GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 48 - December 2020

Secondly, the lockdown has meant that many have had to find new and cheaper ways of filling their leisure time. Some may find that they prefer these new activities to the old. People also get into the “habit” of doing things. Those who previously placed bets or gambled out of habit -- every weekend watching football in the pub with friends, bingo with their online community group, or a bit of live dealer casino games over the weekend -- may have been forced to break that due to circumstances. Some will return to old habits in better times. But a significant number will not. Thirdly, there’s regulation. Most regulators have already cautioned operators to enhance existing social responsibility and player protection measures during lockdown. In the case of Belgium and Sweden, this has taken the form of regulatory restrictions on deposit limits and sign-up bonuses. While not a bad thing in itself, the reality is that this means customers will get into the habit of depositing and spending less. Furthermore, temporary changes made during times of crisis for the benefit of the public generally end up staying. This will impact all revenue streams, from CPA to commission. Post-crisis, most customer-facing businesses will kick-off the recovery process with a heavy marketing spend and a raft of customer incentives, bonuses and promotions. For betting and gambling, this traditional route to acquisition and retention is becoming increasingly narrow, with more and more regulators and authorities working together to introduce rules around advertising, marketing and customer incentives. Already, the U.K. is looking more likely to follow Italy and Aus- tralia when it comes to betting and its association with football and the impact on the young, in particular. This will lead to re- strictions on everything from sponsorship and brand ambassadors and influencers to tighter marketing and advertising guidelines. A review of the Betting and Gambling Act and the Casino Act is likely to see this approach of enhanced protections extended across all products, greatly restricting acquisition and retention activity. This will add to the pressure on affiliates who are about to be hit by the new guidelines on the identification and man- agement of prospective VIPs and high rollers, which came into effect last November. Across the world there is a greater call for licensing of affiliates. As with operators, compliance always comes at a cost and adds additional burden to everyone, including those affiliates who wel- come it as a deterrent to the bad actors giving them a bad name. All of this is going to impact how operators engage with and manage customers. Anything that impacts engagement, acqui- sition and retention will inevitably impact affiliates. And this is before we even get into the whole discussion about affiliates and influencers, Google search being eclipsed by YouTube and TikTok (U.S. affiliates, beware!) and a new generation with limited interest in traditional gambling and traditional acquisition practices. It’s not all bad news though. The changes will help shake things up, curtailing the activities of those who give affiliates a bad rap, while opening up a whole new world of opportunity and innovation for the good ones willing to embrace change. 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. Across the world there is a greater call for licensing of affiliates . As with operators, compliance always comes at a cost and adds additional burden to everyone, including those affiliates who welcome it as a deterrent to the bad actors giving them a bad name . Question mark image by Corona Borealis Studio/Shutterstock; gambling illustrations by Marta Sher/Shutterstock; 29 G P W A t i m e s . o r g