile Gaming & Apps Lead at Google
This panel was titled ‘Trends in growth, data AI that will shape the online marketing in casino and sports betting in 2024 and 2025;’ and covered four main areas, those being users, adverts, assets and data. There was a lot of synergy between these topics and, throughout the panel, Gąsiewski discussed how each of them would affect the other. For example, while “AI will be playing bigger roles in the growth activities,” this has to be handled alongside responsible data measures. There is a balance between quality data being collected, while also being collected and analysedethically without breaching regulations and privacy concerns of its sources’ origins.
This then fed into the need for assets and ads to work together, as Gąsiewski predicted online gambling revenue could reach as high as $136bn by 2029. To adapt to the growth and innovation the industry is currently going through, companies need to keep pushing to keep their technology competitive and their advertisements relevant. However, to keep marketing fresh, companies need to gather data about what consumers want, which calls for greater AI developments to make it easier. It’s all intertwined, and for one of them to progress, the other three need to be making similar advancements at the same time.