What Triggers Casino Players?

What prevents a casino player from taking the desired action? What triggers the player? Does the motivation differ between newbies and experienced players? You will find all the answers in the latest CustDev research.

We love sharing projects that appeal to users. If a player finds it clear, then he/she is more likely to reach the deposit stage. That’s why we’re always interested in researches that deeply analyze the needs and desires of the target audience. In this article, we want to share with you one of the types of such analysis — Customer development.

What is CustDev?

CustDev (Customer Development) is the investigation of customer needs through conducting interviews. To find out how to improve the product or test an idea, the researcher communicates with the consumer and “extracts” insights. In fact, it’s similar to gathering feedback, but in a more deep way.

How the Research Is Conducted?

The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with real casino players. They operated the following way: gathered a pool of respondents, prepared a brief with questions, met with each person individually, and interviewed them according to a prepared script. Then, they collect raw data and proceed with a thorough analysis.

It’s not easy to extract insights during interviews. Nevertheless, it’s beneficial for the business because based on the information obtained, people can implement new ideas, make changes, and refine our websites and applications.

The Data from Our Research

Well, let’s move on to the most interesting part. We want to consider a part of the recent CustDev research. In addition to collecting demographic data, researchers asked the following questions:

• What motivates players to play?
• How does a player choose a casino?
• What repels a player from a casino site? (Note: we specifically examined affiliate sites)
• What attracts a player to a casino site?

Motivation for the First Game

The most common answers among interviewed players were:

• Along with the friends’ company;
• Out of boredom;
• “Friend won, I want to try too”;
• Desire to earn.

Motivation for Subsequent Games

Next, players’ motivations change. The next time they visit the casino, they are more likely to do so for the following reasons:

• Desire to earn;
• Thrill and desire for excitement;
• Need to play;
• Availability of free time.

Notice how players’ motivation changes over time. This is visible on the graph.

How Players Choose New Casinos?

When it comes to novice players, in choosing a casino, they rely on feedback from friends, streamers, active discussions in chats, Telegram, and so on. They may also come across the product through advertising but rely on it to a lesser extent. This happens spontaneously: they saw it, and they registered.

Experienced players believe that a brand has a higher return if it has recently entered the market. Their main goal is to earn money, so they consciously play in new places.

A very important factor for both categories is good first-deposit bonuses.

Casino or Sports Betting?

25% of respondents play only in the casino, while 75% are also interested in sports betting.

What Prevents Players from Taking Target Action Through Affiliate Site?

The surveyed players said that the main repulsive element for accessing the casino is a suspicious-looking mirror site:

• Favicon and domain raise doubts about its authenticity;
• The design does not resemble the official brand: poor layout and image quality, outdated fonts, visuals, etc;
• The site contains outdated information, such as expired promo codes;
• Cross-branding triggers negativity and reduces return rates.

The key point is that most users are convinced that they are accessing the official site. They do not realize that they are interacting with an intermediary site.

What Helps Players Take Target Action Through Affiliate Site?

Here are the triggers for visiting an affiliate website and successfully interacting with it:

• Indication of the official website in the snippet;
• Clear and noticeable calls to action;
• Brand-like design;
• Relevant content;
• Availability of an app (80% of users use APK).

If users like the website, they will bookmark it in their browser.

Read more about the latest visual metadata trends for social casino games on Google Play. Our analysis will help you understand which visuals are most effective in driving organic traffic.

Conclusion

Motivation to play varies among user categories: while beginners often play for entertainment, experienced players primarily want to earn. However, a significant portion of respondents expressed interest in bonuses, promo codes, and free spins, so having such information on your website will increase conversion. Always ensure the relevance of bonuses.

Many people access casinos through mobile devices, so the ability to download the app (APK) will also positively impact conversion. Use a design similar to the official website, as most surveyed players do not understand that they are on a mirror site, not the official one.

Handle cross-branding carefully, as it can negatively affect not only conversion but also retention. Study your audience to better understand their needs.