As European markets become increasingly challenging, the role of creative marketing and affiliates takes on heightened importance.
We spoke to Matteo Giannone, the CEO and Founder of Casino2k, one of the leading affiliate websites operating in Italy, as he emphasised the importance of flexibility for casino affiliates as they adapt to new market frameworks.
Providing an oversight of Casino2k, he revealed that the company was established in 2008, making it one of the country’s oldest affiliates with a continued upward trajectory of growth since its formation.
Giannone revealed that the Casino2k team is an intimate one, with them placing a strong focus on getting the intricacies right and ensuring their content fits the bill for Google.
“With being a compact team, we have the ability to adapt and remain flexible, which is vital as we rely on Google”, stated Giannone, who also revealed that the affiliate can make big decisions efficiently without going through the ordeal of extensive red tape.
He added that when Google shifted to focus on more established brands, their heritage meant that they weren’t forced to embark on a significant transformation.
Dissecting the Italian market specifically, Giannone detailed that Casino2k was one of the early adopters of a more ethical approach to igaming marketing, stating: “It’s not just a matter of money for us, it’s a matter of understanding what the player wants and giving them options to choose where to play, how to play and which games to play themselves.
“The market framework tightened in 2011. We are fine with the regulation because we are doing marketing in a very soft way. We are not trying to attract people aggressively, but people are looking for us and looking for information.”
Giannone offered his support for strict regulation that halts advertising during sports events, suggesting they’re essential to ensuring that exposure of gambling for underages is mitigated. The SEO approach according to Giannone provides a strong filter for honest websites to maximise engagement.
He also underlined his support for self-excluding tools being utilised in the Italian market, as he stated providing players with the ability to pause their playing experience is crucial and ‘very ethical’ when it comes to social responsibility, and sets apart the regulated sector from the offshore sector.
He added that he believes lessons from more mature markets are vital for those that are currently emerging, citing LatAm and North America specifically.
“New markets having tight regulations is a positive thing in my opinion. Affiliates expanding into new regions should be meticulous in their approach to compliance and their advertising should be focused”, he stated.
“They need to get their strategy right and ensure they are targeting the right audience.”
One method in which Casino2k ensures it maximises engagement is through its bonus engine, which Giannone stated is a ‘crucial part of their offering’.
“Bonuses and promotions are two variables that change and evolve all the time. Through our news portal we keep players coming back by bringing the latest news and updates from this vertical of the industry.
“If there is something new happening in the industry, we inform the player and enable them with the best tools to make the decision of where to play.
“In Italy, we have around 36 operators right now. So people can take a look at all the offers and compare the bonuses and again decide for themselves where to play.”
Giannone also shared his opinion on the role of AI within igaming and the affiliate space, dismissing the idea that it will replace the human touch within game creation.
Instead he cited Netflix as an example of how it can be utilised by the igaming industry – smoothing the player process for when they look to engage with an operator site, bringing them the fast track to bonuses and games that it knows they will enjoy.
“AI can raise the ceiling on personalisation, like how when you sign into Netflix you’re immediately greeted by things you want to engage with – there’s no reason igaming should be different.”
With such a wide variety of games being created, Giannone urged the industry to “think outside the box and build something completely new”.
“The industry has the resources to innovate and push the envelope in terms of games creation, I don’t know why we don’t see it as much.”
From an affiliate perspective, he believes that innovation and new levels of engagement will come from forums, however, he would like to evolve the forum space and integrate news into these platforms – making them less about industry gripes and more about honest discussion.
