Industry predictions for 2021: pay and play casinos to enter the UK

Joonas Karhu, chief business officer, Bojoko

Joonas Karhu, Bojoko

Pay and play casinos will launch in the UK

Pay and play or no registration casinos are proving to be hugely popular in regulated markets around the world, including Sweden. They provide a near frictionless way for players to sign up, deposit and play at an online casino without having to go through the clunky registration process required at UK-licensed online casinos.

The Gambling Commission has yet to approve this functionality that sees players verified via their bank accounts for UK online casinos but I think it is something that will happen in 2021. When it does, the online casino sector will be transformed with operators able to significantly increase new player sign-ups and deposits while being able to more accurately verify a player’s identity and age.

Smaller bonuses with no wagering requirements

As players become ever more savvy and discerning, online casinos are having to rethink the ways they incentivise players to sign up and play at their sites. Deposit bonuses have proved to be successful in the past, but most come with wagering requirements that can confuse players or, for those aware of how they work, deter them from signing up and accepting the offer.

As such, I think online casinos will start to offer smaller bonuses but with no wagering requirements attached. This will make them easier to understand and also offer more value to players who will be able to keep any bonus winnings without having to clear the wagering requirement first.

Fair contracts between affiliates and operators

For a long time, the contracts and commercial agreements between affiliates and operators have been weighted in favour of the operator. This is making it increasingly difficult for affiliates to run and invest in their businesses as revenue share agreements can and are changed with little to no notice, among other things.

I established the Professional Gambling Affiliate Association (PGAA) last year with the aim of levelling the playing field between affiliates and operators and to ultimately create a balanced contract that is fair to both parties. This in turn will allow affiliates to have contractual stability for the first time and to be fairly compensated for what they do.

Of course, this benefits operators, too, as affiliates will be able to invest more into their businesses and marketing efforts which in turn will result in greater sign-ups and FTDs for operators.

Andrzej Hyla, CCO, Wazdan

Andrzej Hyla, Wazdan

Regulation

We’re set to see more regulation, not only in Europe but across the world. While certain jurisdictions like Sweden have chosen to tighten up, surely we will also see a positive shift towards embracing online gaming by other nations who are yet to regulate. That will be welcomed by the industry.

And yet the need to be flexible and adaptable has never been higher. Each region has its own requirements and each supplier’s development teams will need to adjust products quickly as regulatory requirements shift. We both encourage and are excited about regulation, as player protection should be at the heart of the industry. But the speed at which rules are changing means agility is becoming ever more critical to ensuring products are suited for the regulatory frameworks.

Promotional tools

Flexible promotional and gamification tools will become even more vital to suppliers as bonusing rules continue to change. These features will need to be original, engaging, and just as importantly, easy to use in order to attract and retain players who might once have tried out a game with the offer of free spins. We’ve just launched our Cash Drop tool, for instance – and there’s a lot more where that came from. This isn’t to say that the classic slot experience won’t remain. But by adding promotional tools, suppliers can appeal to more players than ever before and vitally, keep them engaged for longer.

Mobile-first gaming

In such a saturated market, both the quality of a game and its ease of play have never been more essential. Quality gets more and more important as each year goes by and 2021 will be no exception. Not only do players want immersive titles, but an ever-increasing number play games on the go via mobile devices. For suppliers, focusing on creating content that is optimised for mobile rather than desktop devices is critical as it will allow providers to grow and attract a new generation of players. We think the next 12 months will be less about completely out-of-the-box innovation (although new ideas will still be needed) and more about simplification and user experience on any device.