Online casinos are not a recent phenomenon but they are recently gaining vast popularity, considering the anonymity, convenience and fun they offer to their customers. Every casino wants a piece of the pie. How big is that pie? It was estimated to be worth $37.8 billion in 2016 with a projection to grow to $55 billion by 2020. It is obvious that every casino would want a piece but with so many casinos on the market offering close to the same variety of games, what makes one stand out? 

Considering the nature of casinos where the customers stand a high chance of losing money, how does a casino convince them to keep coming back? Online casinos have been up to the task creating sign-up bonuses, VIP clubs and referral programs that have incentivised customers to sign-up, stay and spread the word to other potential customers. We will dive into some of the ways casinos are doing this.

Bonuses 

“There is nothing free in this world,” said somebody who has never been to an online casino. While this is not absolutely wrong, casinos offer a couple of bonuses that seek to entice the undecided customer. Some of these bonuses include welcome bonuses, free spins, no-deposit bonuses and promotions. Some of these bonuses match the gambler’s deposit of up to 400 percent which they can use to enjoy the variety of games at the casino. Free spins also offer the gambler a go at some of the slots. Promotions incentivise new customers but also existing customers to stay and these may happen weekly and monthly. Finding sites that have these lucrative bonuses can be difficult, however 6Takarajuki aims to help players by providing lists that include the best online casinos, and you can give it a read here. While considering these bonuses, gamblers must still take note of the terms and conditions of using these bonuses which could be tied to specific dates and times. I guess it is not totally free, is it? 

Email marketing 

While this seems like a traditional form of marketing, it has interestingly stood the test of time. Despite the advent of SMS, emails are still a relevant method that casinos can use to reach out to potential customers and business partners. Emails still offer the advantages of being cost effective, scalable, customizable and time saving. Casinos can use emails effectively by building a comprehensive email list using pop-up forms on the website and sending quality emails with catchy openings and hooks in the subject line and contacting players regularly with relevant information such as bonuses and games. It is important for casinos to evaluate the effectiveness of their emails to see where there may be room for improvement. 

Social gaming 

Social gaming is an enticement used by casinos where they offer customers the opportunity to play games on their PC or mobile for free. While there are rewards to winning in social games, they cannot be cashed out. Social gaming creates the fun and excitement of gambling without real money. It exposes the gamer to the different games and rewards they can experience in real gambling. As a marketing tool, it takes away the stakes in real gambling while exposing players to the casino world. Overly enthusiastic players realising the fun, entertainment and possibility of winning may eventually convert to real casino games. 

VIP benefits

Loyal customers are hard to come by and casinos take this very seriously. The work it takes to get one loyal customer is much harder than maintaining an already loyal one therefore casino offer benefits exclusively to their loyal customers. It is how they give back for being faithful. Online casinos offer reward, VIP or loyalty programs that are directed toward more gambling. These may be in the form of cash-back through point redemption, free gifts and invitations to slot tournaments. By participating in these programs, customers are attached more to the casino.  

Conclusion

Marketing is an essential part of a successful casino to draw new customers and maintain already existing ones. It is through using methods such as bonuses, email marketing, social gaming and VIP benefits that customers can be convinced of the value that a casino can give them. Every customer looks for the best offer and the casino that rewards best is often the one that comes out winning. Casinos win if their customers win in some ways. Rewarding gamblers makes gambling more attractive to the customer.