Latest News

iCasino and lessons learned from across the pond

Published

1 year ago

March 22, 2024

The rollout of regulated online casino in the US has been slower than many anticipated with only a handful of states having embraced the vertical alongside sports betting. But you only need to look to more established markets such as Europe to see that casino is the main driver of revenues, providing the stability that operators need for the market to be viable in the long term.

Even with the limited market size at present, online casino presents a massive opportunity stateside, but operators must deliver a world-class entertainment experience if they are to acquire and retain players at the scale needed.

This goes beyond bonuses and game selection and to more fundamentals such as seamless customer onboarding, a smooth in-app UX and localised payments.

Savvy US operators will be looking to established markets such as the UK to understand how they can continue to develop their iCasino offerings to not only meet but exceed consumer expectations.

It must be remembered that operators are competing with the likes of streaming, gaming and e-commerce when it comes to where consumers spend their entertainment hours and dollars, and this sets a very high bar for the overall customer experience. So where can the greatest improvements be made?

Martyn Hannah, Managing Director of online casino comparison site, Comparasino, says that payments are a key focus for players, especially when it comes to payouts.

Comparasino has a proprietary recommendation engine and from the data it generates it’s possible to understand emerging player preferences. Hannah says that more and more players are now searching for fast withdrawal casinos, as well as those that offer payment methods such as PayPal and Apple Pay.

“The methods available to players for depositing and withdrawing are an important factor players consider when deciding which casinos to play at. Visa and Mastercard are always a must, but many now want to make payments using digital and mobile wallets like PayPal, Google Pay and Apple Pay. This aligns with wider payment trends and the rise in usage of these methods for day-to-day transactions.

“Of course, a major upside to these alternative payment options is the transaction speed they provide, especially when it comes to payouts. Players want their winnings without delay, and digital wallets as well as open-baling solutions provide the near instant withdrawals they are seeking.”

Stake - Best Online Casino & Sports Betting Platform

Bonusing is another factor that players consider. Historically, operators in the UK have become locked in a bonusing battle with deposit matches getting bigger and literally hundreds of free spins being included in welcome offers. But recent regulation changes have meant that casinos have had to reign in their promos, making it harder for them to differentiate.

Hannah says this is not a bad thing as it gives online casinos the chance to change their approach to bonusing and be more transparent and fairer with the promotions they are running.

“With operators being limited on the bonuses they can offer to UK players, they are having to look to other ways to stand out from the competition. This has seen a rise in the number of no wagering bonuses, and this is absolutely a good thing.

“Wagering requirements are underhand, with most casual players not understanding how they work. By removing it and letting players keep their winnings, casino brands can build more trust with players and ensure their experience is positive from the off.

“US online casino operators really should consider doing away with wagering requirements, especially in the early days of the market where acquisition costs are rising and players are happy to jump between brands until they find the one that really offers what they are looking for. By removing the wagering requirement, they better position themselves as a brand for players to go back to having had a great first experience.”

Even in established markets such as the UK, there is still a lot of player education that needs to take place, certainly around areas like player onboarding and the information they are required to give to the casino, as well as why transactions can be delayed and even how slot games work.

Hannah says this is why operators should work more closely with online casino comparison sites as they do a lot of work when it comes to building trust between player and brand and educating players about the world of online casino.

“At Comparasino, we see it as our responsibility to help players understand how online casino works, from how payments are made to the responsible gambling tools they can use to stay in control of their play. To help with this, we recently launched a blog where we are compiling articles, interviews and explainers from experts across the industry.

“US online casino operators should look to work more closely with their affiliate partners when it comes to player education and even supplement this with their own knowledge hubs for the players already signed up to their brands.”

iCasino may have had a slow rollout in the US so far, but over time additional states will undoubtedly extend their regulations so that licensed operators can offer it. But until then, there’s still a huge opportunity to explore and the brands that offer a truly compelling player experience will be the ones in the driving seat to maximise this and enjoy long-term success in the market.

By looking to brands in established markets such as the UK, operators can see exactly what players expect and then make sure they are offering it to them.

Latest News

Masters Betting: Drive for Show, Putt for Dough

Published

12 hours ago

April 10, 2025

Adrienn Sarkany

The phrase “drive for show, putt for dough” is a long-standing mantra in golf that emphasises the importance of putting over driving – specifically driving distance – in winning golf tournaments. But is it true?

While the saying has a clear implication, modern data from professional golf paints a more complex picture. Using the Shots Gained (SG) metric we can compare different parts of a player’s game to see if there really is a formula for winning.

Driving test

Using shot data gained from datagolf.com we can compare the top players in the world (according to the Official World Golf Ranking) over the last 12 months.

Comparing “shots gained off the tee” with “shots gained putting” seems to turn the myth on its head – the top players gain a higher proportion of their shots off the tee than from putting. For players ranked in the Top 10, nearly 0.8 shots are gained from driving as opposed to around 0.3 for putting. Whilst the differential narrows as the players’ ranking decreases, for players ranked 90 – 100, driving still gains more than 0.2 shots more putting.

This ability to reliably gain strokes through driving gives top pros an edge, setting them up for better scoring opportunities throughout a tournament. Over a whole season, this advantage compounds and allows them to stay at the top of the leaderboards.

The long and the short

However, since “shots gained off the tee” includes par 4 and 5s, the metric is not necessarily just a measure of the importance of driving distance, but also a measure of accuracy. So, whilst driving matters, is it the distance or the trajectory that is most advantageous for winning tournaments?

Again, using the top ranked players, it appears that distance stands out as a key factor for success, with Top 10 players on average gaining nearly 10 yards per drive compared with those outside the Top 100 throughout the year. This extra yardage translates into shorter approaches and better chances to attack pins throughout the season.

