Advertising for iGaming Companies: Strategies for Digital Campaign Success

Digital advertising for iGaming companies is uniquely challenging, but it’s rewarding. The iGaming market is projected to reach a market volume of $133.60bn by 2029, and companies that target online audiences will have a better chance at this market share.

However, iGaming brands face regulatory hurdles and intense competition that requires substantial investment in reaching potential players. Since the industry is thriving, companies have to work harder than ever to differentiate themselves and create ads that resonate with their audiences.

To navigate these challenges successfully, iGaming companies use platforms and tools that understand the complexities of their industry. Let’s discuss the state of iGaming ads, the hurdles iGaming companies face in advertising, and successful strategies for effective iGaming marketing campaigns.

The Landscape of iGaming Ads

Understanding iGaming advertising begins with recognizing the industry's common formats and their digital counterparts. 

Traditional formats like television and print, once dominant in the iGaming sector, are now coupled with digital advertising channels. Nowadays, 17% of the population gambles online. Hence the transition to include more digital advertising, where the market share is growing.

As part of this shift, the iGaming industry faces some of the same challenges as other verticals, including  strict advertising regulations and decreasing ad spend due to overall economic conditions.

Some challenges, however, are more specific to iGaming.

The Challenges of iGaming Advertising

Regulatory hurdles

One of the primary challenges for iGaming advertisers is navigating complex regulatory environments, which vary by region. Regulations can dictate everything from ad content to where and when ads can be displayed. This is why it’s important to be an A+ license holder who’s impeded by as few regulatory hurdles as possible.

If you ignore regulations for your area, you face a penalty or the removal of ads. Different advertisers will hold different standards, too — for instance, this is Google’s guide to iGaming advertisers. Keeping on top of new regulations is paramount, but it can be difficult to track all updates. In regions introducing new regulations, marketing budgets can spike by 50% while iGaming companies compete for market share.

Market saturation

With millions spent on iGaming advertising each year, it’s difficult to stand out in a sea of competitors. This saturation necessitates creative marketing strategies to stand out. 

By this point, many consumers have seen an iGaming ad — advertisers will need to determine what makes their ad more appealing, which acquires acute awareness of their customers.

Audience fragmentation

The iGaming audience is diverse. Effective marketing requires a nuanced approach that segments audiences based on behaviors and preferences. 

A recent study found that 70% of online gamblers are between 18 and 39, and 82.4% of online gamblers are male. The iGaming market is scattered across geos. Is this true of your product? Regardless of the answer, knowledge of your customer will affect how you advertise.

Segmentation allows for personalized messaging that resonates with different player profiles, whether they are casual bettors or seasoned players seeking specific gaming experiences.

Crafting Effective Digital Campaigns for iGaming Ads

Crafting successful digital campaigns for iGaming ads hinges on personalization, creativity, and multi-channel approaches to marketing campaigns. 

Personalizing ad messages helps iGaming advertisers interact with discrete audience segments. Whether targeting casual bettors with enticing signup bonuses or appealing to seasoned players with tailored game recommendations, advertisers must match the tone and content of their ads to the intended audience.

In addition, iGaming advertisement necessitates a multi-channel approach. Multi-channel engagement reaches across different platforms and touchpoints: social media, display advertising, email marketing, and so on. This ensures you meet various customer segments where they’re at.

How can you keep your ads personalized, creative, and relevant all while targeting customer segments across full-funnel touchpoints? The right techniques involve using customer data and research to build your multi-funnel approach.

A Multi-Channel Approach: Digital Advertising for Success

Multi-channel marketing is the key to reaching customers at all stages of the funnel, particularly for iGaming. The target audiences for iGaming expect interactive, eye-catching ads that sell a game’s appeal. With a wide range of potential customers, it’s also important to spread ads out across many channels. These are techniques we recommend for multi-channel success.

Attracting new traffic with contextual and lookalike ads

Contextual ads attract audiences by placement — they position on platforms and in topic areas that are relevant to the ad. There are typically a set of interests you can target. For instance, this is AdRoll’s list of contextual targeting opportunities.

For your industry, you may target users with sports interest to attract them to a sports betting platform. Conversely, you could target users interested in video gaming for a gambling game.

Savvy iGaming advertisers can also use lookalike ads to target users with similar interests to current customers. This method makes iterating on your customer research simple. 

Lookalike targeting can be targeted by geo, interests, demographic, and so on. These are powered by the data gathered in “walled gardens” on particular ad platforms.

Retargeting with pixel data

Retargeting is one of the best strategies for personalization. This technique increases customer touchpoints by reaching users that have visited your site, abandoned a purchase, clicked through on another of your ads, and so on.

One strategy for retargeting is using a tracking pixel on your site to track user behavior. Retargeting is essential for motivating users to make a purchase — it can boost website traffic by 700%.

Leveraging customer data

It’s important to use what you’ve got. If you have customer lists in other CRMs or customer data to import, AdRoll can help. 

It’s important to use existing customer data to target new audiences that are similar to your own. This takes guesswork out of advertising, resulting in fewer advertisers wondering if they’ll reach the right buyers.

Conclusion

In the end, iGaming companies win by tailoring digital advertising techniques to their niche. Using the right ad platform with years of experience can make the biggest difference. 

AdRoll’s managed and creative services can help you stand out in a saturated market and speak to a diverse audience with multi-channel campaigns. AdRoll has generated over $25 billion in revenue for customers, and we’re here to help you, too.

Whether you're looking to optimize ad performance or explore new channels like CTV, AdRoll offers the tools and expertise to elevate your digital advertising strategy. Learn more today.

Last updated on August 8th, 2024.