eGaming Review July 2012 | Page 38

THINK AGAIN FEATURE to sti?e innovation. “When regulation comes in, innovation goes out of the window, and it is all about who is the most efficient in what they do,” he suggests. “In a way regulation could put back innovation because it often leads to consolidation, then there might be less need for the big boys to really innovate. But then again at the start they really do need to innovate because it’s a huge land-grab up until the point it reaches critical mass,” says Nevin. “Still, I do think regulation, while it might not seem so in the shortto-mid-term, in the long-term is great in the sense that you’ll probably see more opportunity to advertise in a speci?c market,” he adds. He sees marketing as one area where there could be a greater scope for innovation going forward, but refuses to buy into the suggestion that social media is intrinsically tied to innovation, at least as far as poker is concerned. “Innovation is becoming a bit of a four-letter word,” he says. “It’s starting to become really synonymous with the word ‘social’ and people are saying 'we’re going to do this or that on Facebook', but there’s nothing really innovative that you can do with Facebook at the moment,” he explains. "When you’re looking for more ?exible advertising solutions, it might be that you need the innovation to come from Facebook to allow people to become more ?exible.” I N S TA NT W IN INSTANT WIN SPOTLIGHT: JACKPOT DISRUPTION ffering the possibility of unlocking a life-changing sum for a minimal entry fee, either by buying a lottery ticket or depositing and playing a progressive jackpot that has amassed millions over time is, as anyone knows, as old as the hills. However, they also remain two of the most effective ways to acquire new and retain existing players in an online casino today. But many complain that there is little innovation in egaming and this is one area that has arguably experienced the least. Progressives are some of the most common features on online gambling websites today with a number O of operators offering gigantic amounts to players. Just last year, for example, one of Net Entertainment’s m