Streaming platforms and iGaming

The appeal of live streaming is self-evident, with millions being earned on a regular basis by top influencers. With the amazing pull that individuals have with certain audiences, casinos see an opportunity to harness that to attract viewers to their gambling platforms. Naturally, this comes with some major regulatory hurdles that must be observed. Today, we will be discussing why streamers and iGaming platforms are such a lucrative match and how such platforms came to be.

Origins of streaming platforms

With the smorgasbord of entertainment that has sprouted up, people don’t have to watch TV shows live anymore. People have learned to get around TV commercials, install ad blockers, and reduce their digital footprint, thus bringing about challenges for conventional monetization channels. What really draws people in, however, is live broadcasts hosted by people they admire where they can directly engage with them. In order to send the streamer a message, people have to donate a certain amount of money, with different amounts of money providing different levels of benefits.

Its progenitors were Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, which allowed people to stream movies and shows whenever they felt like for a subscription fee. A lot of the content that streamers provide nowadays is provided on a subscription basis as well, on websites such as patreon. Then certain platforms featured specific genres. After that, individual content creators sitting at home started to narrow down on specific niches, and that’s where we are today.

Additional technology has facilitated live broadcasts like 4 UHD evolving to HDR format

along with adaptive streaming technology which adjusts video technology based on the viewer’s Internet speed to avoid bandwidth constraints.

Engagement features include:

• live chats
• polls
• viewer voting

Influencers play all kinds of gambling on their streams, including:

• video poker
• slots
• roulette
• crash games like Aviator betting game
• football bets
• lotteries
• pachinko
• craps

Influencer marketing and affiliate partnerships with online casinos: how they work

Through a combination of social influence, personal endorsements, and performance-based incentives, influencers as well as affiliate marketers have played a crucial role in the online casino ecosystem reaching its current prominence.

The most popular platforms have been:

• Twitch: Originally launched as a hub of video game streams, it evolved to show music performances, Q&A sessions, IRL streams, tutorials, and other events. It would go on to become the unequivocal number one platform for gambling streams. Recently, however, it decided to outright ban gambling content.
• YouTube: this is the platform that first popularized user-generated video content and remains by far the primary option for users posting their own such content. However, it is lamented for taking high 30% cuts off donations and it also doesn’t allow links to be placed under videos, despite that streamers are allowed to advertise specific gambling platforms.
• Kick: this is a new live-streaming platform that has quickly gained considerable attention. It has more lenient policies on gambling streams and also offers a 95% to 5% split. So streamers get to keep way more of the money. Twitch also offers customizable overlays for an engaging viewer experience.

Influencers create sponsored content such as gameplay streams, tutorials, or reviews, showcasing the features of a particular casino. This can be worked into their usual content as native advertisements to maintain a feeling of authenticity and credibility. Influencers often share affiliate links or promo codes that offer their followers special bonuses. These bonuses range from free spins or deposit bonuses worth several hundred percent of the user’s first few deposits. These links track conversions, giving the influencer a reward for the signups they recruit.

They’re usually paid in the following formats:

• Cost per acquisition: a one-time payment for every new player they refer who registers and makes a deposit;
• Revenue share: they get a percentage of the revenue the players generate whom they refer to. This could turn into a long-term income stream.
• Per stream or per hour fees: usually for smaller streamers
• Monthly retainers: for consistent branding and promotion during their broadcasts. This often includes wearing branded merchandise, mentioning the casino regularly, or using branded overlays of the stream.
• Deposit budgets: funds are provided to the streamer so they can play with it live.

Benefits for online casinos

Influencers allow access to specific niches of people that advertisers otherwise may have no way of accessing. A billboard could only give them exposure to local people, a TV ad would only give them access to specific demographics that tend to watch TV more, which is most often older people, and on top of that, the fans of these influencers have a high level of trust in what their host tells them.

Casinos enjoy cost-effective customer acquisition in which they can pay only for actual results, all but eliminating risk in financial investment, especially compared to traditional advertising. It’s also incredibly scalable. Partnering with lots of influencers and affiliates can extend the casino’s reach further and further as part of a multi-channel marketing ecosystem.

Other benefits that streams provide include teaching new users how to play certain games and extended exposure. If an audience member does go and try out a game on the platform and continues watching the streamer or interacting with them, they will be reminded repeatedly of certain games and the casino as a whole.

Challenges to Keep in Mind

A gambling operator must be sure to cover its bases, as advertising with the wrong influencers could land it in hot water. It’s important that the influencer does not end up broadcasting the content to underage or vulnerable audiences and complies with the law. Jurisdiction is an especially relevant issue. In the United States, gambling is only allowed in 7 states. In the vast majority of jurisdictions, advertising gambling is illegal.

For that reason, any advertiser must be thoroughly vetted to ensure they’ll promote a positive image and be sure to present the casino games as entertainment and not some kind of “reward” or “money-making” method. The casino should also keep in mind the potential for gambling addiction and offer self-exclusion tools along with gambling addiction warnings and help links. If not, they may receive unwanted attention from regulators.

Popular streamers

Many streamers all over the world have popped up on online platforms that specifically broadcast gambling content as their core videos. These people are passionate about either live betting, casino games, or sports wagering.

Here are some of the biggest names:

• Trainwreckstv (Tyler Niknam): the man engages in high-stakes gambling on his infamous Scuffed podcast. He finally hit it big when he turned to casino gambling, roulette, blackjack, and slots.
• XQC (Félix Lengyel): this professional Overwatch player is known for his charismatic, unfiltered personality. He particularly enjoys slots and roulette.
• Roshtein: this Swedish man mostly focuses on slots, often getting sponsorship deals with casinos and conducting promo events. He’s very casual no matter if he gets a big one or can’t catch a break.
• Slicker (Abdulaziz): he plays a little bit of everything, giving his audience a behind-the-scenes look into his lifestyle and occasionally running into controversies.
• AuronPlay (Raúl Álvarez Genes): this Spanish-speaking streamer is known for playing video games and being a funny guy who from time to time delves into some wagering.
• Shroud (Michael Grzesiek): known for his FPS gaming content, he has also ventured into live casino gambling. He keeps a calm, focused demeanor, unlike others who try to draw attention with hyped-up reactions.