eGaming Review February 2013 | Page 58

SPONSORED EDITORIAL SPIELO G2 LOTTERY FOCUS Unlocking revenue William Scott of Spielo G2 explains how taking into account the nuances of bingo products can make all the difference As lottery operators are ?nding, sophisticated players with ever higher expectations and competition from wellfunded rivals make it increasingly difficult to sustain online growth. To give those players reasons to keep playing, and to encourage newcomers, it is essential to create an entertaining experience each and every time they log on. A logical solution lies in bingo. The game, as most people now know, is one of the fastest-growing segments in online gaming. Since 2004 the market has exploded, turning from an industry worth €226m to nearly €1.4bn worldwide, according to GBGC 2011. Bingo rooms offer players excitement through jackpots, guaranteed prizes and side games, as well as creating a community of players who thrive on the camaraderie on offer. Given that 90% of UK bingo players play Lotto as well, bingo is an obvious extension of a lottery’s online offering. But getting it right means quickly grasping the demographics and understanding what it is that makes a bingo player tick. The player base is overwhelmingly female, with only 20% of men taking part, and is primarily made up of people aged between 30 and 50. Interestingly, far more time is spent communicating with other players in chat rooms and playing side games such as slots than the game itself. The latter ensures an entirely different win experience for players and a lucrative second revenue stream from the interactive channel for lotteries. There are many examples of the powerful impact bingo has on lotteries, but the most notable in recent times is to be found in Finnish company Veikkaus. The tremendous growth in its internet portfolio followed careful analysis of established bingo markets such as that in the UK. The more they learned, the more they realised that including online bingo would provide access to women aged between 30 and 40 who had hitherto been an untapped demographic for them. A strong chat community and compelling chat features and functionality are also essential elements for creating a successful online bingo site. Through live video streaming, larger than life presenters are also able to interact with players and add to the all-round entertainment value they derive from their visit. By hosting chat games, awarding special cash bonuses and passing on information about upcoming games and promotional offers, they are an important tool in ensuring players return time and time again. At SPIELO G2 we are more aware than most about the importance of chat moderators, and even offer players a Chat Administrator Tool to ensure they make the most of t ??????????]??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????a??????d??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????MA%1