How Online Casinos Use Gamification to Increase User Retention
Many online casinos are now focusing their efforts on the mobile arena, with many expected to follow suit in the future. Gamification is no longer just an option for online casinos who wish to reproduce the casino experience within a virtual environment; it has become essential.
Players and bettors demand more effortless and easy access to online betting opportunities than ever before. Thus online casinos like WB7 must reward their players with the best in entertainment, fantastic bonuses and promotions, and most importantly, fun, engaging gameplay.
With this in mind, many online casinos are now employing gamification techniques in order to attract and retain more customers than their competition.
The following are seven ways online casino games use gamification to lure in new players, keep existing players returning again and again, and, most importantly, encourage high spending.
Personalized Game Play
Many gamblers prefer personalized gameplay as it allows them to make their favourite games unique to themselves.
This can be achieved by recording and storing individual behaviour and metrics over a period of time and then comparing the player’s progress against other players or even their own past performance.
Making it Easier For Players to Get Out of the Gate
When players are first learning how to play online casino games, they will often be tempted to choose a familiar game. However, once they become more comfortable with the process of playing online, they are often inclined to try out new games or maybe even switch casinos altogether.
Unfortunately for developers, this means losing out on revenue from players who might otherwise have stuck around.
Players Level Up
Levelling up is one of the most popular ways online betting sites use gamification. For instance, in Singapore-based casinos like WB7, players will often get points when they reach “milestones,” such as depositing a certain sum of money or playing a specific game for the first time.
Points and levelling up also create a sense of hierarchy: it feels like players are progressing through levels and rising above others.
Creating a Sense of Community
As you might know, games like “World of Warcraft” and “Minecraft” take place in complex worlds with rich backstories that draw players into their respective universes.
While casinos aren’t quite as complex, they still aim to create a sense of community where players feel like they are part of an online casino family. They go about doing this by having incentives that reward regular customers for their loyalty (e.g. weekly drawings, special bonuses).
Rewarding Game Play
Rewards encourage more frequent gameplay as they provide an incentive for gamers to return to the online casino more often. Rewarding gameplay is especially effective on mobile devices, where players are constantly looking for new opportunities to earn reward points.
Making Games Social
Gamers are encouraged to continue playing if they can see what their friends are doing. This has given rise to online casinos that use leaderboards that show players which of their friends have the biggest bankrolls and those who can boast the best win/loss ratios.
In-Game Promotions
In-game promotions are a great way to reward regular players without breaking your bank balance. If you want to retain gamers, it’s crucial that you distribute promotions to those who play regularly and can be relied upon to return and play more.
Promotions Driven By Loyalty
One of the most effective promotional tools is a loyalty program that rewards players both during their initial sign-up and then on an ongoing basis after this, giving them the incentive they need to keep coming back for more.
Integrated Promotions
It’s important that promotional offers are fully integrated into the game play, otherwise gamers will be put off.
The best way to encourage both fun and rewarding promotions is to give your players a simple choice: they can either receive a promotion or choose not to if it doesn’t interest them.
Fairness
Online casinos must ensure fairness because gamification techniques rely on a smooth and rewarding user experience. If players feel as though they are being cheated, they will likely lose trust in the online casino and search for another one to play at.
The future of gamification looks bright as more online casinos begin to employ the tactics discussed above. The result will be happier gamers, and the online casino that can retain and reward them will be rewarded with their business.