GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 45 - October 2019

GENERATION Z connotations associated with betting and gambling, but also with accusations of consciously preying on the young and vulnerable and fueling an addiction that purportedly has a higher suicide rate than any other. Alongside this, we find a back catalog of products still largely based upon traditional gender, racial and cultural stereotypes, often using overtly sexualized imagery, and which continue to be marketed along gender lines. This is the biggest challenge to engaging this generation. If our industry wants to engage with the influencers and reviewers who are best placed to promote its new, more engaging interactive products, it needs to reassure its target market that it is responsi- ble and shares the same set of values, ethics and principles. For a generation inextricably tied to social media, image and an ability to influence are everything. Finally, there are technology and regulation. The first offers new and exciting opportunities such as voice-activated search and augmented reality, but also the challenges of a savvier val- ue-driven customer with little or no brand loyalty. The second is starting to squeeze not just operators but also affiliates, with greater accountability and restrictions on bonus and promotional activity. Both of these challenges require getting the customer’s attention and then building community-based trust before they can be persuaded to walk through the door. The world of affiliates is getting more complicated and more challenging by the day, with the focus continuing to shift from acquisition to engagement. Those who survive this brave new world will not be “affiliates,” they will be “influencers.” Christina Thakor-Rankin has over 25 years’ experience in the global betting and gambling sector. She is currently Principal Consultant at 1710 Gaming Ltd working with start-ups, investors, operators, regulators, law enforcement and industry groups across the world, advising on all aspects of the betting, gaming and gambling cycle. If our industry wants toengage with the influencers and reviewers who are best placed to promote its new , more engaging interactive products , it needs to reassure its targetmarket that it is responsible and that it shares the same set of values , ethics and principles . Z Z Z Z Z Z G P W A t i m e s . o r g 32