ONLINE MARKETING
players have to use a given rating card by the junket agent in order for the casino to evaluate the deposits of the player on a particular slot machine. For table games wagering is monitored manually by casino personnel based on averages and not actual amounts making online tracking more accurate. Once the player has been acquired both sectors
use a very similar approach for player retention and customer loyalty. Loyalty programs are mostly used to award players and almost all operators leverage loyalty points. However few have centralised loyalty or bonusing systems to run a promotion across multiple platforms or at different locations. This is a major opportunity for the land-based casinos that have launched online as this is where the two industries do combine. In the past - and as an example - operators have used cross-point, bonus build-up or cross-redemption campaigns to give players the opportunity to ‘buy’ items such as holidays using loyalty bonus points secured in either an online or offline environment.
Redemption is
also much easier for the land- based industry as it has more options with several shops and shows on site that can be linked to a promotional campaign where
points can be exchanged for drinks, gadgets, gifts, food or accommodation. It’s much harder to redeem offline promotions through online operations due to its virtual nature and third-party requirements. Another difference between these sectors is that
traditional marketing is rarely used in the online sector due to its high costs. However, this form of communication is very popular amongst land- based operators and direct mail campaigns are frequently used. Back-end data collation is one area that is
important to both the online and land-based sectors and plays a vital role in the success of the business. Although some land-based games are hard to track due to the anonymous nature of the game, land- based casinos can still collect player data through tracking club visits. Alternative tracking methods are
also used for other games and these include points based systems or player rating tables. Both sectors want real-time information and for land-based this is only possible on slot machines. The online sector uses a very similar approach but players are tracked in real-time due to the online nature. This also means that the online operator is able to launch a reactivation or retention campaign quicker than a land-based casino.
Cross Promotional is King To conclude, the land-based industry is cottoning
on to the value of cross promotional activity so that players can earn points in a land-based environment and simultaneously see the same status online and vice versa. Those land-based operators who leverage and integrate in to an online society will also have the overall advantage as they are able to offer a complete player experience regardless of how the player plays or in which location. However it is the player experience which is the
ultimate factor in running a successful casino operation whether this is land-based or online and we believe that the two sectors could and are learning from one another.
Ales Gornjec Director of Gaming, ComTrade
Ales Gornjec is the Director of Gaming at ComTrade, formerly HERMES SoftLab. Ales launched the ComTrade Gaming Division and is responsible for 200 engineers fielding the area of online casino, casino management, sports betting, online poker and live casino software. He joined ComTrade in 1996 as a software engineer and designer after graduating from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Maribor.
JANUARY 2012 83
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