Discussing Gambling Landscape: The Increasing Appeal of FTP Games for Operators
Free-to-play (FTP) games are revolutionising the gambling industry, offering a unique blend of entertainment and monetisation strategies that reduce churn and boost conversion. According to industry experts, the future of FTP games involves using generative AI and data-driven personalisation to create a more immersive and engaging experience for users.
Daryn Hobden, Principal Design Consultant at CreateFuture, sees FTP games as a strategic component integrated across the entire user lifecycle. He believes that these games foster weekly interaction and provide a zero-risk environment for learning. Hobden predicts the next evolution in FTP will be proactive retention using AI to predict churn before it happens and deliver a personalised FTP challenge to maintain engagement.
Ross O'Connor, Commercial Director at Xtremepush, agrees. He emphasises the importance of a data layer underpinning every reward in FTP games, enabling operators to determine the next best action for every player type at any given moment. Insights into game preferences, sports interests, response to rewards, and engagement timing help build detailed user profiles, according to O'Connor.
One of the effective FTP mechanics introduced by Adam Wilson, CEO at Splash Tech, is the Pick6 format. This mechanic bridges entertainment and real-money play, guiding users towards betting behaviours. Daily prize wheels, prediction contests, and tiered pick'em games are commonly used by operators to nudge players towards making their first deposit or placing a follow-up bet, according to O'Connor.
FTP games with a prize at the end, such as Super 6 and ITV7, are also effective at guiding users towards placing a bet, according to Hobden. Total goals markets have shown a solid uptick in betslip conversion when introduced into FTP game formats.
Adam Wilson views FTP games as retention tools that build habitual play and extend the value of each user across multiple touchpoints. He reports a clear and measurable impact on both churn and reactivation when FTP features are thoughtfully integrated into the player journey. The beauty of FTP, according to Hobden, is that it provides an honest, unfiltered look at how a user behaves when there's no pressure, offering valuable data for user experience design.
Furthermore, FTP games can significantly reduce churn and boost reactivation when embedded with intent-aligned customer segmentation and lifecycle moments. They are a strategic pillar within the gambling value chain, functioning as standalone product verticals and powerful entry points into wider entertainment ecosystems, as described by O'Connor.
In conclusion, FTP games in gambling leverage a free entry to reduce churn by maintaining player engagement through continuous content and social interaction while converting users through targeted monetization approaches like cosmetic sales and battle passes. The insights and strategies outlined by industry experts promise an exciting future for FTP games in the gambling industry.
References:
[1] Gamasutra [3] The Gambling Times [5] The iGaming Business
Casino-and-gambling operators can utilise free-to-play (FTP) games as a strategic tool to foster safer gambling, offering an immersive and engaging experience that reduces churn and boosts reactivation. By embedding FTP games with intent-aligned customer segmentation and lifecycle moments, casinos can provide a zero-risk environment for learning casino-games, while still guiding users towards placing real-money bets on casino-games.
