GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 49 - April 2021

The U.K. is not alone in seeing a buoyant sports-betting market during the pandemic. Sports betting continued to grow at a rapid pace in the U.S., with those states that have already regulated continuing to report an impressive upward trajectory. And the move towards more online activity during lockdown has seen some of the world’s most exciting betting propositions — Can- ada, Ireland and New Zealand — all take major steps towards a regulated market. For affiliates, this can only be good news. The U.K. also reported uplift in relation to slots play. Not only does the research indicate a growth in customer numbers, bets, and revenue in line with the numbers above, but also a slight increase in session or playing time, with the number of sessions lasting longer than an hour, increasing by around 11%. Some of this is probably explained by the absence of land-based venues and players transitioning to online, but still a positive against the alternative of land-based customers dropping off entirely. All of this is against a background of negative public and political sentiment toward betting and gambling and greater regulatory emphasis on social responsibility and player protection. In fact, the last year has seen more and more online operators shift to a position of safer play as a key part of their acquisition and retention strategy without a significant negative impact on the market, if the numbers released by the Gambling Commission are any indication. With the rest of the world— including the U.S. and other emerg- ing markets — also placing player safety and harmminimization at the top of their agendas, savvy affiliates will already be shifting their strategy from one of “spend” to one of social responsibility and sustainability, especially in those markets where operators are held to account for marketing done in their name. The second shift is likely to be SEO and the impact of social media on consumer habits. Affiliates had already woken up to the “new” Google, YouTube, peer reviews, ambassadors, and social media influencers starting to replace traditional SEO, and this is a trend that looks set to continue post-COVID. In a competitive “me too,” multi-generational, multi-content, multi-jurisdictional marketplace, successful affiliates will need an adaptive, multi-acquisition strategy that allows them to be all things to all people, from the traditional female slot machine player ready to move online, to the coming-of-age Generation Z’ers looking for a way of enhancing their sports viewing expe- rience with a casual bet, but only with a company or brand that shares their values, attitude and outlook on life. The most interesting and exciting shift is the third one. Human beings are social creatures. A 24/7 existence of living, working, and playing in a virtual world has taken its toll. The novelty of falling out of bed and straight into work without getting dressed, spending more time with family, and even clear skies and breathable air has been replaced by lockdown fatigue and not only a nostalgia for normality, but a real urge to get back into the physical world. And not just those who grew up in it, but also younger digital natives who pre-COVID favored online and virtual worlds. For the last decade or so, land-based venues have been fighting a tide of declining footfall and failure to attract a younger generation of players. For the first time since .com started, we now have a generation of online players actively craving a physical experience. Operators and affiliates have flirted with multi-channel before, but with limited success and mainly one-way traffic: land cus- tomers being persuaded to move online. The smart affiliates will be looking at how they can turn this into an advantage with a strategy that taps into an online generation that has so far eluded traditional land-based operators now actively seeking opportunities that allow them to replace virtual experiences with physical ones. One of the most exciting things to come out of the pandemic could be the multi-channel affiliate. In a competitive “me too , ” multi-generational , multi-content , multi- jurisdictionalmarketplace , successful affiliateswill need an adaptive , multi-acquisition strategy that allows themto be all things to all people , fromthe traditional female slotmachineplayer ready to moveonline , to the coming-of- age GenerationZ’ers looking for away of enhancing their sports viewing experience . Slot image by cigdem/Shutterstock; DeLorean image by Gercen/Shutterstock 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. 31 G P W A t i m e s . o r g