These findings are corroborated by Mark Broadie in his 2014 book Every Shot Counts, where he shows that for professionals, an extra 20 yards of driving distance is worth about three-quarters of a stroke per round. Relatively speaking, for the rest of us amateur golfers, driving distance becomes even more important for scoring than driving accuracy.

Putt to the test

While driving distance provides the groundwork for long term success – and is a characteristic that all the Top 10 players seemingly must possess – it doesn’t necessarily “bust the myth” that putting is more important for winning tournaments. Indeed, looking more deeply into the metrics for the outcome of individual tournaments uncovers the fact that putting becomes more instrumental for who comes out on top.

If we look instead at the finish positions in PGA events over the last 12 months, rather than the World Ranking, putting comes to the fore. For players finishing first, putting gained an average of 1.2 shots versus a gain of 0.7 for driving. Even for players finishing 30^th – 35^th, putting is worth more than 0.4 of a shot on average compared to driving. The fact that top finishers in a given event typically post higher gains from putting rather than from driving underscores the vital role of putting during tournament play where players have to capitalize on scoring opportunities and avoid mistakes on the green to win.

The outcome

Fundamentally the relationship between driving and putting reveals a balanced formula for success. Driving creates opportunities and contributes to consistency while putting often decides who makes the best of those opportunities and ultimately wins on a given weekend. In a game of ever-increasing competition and precision, power and finesse must work together to elevate players to the pinnacle of the sport.

With all the attention on these extremes of golf, other aspects are often overlooked. Completing the same analyses and including shots gained for “approach” and “around the green” makes it clear that there is one area that consistently contributes to wins and ranking, making it arguably the most important aspect of a players golf game.

awards

Digitain Wins Sportsbook Excellence Award at SiGMA Americas Awards

Published

12 hours ago

April 10, 2025

George Miller

Digitain Wins Sportsbook Excellence Award at SiGMA Americas Awards

Digitain has been awarded the “Best Interactive Sportsbook Experience 2025” title at the SiGMA Americas Awards in São Paulo, Brazil, for its outstanding innovation and commitment to delivering advanced sports betting solutions.

Digitain, a leading provider of Sportsbook and iGaming solutions, has won in the “Best Interactive Sportsbook Experience 2025” category at the SiGMA Americas Awards. This prestigious recognition highlights Digitain’s relentless drive for innovation, excellence, and its ability to deliver state-of-the-art Sportsbook solutions to its partners.

The SiGMA Americas Awards took place on April 7 during the BiS SiGMA Americas event in São Paulo, Brazil. The awards celebrate the best and brightest companies, recognizing exceptional achievements, groundbreaking innovations, and significant contributions to the industry.

Iain Hutchison, Digitain’s Chief Revenue Officer, stated: “We are honored to receive this award, which marks our fifth major recognition this year. It’s a powerful validation of our commitment to innovation and the strength of the partnerships we’ve built.

At Digitain, we continuously strive to develop forward-thinking Sportsbook solutions that meet the evolving needs of our partners in a highly competitive global market. We remain focused on continuous improvement, ensuring that our partners have access to the best tools and solutions to drive their business forward.”

As Digitain continues its expansion across regulated markets, this award further strengthens its position as a trusted partner for operators seeking a competitive edge in the dynamic field of sports betting.

Latest News

EveryMatrix completes iGaming content launch with Caesars Entertainment

Published

14 hours ago

April 10, 2025

George Miller

EveryMatrix completes iGaming content launch with Caesars Entertainment

EveryMatrix online casino games content has gone live across five regulated jurisdictions with Caesars Entertainment, extending the technology provider’s reach in the regulated North American market.

EveryMatrix is now providing Caesars’ online casino players in New Jersey, West Virginia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and the Canadian province of Ontario with access to online casino games from its in-house studios, including Armadillo Studios and newly acquired Fantasma Games via integration with SlotMatrix. New game titles are now live across Caesars Palace Online Casino, Caesars Sportsbook & Casino and Horseshoe Online Casino.

EveryMatrix, the industry’s fastest-growing iGaming technology provider, has secured commercial agreements with multiple tier-1 operators in the US, with delivery through SlotMatrix. This includes its first breakthrough aggregation agreement at the end of 2024.

SlotMatrix is the provider’s proprietary aggregation platform and the industry’s largest content library with more than 34,000 games from 350+ studios.

Using the full power of SlotMatrix, North American brands can offer their customers exclusive EveryMatrix games plus a host of best-performing, third-party live and slots content, further enhanced by EveryMatrix’s gamification and player engagement features including free spins, leaderboards and tournaments.

EveryMatrix has more than 300 global customers and holds North American licences in Ontario, New Jersey, Michigan, West Virginia, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

Erik Nyman, President, EveryMatrix Americas, said: “We’re very happy to be live on Caesars’ digital platforms across multiple jurisdictions in the U.S. and Canada, including Fantasma Games content that has proven to be a huge hit with U.S. players.

“It is an honour to partner with Caesars Entertainment, as their position and strong brand equity speak for itself. We have shaped a strong relationship with Caesars leading up to go-live that has carried over to the operational phase.”

“SlotMatrix is a casino aggregation platform not just with the largest portfolio of studios but also encompassing unique proprietary player engagement features that are a true game changer for brands, now available to Caesars’ online casino players.”

Matt Sunderland, Senior Vice President and Chief iGaming Officer at Caesars Digital, said: “Completing this launch with our partners at EveryMatrix marks another milestone for our online casino players. We’re pleased to enhance our online casino platforms with an expanded catalogue featuring a variety of these new titles, which we believe will provide our players with an even more engaging and enjoyable gaming experience.”