NEWS > ANALYSIS
>> With the ?rst operators now live for real-money on Facebook, has the much hyped launch failed to deliver on its early promise? Tom Victor ?nds out
espite the presence of more than 37m monthly active users (MAU) on Texas Hold’em Poker and 13m on Zynga Slots, Zynga’s ?rst foray into real-money gambling (RMG) came via its deal with bwin.party, rather than its long-time partner Facebook. And while in its recent ?rst-quarter results statement Zynga revealed it still intends to launch an RMG offering on Facebook before the end of 2013, other less obvious companies – Bonza Gaming, Gamesys and 888 – seem to have stolen a march. Yet perhaps Zynga knows something the rest of the industry has yet to learn; that while enthusiasm still abounds, success on Facebook in the freeplay world by no means translates into realmoney success. The lack of success stories from Facebook’s ?rst RMG partners speaks volumes and there is a prevailing sense that we are yet to see a signi?cant impact. While attracting players on the social network was seen to be an easy win, converting social players to depositing customers via the site is perhaps proving much harder than ?rst thought.
THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD
Gamesys: The operator became the first to offer RMG on Facebook in August 2012
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Partnering up
The three partners to date have all gone down different routes to some extent: Gamesys has opted against replicating the JackpotJoy brand for RMG on Facebook, 888 has integrated its social arm into the business-at-large, and Bonza Gaming is a brand yet to be allied to an offering – real-money or otherwise – away from Facebook. This hints at the freedom provided by the Facebook real-money environment, but simultaneously emphasises a lack of structure which could be used as an argument
that we are still some way away from being able to judge the success of the platform. Speaking to Social Casino Intelligence last month, Bonza Gaming CEO Rick Brownlow noted that, given how new RMG is within the context of gambling-style games on Facebook, player education is key. “This education process is crucial, as people are very quick to dismiss or engage with new products and services,” he revealed. Former head of marketing for Gamesys’ social division and co-founder of social betting game SportzRush, Mike Webb, is well aware that RMG on Facebook is still at an embryonic stage and suggest a launch on the platform represents “a
“THIS EDUCATION PROCESS IS CRUCIAL, AS PEOPLE ARE VERY QUICK TO DISMISS OR ENGAGE WITH NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES”
Rick Brownlow, Bonza Gaming
www.egrmagazine.com
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