Why we need more casino brands that can make a difference

With a new generation of customers comes new brand values. From a marketing perspective, we know that today’s social media age only interacts with brands that truly resonate with causes they care about. According to PR Daily, for audiences in the millennial demographic, 83% of those surveyed want the brands they use to align with their values, and 76% want CEOs to speak out on issues they care about.

How does your willingness to speak up affect the bottom line? Well, PR Daily also tells us that, on average, 62% of customers will always favour a product that resonates with their social identity.

When it comes to the gaming industry, we’re no exception. There’s a reason why the brands with the biggest advertising budgets hold such sway over the market – with bet365, Paddy Power and Sky Betting & Gaming ruling the roost.

This also reflects the wider paradigm shift we’re seeing in the world of gaming. Gone are the days of being heavily dependent on VIPs and a seedy image.

Today, the world of online casino and sportsbooks is all about high-tech entertainment, similar to the likes of Netflix, which rely on a model of entertaining millions of people at a low-cost contribution from each member of the audience.

I believe that as we build on that wider online appeal, especially towards the new internet generation, we have a wonderful opportunity to transform our values as an industry.

Doing this would see us providing entertainment that can also be a force for good and have a purpose.

So, with that in mind, let’s look beyond Ray Winstone and bet365 and start talking about brand values that actually matter.

Success story

Again, using the UK as an example, we can already see this in action with the National Lottery. That, quite literally, is gambling which is a force for good.

In the last 30 years, we’ve seen the National Lottery benefit vital organisations. Up to and including the 2021-22 financial year, the National Lottery has generated £43.7bn for good causes since its launch in 1994 and has supported over 670,000 projects.

The majority of National Lottery grants are under £10,000, enabling a large number of operations to benefit. A further £2.2bn has also been raised in income from investment.

From a marketing perspective, we can easily see why the UK National Lottery holds a positive public image.

I feel certain that we can do this with casino across global markets. The industry’s done a great job showing it cares about responsible gambling, but with values that customers can resonate with, it’s so much more than that.

Branding can not only show that we care about player safety, it can be used to create values that can be a source of good for the world.

Taking a step back, it’s easy to see why this works. Let’s use a cause that both a company and its customers can both get behind.

For me, that would be animals. As part of the millennial generation, we all know how important our pets are – as well as the wider world around us.

Such a universal theme, a cause that’s dear to millions of people, would really be something we can all unite behind both as an industry and also as players.

Take Malta for example – where so much of our industry is based.

Charity starts at home

On the island, we have a serious issue related to dogs without a home, and a shelter infrastructure that despite all the wonderful volunteers best efforts, needs much more help.

The most well-known shelter is probably Noah’s Ark, who are doing some great work. However, there are also other smaller shelters trying their best to help the cause, one example being the Association for Abandoned Animals and Island Sanctuary. These shelters go through hundreds of cans of food per week, as well as ongoing medical and other costs.

This is a direct cause we can help with in Malta, and as a casino fan myself, I’d be so much happier knowing that my losses, and indeed the casino’s wins, are going to a good cause.

So, let’s say you as a casino brand donate 1% of your revenue to a worthy cause. Let’s also assume that via compound interest that growing accumulation of 1% will suddenly become a very, very big number that can go to something good.

This is even more pertinent when we look at how well the industry has performed since 2020.

Right now, we’re one of the few tech sectors out there that is seeing active growth.

It’s time for us to do something to show we can be a force for good. I promise it would do wonders for our image in the wider world.

However, before I finish, there’s one key thing to remember if you want to take this to heart. If you are interested in taking this commitment on, you need to be completely authentic about what you’re going to do.

We’ve seen it time and time again in marketing when digital audiences immediately realise a false sell when it comes to championing a good cause.

If you want to do it, and indeed commit to making sure that players can truly resonate with your values, you need to showcase and publicise the good causes players are supporting.

We’ve got a wonderful opportunity to help make the world a better place given our industry’s success. It’s time to take that success and turn it into a truly authentic message.

Mathew Taylor has a wealth of experience in marketing across multiple sectors. With more than five years in the igaming industry spanning both B2B and B2C, he has worked with multiple tier-one casino operators including Mr Green, as well as leading game providers such as NetEnt and Relax Gaming.

As an environmentally conscious animal lover, Mathew’s vision is to build engaging brands which appeal to both the igaming industry and players the world over. He believes strongly in the ideals he tries to represent, and in his current capacity as head of brand marketing at DoubleUp Group, he has helped support multiple initiatives dedicated to animal welfare.