Peter Ekmark, CEO of PlayStar Casino, spoke to SBC Leaders as he provided a closure analysis of player engagement, regulations and the evolving role of gamification.
Not a day goes by without one company or another discussing the key to engaging with new player-bases. Engagement has, understandably, become a major talking point across the iGaming industry as of late, especially for those looking to gain a stronghold in the US market.
With 38 states plus Washington DC offering legal sports betting (at the time of writing), and seven open to regulated iGaming, the battle to gain market share is well and truly underway.
The challenge that many sportsbooks and casinos are now facing, however, is setting themselves apart from the crowd. Some may choose to go down the branding route, others may place more emphasis on geography. But PlayStar is doing something different altogether.
Beating the black market with regulated online casinos
PlayStar made its entry into the US market back in 2022, and since then, has become one of the fastest growing iGaming brands in New Jersey. But unlike other operators, the PlayStar team chose to take a unique approach to its offering by solely focusing on online casino.
More states have legalised sports betting compared to iGaming, so you may be wondering why the team took this approach.
“Casino has long been an integral part of the entertainment industry within the US,” explained Ekmark. “You only have to look at cities such as Las Vegas or Atlantic City to see that casinos are an incredibly popular form of entertainment – people don’t just visit these cities to gamble, but for a new experience.
“Around 50% of US adults have visited a land-based casino, which differs somewhat to Europe, where that number isn’t quite as high. It is this demand for entertainment that I believe is going to be a driving force for online casino to become more popular across the US market, regulations permitting.”
Of course, regulation is an incredibly important factor when it comes to the expansion of online casino across the US market. The hope from many is that we will see an acceleration in the number of states looking to adopt iGaming legislation in 2024.
Ekmark noted that such regulations will not only have the benefit of combatting black market operators but will also give players a more diverse range of products to enjoy.
He said: “Eradicating the threat posed by unlicensed operators is, first and foremost, beneficial for players as it ensures they have access to a range of safer gambling tools and protection for their funds. Players don’t get that with an offshore operator.
“Combatting the black market also has knock-on effects for the individual state legislatures too. Ultimately, entering the US market is a costly affair – there is a fee for your licence, the technology you use, marketing your brand.
“On top of that, you must remain compliant. State governments are very good at ensuring that everyone is meeting the highest possible standards. But there is still that spectre of unlicensed operators; that threat still exists. These operators don’t pay for a licence, and they certainly don’t contribute to state tax revenues either.”
From a regulatory perspective, online casino may be behind sports betting, but in the seven states where it is permitted, iGaming is growing increasingly popular in terms of audience engagement. With that comes an added pressure to deliver a stand-out experience for bettors.
An absolute necessity
For Ekmark, there is no one “right answer” when it comes to engaging with, or retaining, players. The player acquisition strategy that you use can be influenced by a number of different factors, ranging from what type of player you are looking to attract, right down to the state in which you are operating.
As a brand that is solely focused on online casino, the PlayStar CEO believes that gamification can be an effective tool to not only elevate the gameplay experience for players, but to also bring something unique to a saturated New Jersey market.
According to Ekmark, gamification is no longer a “nice to have” feature to bolt onto your casino games. It has, in recent years, become an absolute necessity, a “silver bullet” for rising acquisition costs.
The challenge with gamification, he explained, is balancing simplicity with that additional layer of gameplay. As the adage goes, sometimes less is more. He said: “Gamification is going to become absolutely essential, both for PlayStar and for the wider iGaming industry too, especially as we look to deliver new experiences for players.
“I’m a big believer in simplicity. At PlayStar, creating the best possible player experience is central to our business operations, and simplicity happens to be something that we look to achieve. Ultimately, players don’t want games that are difficult to understand, they want to enjoy their casino experience, and one way of achieving that is by offering games that are both simple and engaging.”
While the extent to which gamification is needed across the iGaming industry is still to be determined, Ekmark believes it is going to be something many companies will look to explore in the US market. But it isn’t the only tool that PlayStar will be relying on in 2024.
Making its debut in March, PlayStar made its first foray into the live streaming space with the launch of Casino Stream, in collaboration with SGG Media.
With live streaming already an extremely popular engagement tool in Europe, PlayStar is confident that this new show will help introduce online casino to new audiences.
Ekmark concluded: “We were very excited to partner with SGG Media to bring our online casino products to the masses across the Garden State. Live streaming is a great way to reach new audiences and deliver a more personalised experience, and we can’t wait to see what our players think.”
