How to market casino games to a new generation of players 

When it comes to attracting a new generation of players, the igaming community has room to improve. With the under 40s now having more spending power than any other generation, it’s an issue that’s more important than ever.

For our industry to market itself to gen Y and gen Z players successfully, a collaborative approach is critical. That means game developers going above and beyond to support operators – and affiliates, media partners and payment service providers must all play their part too.

The role of studios is to ensure the final product is desirable to young adults. We need to deliver content that can compete with video games and other premium content services such as Netflix or Prime, so that our industry can capture a share of players’ entertainment funds.

For FunFair Games, this means moving away from developing more passive single-player games like slots, as there is enough good quality content out there already. Instead, we’re building a more engaging, strategic and social entertainment experience.

That new genre is already starting to proliferate in the live casino space, mainly through Evolution with games such as Monopoly Live and Crazy Time. There’s certainly room in operator casino tabs for more community and decision-based games, offering simple, yet engaging gameplay with first-class graphics, animation and audio to create content that is new and exciting. Only then can we hope to attract and engage gen Y and Z audiences.

Research from the crypto gambling space bears this out. Our findings show that gen Z or Y gamblers indexed a 75% interest in multiplayer gambling titles – far higher than the proportion of older bettors who made the same choice.

It’s clear then, that the emerging generation prefers experiences that can be shared with others.

Testament to that is the crucial role played by social media in marketing to younger players, with a growing number of studios now using streaming influencers to showcase their content. Many work with CasinoGrounds, for example, which hosts exclusive live streams on platforms including Twitch and YouTube Live.

More than any other age group, gen Y and Z stay connected across multiple platforms and constantly communicate with their peers. That’s why streamers fit the bill perfectly. Next-generation players typically don’t respond well to the ‘hard sell’, and are more likely to trust recommendations from their peers through social media platforms.

From a customer journey perspective, speed matters. Innovations like Trustly’s Pay N Play solution are a step in the right direction, as the instant, non-custodial nature of the transactions is much like crypto wallets, yet for regulated markets. These payment services help to create an instant gratification gambling experience which is both fast and secure.

While trust was the historically primary criterion in determining brand choice, for gen Y and Z, convenience and tone of voice play a more important role. A needlessly time-consuming entertainment experience is unlikely to prove popular with younger adults.

In an igaming market that is more competitive than ever, operators want games that stand out from the crowd. The industry is ready for disruption, and we believe an engaging series of multiplayer titles will provide the kind of immersive experience demanded by an emerging generation of gamblers. When that happens, we’ll have captured the attention of a new demographic – and secure a critical segment for many years to come.

Lloyd Purser is the chief operating officer for FunFair Technologies. With over two decades of igaming experience, he has held senior roles at Scientific Games, Rank Interactive and Betclic Everest Group. He is currently spearheading FunFair Games, the innovative multiplayer casino game studio.