iGaming
Bodog aims to attract ex-pat Chinese players
A shift in emphasis will see
Bodog.co.uk offer service to what Robert Gustafsson has described as the ‘missing millions’ in the UK gaming audience.
CASINO T
he Bodog Europe website,
Bodog.co.uk is to be retooled to target the ‘missing millions’ in the UK’s ultra-competi-
tive online gaming business. The website has recently come under the auspices of Bodog Asia manag- ing director Robert Gustafsson, who believes that the ex-pat Chinese community is largely ignored by online operators. He explained: “There are esti- mated to be at least 100,000,000 Chinese living outside China and if you then include Thai, Malay and Vietnamese expats you have more than just a niche market but one that has been ignored by other oper- ators despite being far and away the largest consumer group of casino games on the planet.”
Bodog.co.uk will offer its own unique live dealer Baccarat, which dwarfs Blackjack and Roulette combined in Asian casinos, as well as more traditional casino games and sports betting. The website will be made available in Standard and Simplified Chinese, Thai, Viet- namese and English.
Poker will not be included in the initial launch of the new UK-facing website, but it’s not something that Gustafsson is overly concerned
about: “We may well bring it back but at the moment it’s quicker to get the new site live without it. Plus, it’s not a big game in Asia at the moment, so not a huge priority.” Gustafsson continued: “The UK has a rich and historic culture of diversity and yet all online betting firms compete for the same con- sumer, driven by sports wagers. The listed UK companies regularly cite ‘more winning favourites than usual’ or a ‘bad Royal Ascot’ as a per- formance indictor because of the huge dependency on sports betting, whereas in Asia, online gaming, while offering sports betting, is still 80 per cent casino.
Bodog.co.uk can offer a totally different product to a totally different audience and while we will still offer sports betting the all-important casino customer will be our main source of revenue.” However, he confirmed that the sportsbook would also be getting a revamp: “Yes indeed, it will have a different look and feel and have a huge amount of added games from around the world as volume is important.”
Meanwhile, the firm’s B2B arm Bodog Gaming is to supply casino and sportsbook operator
Fun88.com with a new Live Dealer
Public support for TV gaming
LIVE GAMING
ROBERT GUSTAFSSON: ‘A TOTALLY DIFFERENT PRODUCT TO A
TOTALLY DIFFERENT AUDIENCE’
product. The new suite of products includes Baccarat, Sic Bo, Roulette and Dragon Tiger.
Fun88.com’s product director
Jeff Wei commented: “In the ever- competitive world of online casino it is vital to keep the site and prod- ucts fresh and exciting. This new Live Dealer product will add another layer of choice to our cus- tomers as well as some unique fea- tures that players haven’t seen before like Super 6 Baccarat which is so popular at the offline casinos in Asia.”
Bodog Gaming MD Will Hu added: “Fun88 have such a strong understanding of the Asian market- place and their success is a testa- ment to that. When we built our B2B Live Dealer studio and soft- ware we spent a long time analysing the products on offer and what the Asian customer wanted. Being able to deliver the product to a company as respected as Fun88 is, we hope, a reflection of its quality.”
ANALYSIS
Bodog has never been scared to innovate in order to try and carve out a niche for itself in the ultra-competitive European gaming market. In the past it has tried to promote itself as US sports specialist, but the firm’s experience in Asia should give it a foothold in a much more tangible and accessible market. There is still work to be done though as Robert
Gustafsson admitted that things such as the marketing plan has yet to be signed off. “That plan has not been formalised as yet, but as we will be in a field of one we are confident we can make a splash.”
Betfair splurges on £1m+ campaign B
MARKETING
etting exchange Betfair has launched a seven-figure market- ing campaign to support its casino offering. The above- the-line activity, which ini- tially spans four months until the end of December, is entitled ‘huge’ and repre- sents the betting firm’s biggest investment in casino TV to date.
The adverts, which feature iconic casino images including giant lemons and cherries falling from the sky, will be rolled out across Sky Sports, ESPN and British Eurosport. To broaden the campaign’s reach the ads will also air on terrestrial channels including Channel 4 and Channel 5.
Betfair said that the push on television forms part of a ‘fully integrated market- ing campaign’ which covers
that our updated product will keep gamers enter- tained for a long while.” The casino section of
Betfair’s operations is one that could really do with a push. In its recently released Q1 results, net gaming revenue for games and poker were the only divisions that had seen a drop in numbers.
ONE OF THE NEW ‘HUGE’ BETFAIR ADS
all acquisition channels including affiliates, search marketing, mobile and online display. Existing cus- tomer communications will feature the ‘huge’ creative as well.
4 BettingBusinessInteractive • OCTOBER 2012
Betfair’s UK & Ireland director Peter Marcus said: “The online casino market place is becoming increas- ingly cluttered and we wanted something to set us apart from the crowd. The
big and bold creative makes an immediate impact and is a significant departure from what our competitors are doing. I’m confident that these adverts can drive new customers to our casino and
The company said: “Games and Poker contin- ued to act as a drag on our overall growth rate, with revenue up 7 per cent and 3 per cent respectively excluding the impact of reg- ulation. Reported revenues, which were affected by reg- ulatory factors in Italy, Cyprus and Spain, were down 7 per cent and 4 per cent respectively.”
BETFAIR Q1 Business 48
survey has shown that 28 per cent of UK householders are in favour of gambling through television, yet another 23 per cent believe that it should be made illegal. The survey of 1,000 UK householders, compiled for affiliate firm Right Casino Media, intended to gauge the public reaction to casinos being more prominent on mainstream television due to the popularity of live roulette games such as SuperCasino and Jackpot247 which have dedicated Sky Channels as well as listings on ITV1 and Channel Five.
A
Whilst nearly a quarter voted against casinos airing on television, 49 per cent were unconcerned about the recent rise of slots allocated. Kerry Thornton from Surrey commented: “You have the ability to lock channels or certain programmes with a passcode nowadays, so it really doesn’t affect me or my children. Plus,
whenever I’ve seen it on it has been very late at night, if you’re old enough to be up at that time you’re old enough to make your own legal decision.” ‘Dean’ from Essex added: “I don’t really use the channels myself, although I have a few friends that do. Regardless, the shows are on very late at night and have measures to ensure under 18s do not sign-up. With today’s economy everyone is struggling, so if the TV channels need to branch out in order to remain open and cater for the masses then I’ll support them.” David Merry, director of Right Casino Media, commented: “We’re fully in support of all the gambling channels on television providing they adhere to a strict code to ensure that only responsible adults can play. The game of live roulette has proved a popular and entertaining pastime, people shouldn’t victimise those who do gamble responsibly due to their own opinion - if you don’t like it then I'd recommend not watching the channel.”
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