As European markets become increasingly challenging, the role of creative marketing and affiliates takes on heightened importance.
We spoke to Matteo Giannone, the CEO and Founder of Casino2k, one of the leading affiliate websites operating in Italy, as he emphasised the importance of flexibility for casino affiliates as they adapt to new market frameworks.
Providing an oversight of Casino2k, he revealed that the company was established in 2008, making it one of the country’s oldest affiliates with a continued upward trajectory of growth since its formation.
Giannone revealed that the Casino2k team is an intimate one, with them placing a strong focus on getting the intricacies right and ensuring their content fits the bill for Google.
“With being a compact team, we have the ability to adapt and remain flexible, which is vital as we rely on Google”, stated Giannone, who also revealed that the affiliate can make big decisions efficiently without going through the ordeal of extensive red tape.
He added that when Google shifted to focus on more established brands, their heritage meant that they weren’t forced to embark on a significant transformation.
Dissecting the Italian market specifically, Giannone detailed that Casino2k was one of the early adopters of a more ethical approach to igaming marketing, stating: “It’s not just a matter of money for us, it’s a matter of understanding what the player wants and giving them options to choose where to play, how to play and which games to play themselves.
“The market framework tightened in 2011. We are fine with the regulation because we are doing marketing in a very soft way. We are not trying to attract people aggressively, but people are looking for us and looking for information.”
Giannone offered his support for strict regulation that halts advertising during sports events, suggesting they’re essential to ensuring that exposure of gambling for underages is mitigated. The SEO approach according to Giannone provides a strong filter for honest websites to maximise engagement.
He also underlined his support for self-excluding tools being utilised in the Italian market, as he stated providing players with the ability to pause their playing experience is crucial and ‘very ethical’ when it comes to social responsibility, and sets apart the regulated sector from the offshore sector.
He added that he believes lessons from more mature markets are vital for those that are currently emerging, citing LatAm and North America specifically.
“New markets having tight regulations is a positive thing in my opinion. Affiliates expanding into new regions should be meticulous in their approach to compliance and their advertising should be focused”, he stated.
“They need to get their strategy right and ensure they are targeting the right audience.”
One method in which Casino2k ensures it maximises engagement is through its bonus engine, which Giannone stated is a ‘crucial part of their offering’.
“Bonuses and promotions are two variables that change and evolve all the time. Through our news portal we keep players coming back by bringing the latest news and updates from this vertical of the industry.
“If there is something new happening in the industry, we inform the player and enable them with the best tools to make the decision of where to play.
“In Italy, we have around 36 operators right now. So people can take a look at all the offers and compare the bonuses and again decide for themselves where to play.”
Giannone also shared his opinion on the role of AI within igaming and the affiliate space, dismissing the idea that it will replace the human touch within game creation.
Instead he cited Netflix as an example of how it can be utilised by the igaming industry – smoothing the player process for when they look to engage with an operator site, bringing them the fast track to bonuses and games that it knows they will enjoy.
“AI can raise the ceiling on personalisation, like how when you sign into Netflix you’re immediately greeted by things you want to engage with – there’s no reason igaming should be different.”
With such a wide variety of games being created, Giannone urged the industry to “think outside the box and build something completely new”.
“The industry has the resources to innovate and push the envelope in terms of games creation, I don’t know why we don’t see it as much.”
From an affiliate perspective, he believes that innovation and new levels of engagement will come from forums, however, he would like to evolve the forum space and integrate news into these platforms – making them less about industry gripes and more about honest discussion.
Off the back of publishing its new handbook to guide the gambling industry when it comes to ensuring safer gambling standards are met, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has underlined that Safer Gambling Week (18th – 24th November 2024), is “a good opportunity to recognise the important work being done by the industry”.
A vocal point for this year’s initiative is ensuring that players are aware of the toolbox and the assets that are available to them, to benefit from a safer playing experience.
Organised by the BGC, BACTA and the Bingo Association, Safer Gambling Week is now in its eighth year and will once again see a range of safer gambling messages, both online and in land-based venues, in a bid to grow the nationwide conversation about betting responsibly.
Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, said: “Ensuring safety should always be central to every aspect of gambling.
“However, Safer Gambling Week offers a valuable chance to emphasise this priority even further.
“It also enables operators to exchange best practices, helping to make gambling in Britain among the safest experiences worldwide.”
Grainne Hurst, Chief Executive of the BGC, added: “Safer Gambling Week is about showcasing safer gambling tools that exist in the regulated industry all year round to ensure that the millions of people who enjoy a regular flutter, continue to do so in a safe and responsible environment.
“Previous years have shown that this campaign leads to increased use of those popular safer gambling tools – like time-outs and deposit limits.”
Safer Gambling Week and ensuring social responsibility standards are met are also vital for affiliates, with imperative steps being essential to ensure that traffic is safe.
It brings further into focus the essential steps that affiliates take to ensure they target the right audiences with their content and bring in traffic of value to operator partners.
Andrew Lee, COO of QiH Group, stated: “As a company focused on generating high-quality, responsible gambling traffic to our operator partner sites, safer gambling is a daily consideration for QiH Group. We recognise Safer Gambling Week as a valuable opportunity to stay engaged with the broader industry conversations and to hear from the community on responsible gambling.
“As affiliates are often an initial touchpoint for customers, our priority is maintaining a safe, compliant environment that benefits our partners and, ultimately, their customers.
“We believe in supporting a balanced approach where gambling remains what it should be: safe, enjoyable entertainment.”
Pivotal to the BGC’s new standards was ensuring that land-based casinos are prevalent with safer gambling messaging.
New guidance for the casino sector features a host of strategies, including ensuring that slot machine safer gambling messaging is boosted – “outside of game play, at least 20% of slot machine top screen imagery to be dedicated to safer gambling messaging, where game and machine functionality permits”.
As well as this, one strategy bids for safer gambling messaging to appear on slot machine receipts (referred to as TITO), promoting safer gambling and advice on staying in control, including the National Helpline phone number.
These measures will apply across the diverse membership of the BGC, including land-based operators like casinos, which are a pillar of the hospitality and tourism sector, bookmakers on hard-pressed high streets and online gaming operators.
