Interactive MOBILE/ONLINE/LAND-BASED
Managing expectations and delivering results
When taking the journey online, land-based operators need to prioritise precisely their goals and work with a dedicated partner that can deliver a tailored solution. G3 speaks to Ales Gornjec of Comtrade Gaming about the practical steps involved in this transition
What are the benefits for a retail operator in recre- ating its casino/brand/environment/player expe- rience in the online space?
By recreating casino/brand/player experience online, a retail operator both leverages the invest- ments that have been made to build the experi- ence in retail to online, and at the same time extends the familiar and cherished experience (like customer service, content, etc.). Providing an online experience allows the operator to reach players at any time and almost anywhere without the players having to venture to the operator’s physical venue.
How close can a retail operator get to achieving a re-creation of their land-based offer online?
There are a few areas. The first is content – most content can be made available online and there can even be a fusion of the physical and online offering by providing live dealer games online. Live dealer games can be streamed from real tables in operator’s venues where both physically present and online players can share games. The online world actually offers operators more choice in selecting best-of-breed content, regard- less of vendors; particularly when integrated with a common gaming platform.
The second is the essence of customer service. While the mode of delivery may differ online (there will be no face-to-face communication with the player), the essence of the service can be migrated to the online world. Customer assis- tance, promotions, rewarding, and bonuses can keep the same essence and reward players with the same “feel” as in the retail space. The service can also be brought to a different level when attracting players online, as much more intimate information about player preferences can be col- lected online (like for example favourite games, playing patterns) and this is used in retail. A com- mon wallet makes it much more convenient for the player to wander between the retail and online worlds.
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There are, of course, also limitations: the venue experience can only be transitioned to a very lim- ited extent online, as only the online device screen is the “real estate” that is available for re- creating the venue experience.
What are the practical steps in creating an offline/online seamless gaming experience for the player?
The operator will want to start with selecting the content to be made available. A survey of a focus group and analysis of existing performing games in retail may be helpful in selecting the right online content. The content may include live streaming games, where the operator needs to decide whether an existing venue or a dedicated studio will be used. After determining the content, the operator needs to decide how to source the content. Decisions can range from white label partnerships, to buying content, or to developing content. When the most flexibility and control is needed, the operator might want to decide on acquiring a RGS platform and integrating games into the platform.
The next step is to decide on enabling services, which primarily includes payment services, but also fraud prevention services, Know Your Customer (KYC) services, communication servic- es (email, SMS), affiliate management services, etc.
To tie all of the components together and to achieve a complete view of the player’s experi- ence, the operator will want to select a platform that allows for quick and flexible integration of all the services, both online and land-based. That platform will ideally be open, modular, and flexi- ble enough to allow for quick integration of all components. It will need to also have player engagement functionality that spans online and land-based areas.
What scale of gaming operation is this suitable for – i.e. a multi chain or single site?
Providing players an online experience is becom- ing a necessity nowadays. To protect and leverage the investments into brand and players, all opera- tors need to consider providing a seamlessly inte- grated experience both online and at their land- based casino. The size and the implementation model will vary however, depending on the scale of operation. Smaller operations might want to consider a partnership model with white label operators, while larger operators that need full control and flexibility for online and land-based experience, will be better served by choosing flexible online and gaming platforms and poten- tially several content providers.
Are there any additional regulatory factors that should be considered when considering this solu- tion?
Recently, licenses have only been awarded to companies with an existing land-based presence in many jurisdictions that are legalising online gaming, and in such cases many regulatory pro- ceedings are quite similar on both sides. If mar- kets are also opened for pure online operators, then usually disputes can occur if taxation is dif- ferent (often online taxes are lower than land- based). In jurisdictions with multi-channel gam- ing operations, responsible gaming solutions become more complex. Introducing a central self- exclusion database usually works for all instances in which players have to identify them- selves. Introducing limits (spending, depositing, wagering, session time) can already be a much more complex task if a player can play on several
In order to use the benefits of a
land-based presence operators should deploy solutions that will allow them to do effective cross marketing and have a full 360° view over their player’s activities.
online portals at once and then also spend time and money in retail or casino sites near his home.
What should operators focus on in the creation of their online equivalent?
The first thing to focus on would be to take advan- tage of their brand and existing relationships with their players. This is a very important asset that is difficult to build, and helps a lot in building the initial trust on the online side. To smooth the transition operators should also try to include games that are popular in their land-based opera-
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