Traditionally, casinos have always been masters of quality entertainment. However, it wasn’t until they started going digital that concerns like user onboarding and intuitive UX started to pop up. Of course, they have refined these things over the years, and user acquisition is now possible through multiple channels. Not only that, but the ways players interface with casino sites have significantly changed.
It should be noted that iGaming businesses didn’t come up with these strategies; they borrowed them and followed trends that were present in other forms of entertainment. The modern casino’s look and business model were heavily inspired and continue to be inspired by gaming. Below is a detailed overview of what those lessons are and how online gambling sites implemented them.
Onboarding Through Reviews
Older marketing practices that include recommendations or simply glorify the product barely work nowadays. Whenever we decide to buy something or spend money, we love to do research and hear what other users have to say. In a way, we are more comfortable spending money if we don’t feel the choice was forced upon us. Online casinos are aware of this, and if you look at PokiesLab.co.nz reviews, you’ll see there are detailed overviews for multiple brands on that site. Not only that, but there are also tons of reviews for casino games or software studios. In essence, players opt for a casino based on the games it hosts.
This type of marketing is more authentic and trustworthy. Readers don’t feel like someone is trying to convince them to sign up with one specific casino. Instead, they are free to choose for themselves and pick a site they feel is right.
Here’s one important detail. The casinos that are on those review sites belong to a few different companies. So, you do have lists that span 50 or even 100 online casinos, but all of the top picks are sister sites in many cases. Now, gaming companies heavily rely on reviews and reputable review sites like IGN, Metacritic, and GameSpot. These websites, along with popular YouTubers, get early access to the highly anticipated games in order to have reviews ready on the release day. However, the journalists in this case are more likely to give a positive score, because they want to stay in the company’s good graces and continue to get early copies.
Cross-Platform Play
Another UX trend that has gained momentum is cross-platform play. This means you get to interact with the same game on either PC, console, or a smartphone, and your progression gets saved. In other words, you can continue playing where you left off, regardless of the hardware. For AAA games, this is extremely hard to implement because they have higher hardware demands and aren’t compatible with smartphone devices.
We have seen attempts to make this work, though. For instance, there was a big Diablo game (Diablo Immortal) that was initially released for Android and iOS devices. Another problem is gameplay. It’s not the same when someone is playing on a keyboard, a touchscreen, or a joypad, which makes competitive play difficult to balance. However, that’s not the case for casino games. They are originally designed for both desktop and mobile play.
Since casino games don’t use complex mechanics, you can even compete in poker or blackjack tournaments on either phone or PC, and your gameplay won’t suffer. The only notable difference is with live dealer games. While these are cross-platform, it’s simply easier to follow and chat with others when you are on a PC.
Minimalistic Interface
While games are way more complex and customizable nowadays, there is no need for all that to be visible at the surface. Truth is, modern players are way more familiar with how things work, and have a higher degree of technical literacy. This gives designers more freedom when they are crafting the user interface. Both casinos and gaming platforms rely on a so-called minimalistic design. It’s possible to communicate the functions of buttons or sections through icons and their placement on the page layout. A modern casino site has some of the following icons on the left side page menu:
- Icon of a slot machine – Indicates that this is a section dedicated to slot games and all of their categories.
- Icon of a roulette wheel – It usually indicates a live casino section that features table games. It can also indicate digital table games, but these are commonly included as a separate subcategory in “Slots.”
- Icon of football ball – Indicates sportsbook section
- Icon of a gift box – This is a page where current promotions are displayed
- Icon of a crown or VIP sign – This is loyalty program rewards and explanations
In reality, there are many more subcategories or pages, but those don’t need to be included here. They can be in a site map that can be accessed through a menu that’s at the bottom of the home page.
Video games are very similar in this sense. You have options to change keybindings, to change the quality of graphics, colors, language, display brightness, sound, subtitles, and so many other things. However, the most important settings, like difficulty, camera, mouse sensitivity, save/load, and others, are easily accessible whenever the player presses pause. This design philosophy helps reduce cognitive overload and doesn’t overburden players with things they are less likely to care about.
