Over the course of the past month, we have seen quite a few online gaming operators launch social casino networks and games. Based on this trend, you would think that the social casino market is thriving, but a recent study by SuperData Research shows that this isn’t exactly true. According to Innovate Gaming, activity at social casinos has dropped by 22% over the course of the past year.
The number of players has dropped from 109 players last year to 85 million in 2014. This could be bad news for social casino operators, but they are quickly adapting to the change. Social casinos have switched their tactics from trying to acquire new players to looking after their existing players. Casinos are offering more loyalty incentives to keep existing players around, rather than attempting to gain new customers.
Another way in which social casino operators aim to increase player loyalty is by releasing updates to popular titles, so that existing players continue to come back and get more from their favourite games. “Publishers in this category face an important transitional moment,” says Joost van Dreunen, CEO of SuperData. “No longer is it enough to merely acquire new users. For one, because it is becoming increasingly expensive.
The current market landscape forces publishers to consider a strategy centred on player retention”. So, it seems like the newest generation of social casinos have the right idea. Apps like ISIS Friends and BlingCity have created a whole new world in which social casino players can interact with one another and earn points by playing casino games and online pokies.
They are certainly a long-form type of social casino gaming, which encourage players to stick around. We are sure to see more social casino operators following this trend in the future.
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