I returned back to the office from last week’s ICE London conference with one recurrent thought … millennials. For quite some years the iGaming industry has been particularly keen on profiling this new generation: who they are, what they like, and probably most importantly, what constitutes their spending habits.
There is no doubt whatsoever that operators are now sensing that the time is ripe to focus their efforts on figuring out how to engage and harness the huge opportunity that the thriving millennial demographic keeps in hold. Having said that, one cannot deny that ICE London 2020 represented a tangible shift in the approach undertaken by operators to tailor their iGaming strategies to attract this ever increasing consumer base.
Esports as a strong factor of engagement and interaction
Esports featured as one of the main attractions and crowd drawers at ICE London. And it is relatively easy to ascertain why. Raised in an era of rapid technological advancement, millennials are digital natives. Being more connected to technology than older generations, they are more keen on digital interaction and engagement. And it is these particular characteristics that operators and service providers alike ought to address in a feasible and timely manner.
Unsurprisingly, even though still in its early stages, the esports vertical has a highly
developed ecosystem of organisations, players, game developers, and hardware providers. A scenario that makes it even more appealing for operators to incorporate this fast-growing segment at the core of their business strategies in order to engage millennials like never before.
Another strong argument in favour of the integration esports as a primary pillar for the whole industry lies in the numbers themselves. It is a fact that cross-selling between esports and other sports is very limited. Why? Sportsbooks fail to address esports fans’ expectations, not only in terms of coverage but also in terms of on-site features and promotions amongst other aspects. Truth is millennials are keen to experience the tangible immersion, emotions, and engagement that esports is able to deliver, and that today’s sportsbetting approach simply does not.
Going social
As a company for the past years we have been aware and thoroughly analysed how to integrate new technological solutions to adapt to the “millennial phenomenon”. And it comes as no coincidence that a lot of interest was manifested in our new Neuron 3 iGaming platform, and the way that it was built from the ground up to deliver a player-centric betting experience.
Not only did we incorporate a wider selection of channels to compensate for the newer generation’s innate tendency to opt for a multi-platform and multi-device environment, but more importantly by understanding their craving to explore the world of social media. Through Neuron 3’s Social Media Betting feature, we have kept ourselves ahead of the curve by morphing what has been primarily a communicative platform, into a tool through which bets could be placed via a single interface, whilst elevating the whole process to a social context.
I am confident to say that the iGaming industry is ready to embrace the dawn of a new era, where it is forced to further its boundaries through new technological territories in order to satiate the newer players’ demands for a more simplified, personalised and holistic betting experience. Spurred by the never ending quest to optimise the player journey and his lifetime value, operators and service providers are now able to finally close the gap and deliver a new level of entertainment, that is now considered as mandatory in other sectors. The chance to leverage on today’s technological innovations to connect with millennials is undoubtedly one of the most exciting opportunities for the industry today.
About BtoBet.
BtoBet is a multinational company and is part of a group with 20 years of experience in software development in IT, telecommunication, e-commerce and banking, strongly committed to technology and widely investing in technology research and development. The experience gained at the forefront in these advanced environments, compared with the more recent gambling industry, allows BtoBet to be visionary with a deep understanding of the requirements of the market, catching changing trends and anticipating bookmakers’ and operators’ needs. BtoBet is a true partner in technology, offering a standalone platform and services for the iGaming and Sports Betting industry. It counts on a very talented, continuously trained development team and day to day management support to clients. BtoBet allows licensees to be unique in the market, by giving them the opportunity to completely personalise their offers for Sports betting and iGaming business, online mobile and retail. Visit our site on: www.btobet.com
