Affiliates can play a vital role in helping operators acquire new players. However, they can also help keep them on board.

Better Collective CEO Jesper Søgaard spoke exclusively to Trafficology, stating his belief there are possibilities for both larger and smaller bookmakers to take control.

He says: "When reaching a certain scale, larger bookmakers begin to have similar offerings, both in services and free bets; this is why user experience becomes crucial.

"For small bookmakers, becoming the best at offering great odds in niche markets, which taps into an audience that cannot have their needs met with larger operators, is a great way to drive retention in this space."

Social media has provided a platform for operators to add a more personal touch and engage with its audience. Søgaard finds it is often difficult for operators and players to form a genuine relationship.

He explains: "There is a fundamental struggle in the bookie/punter relationship that there will always be an us vs them mentality. Users are always looking to beat the bookies and there will always be a level of mistrust from their side on what bookmakers are offering them."

Despite this, Søgaard adds operators can do much more in this area.

He says: "It all boils down to improving user experience. Bookmakers need to go beyond looking at their users’ betting habits and look into what they want to experience as unique personalities."

Søgaard spoke exclusively for a feature in the May edition of Trafficology magazine. Read the full article for free here.