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FEATURE
the player . The rules are , in my honest belief , put in place to protect players . So what ’ s important is the enforcement of those rules .”
And Venken notes that despite the restrictions , there are many different channels still available to operators .
“ If you look at the marketing mix , we ’ re still allowed to do out-of-home ,” he says . We ’ re still able to email our base , we ’ re still able to do social media – both organic and paid ads – we ’ re able to do content marketing , we can do affiliation and sponsorships are still allowed .”
This attitude is not uncommon in the Belgian market . Indeed , industry association BAGO , which was initially critical of the Royal Decree when it was first introduced , has brought in many of its own marketing rules for members . Those in BAGO may not advertise specific products , nor can they suggest that gambling may be a path to financial success or that it is a question of skill . During Euro 2020 , BAGO members opted to stop television advertising entirely .
Alexis Murphy , chief executive of BetFirst Group , says that BAGO sees promotion of responsible gambling as a key part of its remit .
“ We ’ re very conscious that we ’ ve got a big role to play , both in ensuring that the law is maintained but also going beyond that in responsible gambling ,” he says .
Venken , himself a member of BAGO , notes that these rules help to create a “ level playing field ”, as regulated operators cannot outcompete one another on marketing tactics .
Unregulated operators , however , are free to do so , at least when it comes to bonuses .
“ The biggest challenge for us is the illegal side ,” Venken says . “ The stricter you regulate the market the more attractive the black market becomes .”
“ Probably upwards of 30 % of customers before the ban were coming on specifically because of bonuses and one would have to imagine that a lot of them have moved to illegal operators ”
ALEXIS MURPHY , BETFIRST GROUP
While Belgium has used blacklisting tactics to block almost 300 sites offering unlicensed gambling , new websites continue to spring up and offer bonuses .
“ The Gaming Commission is able to close down those operators , but they cannot close them down as fast as new ones pop up ,” he continues . “ They simply don ’ t have the resources .” Murphy expresses a similar sentiment . “ We said pretty much immediately after the bonus ban that there was a plethora of illegal operators advertising their bonuses on digital channels ,” he says . “ Obviously by definition it ’ s hard to measure the level of illegal activity , but I would say that probably upwards of 30 % of customers before the ban were coming on specifically because of bonuses and one would have to imagine that a lot of them have moved to illegal operators .
“ The bonus ban has undoubtedly created something of a problem in that area .”
LEADING CHANNELS
However , Venken argues that the rules have also allowed operators to be more creative in how they advertise .
“ I think that , just because it ’ s limited , it doesn ’ t mean you can ’ t be creative ,” he says . “ They might reduce the type of marketing you can do but that just means you need to be even more creative . It ’ s not that it ’ s not workable . So I do feel that by following the rules and even , yes , proposing more restrictions , that does actually help to make sure that there will be a legal offer so that we can keep advertising .
“ So it ’ s just requiring us marketers to be a little bit more creative , a little smarter about how we approach things rather than simply blasting money and hoping for the best .”
He says that the rules have naturally led to a change in the most popular techniques for marketing , with pay-perclick ( PPC ) ads among the main means of acquisition .
“ If I look at our own marketing and that of our competitors , PPC is very big . Traditional affiliation used to be bigger , but with bonuses being illegal , affiliation – from a legal point of view – decreased a lot .”
Murphy , however , notes that the most successful way operators have been
48 • ISSUE 89 • Q1 2022