As the development of modern technology has reached enormous heights, the demands and requirements of modern users are now ‘off the charts’. That’s according to Ruslan Bangert – CEO of PokerMatch International – who explained that the online poker industry has been no exception to this trend.

Speaking to CasinoBeats, Bangert discusses the Ukrainian gaming platform’s ‘daring’ marketing strategies, its focus for the future, and the ways in which PokerMatch International is driving engagement among poker players.

CasinoBeats: Can you just tell us about the marketing principles for PokerMatch? 

RB: Our marketing principles are always focused on the current needs of the audience and current requests for new game products from users. We understand that in today’s highly competitive environment, innovations give a clear advantage. I am convinced that in our industry, it is not enough to just make advertising efforts to attract the audience. It’s important to provide the user with a brand new level of product that can capture attention and achieve engagement.

How do you fight for traffic? Yes, it’s not easy! It seems to me that it’s possible to draw attention to yourself with an original presentation or some crazy promotion format. Therefore, I would call PokerMatch’s marketing strategy daring. We are able to respond immediately to the wishes of the target audience, and this approach brings results. 

You surely know how repetitive the events in our business are; a poker room earns money only when it creates an event itself, attracts players and then tries to profit from it. This exclusivity, I think, is our main advantage.

CasinoBeats: You said in a recent article that PokerMatch marketing has always been guided by the needs of the players; where do you think poker players have been underserved in the past, both in terms of both product and promotions?

RB: It’s not really about the past, it’s about the present. The level of development of modern technology, service and comfort in all areas of industry and life has reached enormous heights, so now the demands and requirements of modern users are off the charts. The online poker market is no exception. That’s why it’s more important at this stage to offer innovative game mechanics, service and product innovations than to advertise them. 

CasinoBeats: In April, you were able to skew the market, reaching number one on PokerScout through huge interest in your unusual Miner’s Jackpot cash tables; given that this is an all-in automated game without strategy, why was it such a hit?

RB: Again, modern consumer expectations have played a role here. The audience craves new combinations of services and types of entertainment. With the launch of our unusual Miner’s Jackpot tables, we disproved the long-held myth that poker players don’t like slots. Moreover, the success of this promotion showed how high the poker players’ response can be to integrating slot mechanics into poker disciplines.

Another important point, in my opinion. Our breakthrough promo would be impossible without the maximum loyalty of the room’s audience. Miner’s Jackpot was designed for a certain part of the audience. Let’s say, not the richest audience. But at the same time, these users were very loyal to the company, and as a result, the promo was a success.

CasinoBeats: How does your perception of poker’s intersect with other gambling verticals influence your approach to marketing and launching new products? Did, for example, the success of the all-in game prove the connection between poker and slot players?

RB: Absolutely, yes! And this greatly impacts our plans and vision of what direction to take with our product promotions for players. The game world is changing, and players’ perception is changing as well. 

The success of Miners Jackpot showed that PokerMatch understands and guesses the audience’s mood. In the future, we’re going to continue with a marketing strategy focused on the final consumer and new ways to get them involved in the game. 

CasinoBeats: And once interest in a new product naturally subsides, how do you pique interest in your player base again? What’s the next big thing for PokerMatch? How do you go about climbing back to the top of the PokerScout rating?

RB: We understand, of course, that we can’t expect a constant high level of interest in promotions and game mechanics. Our April promo gave us a good boost in the growth of the player base, and the number of users who stayed on our platform after the promo is quite high. We’re not planning to stop there and we will present our new promotions to the world very soon. 

Regarding the return to the top of the PokerScout rankings, we can say that in the future we will focus on gradual and stable growth in the rankings, without situational fluctuations. We’ve tested our strength with these explosive mechanics and are now ready for a confident climb. 

I can reassure the competitors, PokerMatch has no intention of disturbing their positions (smiles). Our goal is to improve our product every day. To do this, we need unique offers, high speed of decision-making, variety of promotions, limitless imagination, humanity and much more. And I’m sure we can do it!