Emphasis on Social Features
Gaming as a hobby entered the mainstream around 2006. At this time, online co-op features were introduced, and there were many local gaming shops that started to organize tournaments for Counter-Strike, Starcraft, Warcraft, and other popular titles. Soon after World of Warcraft was released, and as a massive multiplayer game it revolutionized this form of entertainment. Ever since, social features or some type of co-op play have become a part of almost all games, even those that are designed as single-player experiences.
Online casinos have started to introduce a more social-focused gameplay through live casino games, but it didn’t end there. They added game shows or game rooms with a focus on different topics, like football. So the games are still played by the participants, but the host and players are encouraged to discuss the latest developments and games in the world of football.
Slot players weren’t left out either. There are all sorts of special events or tournaments where they can compete against one another. It’s not as interactive as live dealer rooms, but there are scoreboards, names, and comments that make the whole thing feel more alive. Just knowing there are other people out there who compete and love to play the same thing as you can feel good. After all, that’s what social interaction in a franchise like Dark Souls is all about. Leaving notes that other players can find as they play.
Higher Degree of Immersion
Some modern releases look pretty realistic thanks to motion capture technology, more refined graphic design tools, and just better hardware. However, studios have been aiming to take this a step further using VR, but this approach is not exactly resonating with the majority of the player base. Currently, the gamer population consists of young and middle-aged men (25-45), while VR games are mainly played by kids and teens. So it will take several more years before it really takes off.
That said, once this generation reaches adulthood, they will be eligible to gamble. So, it stands to reason that when they do, they will be more comfortable with VR casino games. Immersion isn’t just about porting or creating the game for VR. It’s about giving players more freedom to customize their experience, such as in-game avatar look and outfits, how they sound, the stickers they use in chat, etc.
When you give players more options for customization, they become more invested in their online profiles. Some modern casinos are fully aware of this and use these features (expanded customization options) as a part of loyalty bundles. In fact, there is a whole gambling sub-section that revolves around wagering cosmetics, a.k.a skin betting.
Using Virtual Goods and Currencies
Another trend in gaming that’s becoming more prominent is virtual currencies. In essence, this is a balance of funds that can only be spent in-game, or it is a balance that can be spent on marketplace platforms (e.g., Steam or Battle.net). What’s interesting about these is that it’s possible to earn virtual currency through in-game content, and then exchange it for a real money balance. You can’t withdraw those funds, but you can still use them to buy other digital merch – DLCs, cosmetics, other games, gifts, etc. This is very similar to how sweepstakes casinos function.
In essence you can gamble with sweep coins and win more of them. Those sweep coins can later be redeemed for real prizes, such as smartphones, consoles, travelling tickets, etc. However, even some real money casinos have found ways to incorporate this strategy. For example, they might allow players to win NFTs or to gamble using their casino’s native currency. These digital goods or currency can also be traded between accounts. So it’s technically possible to win things, exchange them for currency, and then use that currency to gamble.
Competitive Play
Lastly, video game tournaments are another way in which many studios promote their products. Seeing how pro players go against each other inspires others to continue playing. They want to try and pull off cool things they see in the tournaments, or they want to become pros and turn gaming into a career.
Gambling companies have taken notice and started to invest more in competitive poker. Nowadays, if you want to compete in big poker competitions, you need to qualify through online play. Not only that, but bigger tournaments are also streamed or have live TV coverage, so that more people can see the pros and how they play. Now, many will try poker because of this, but not all of them will fully commit. They might give up on it, but try different games like blackjack, roulette, or even slots. So, promoting professionals and their competition still affects the conversion.
Free Trials
Finally, gaming companies became more confident about their products. Since they are sold digitally, it’s possible to give a free demo that only includes the first 2 hours of gameplay, or to offer full refunds after someone has played for only 2 hours. Players really like this as it feels fair, and casinos are doing pretty much the same thing. Almost all games can be tested for free, and there are even no deposit bonuses that can be used to gamble at 0 risk. This helps create trust between the company and consumer, and it actually makes users more open to spending money.