Mobile Devices Have A Drastic Effect For Gambling Online

Posted by Gambling News | Gambling News | Monday 16 December 2013 5:26 pm

Having recently read that a boost to gambling online is being experienced by means of mobile devices, and that this is a bad thing, we couldn’t resist putting in our tuppence worth, because gambling is not the problem. If you have ever been known to drop a few bob on the ponies, while playing a game of poker, or at the local bingo hall, and don’t find this to be a compulsive activity, then you will know that it is people that gamble compulsively, and not the game that force them. Gambling games are inanimate, while people are animate, and should be able to control their addictive urges, or get help for them.

Mobile devices such as phones and have made it easier to gamble online, but no easier than when we only had lap-tops and 3G. So, why do some pontificators call mobile gambling a “worrisome trend”? It is simply because most of these people are offering their opinions, in many instances, even when they have not been asked for an opinion. But then that is the human condition, and many human beings would rather judge, than live and let live. When people judge others, this makes it easier for them to not have to take a long hard look at themselves.

The increasing popularity in gambling online bothers some people a lot. They say it is simply to easy to lose money when all that has to be done is open a website or app. Mobile gambling apparently makes things even easier.

This broad generalisation is a bit narrow minded we believe. We are exposed to online gambling websites continually when reviewing these sites for customers, and have never been tempted to drop money, because losing money is just not our scene. Some people like gambling, others do not, and having gambling available wherever one is and whenever, has never once increased the temptation to play.

That does not make us any better than a person who loses their shirt when playing online, but unfortunately some of us have to learn life lessons, and choose to do this the hard way. If online or mobile gambling were banned, as it purportedly is in the USA, we would still find a way to do this, and it has been proved throughout history that prohibition just does not work.

Most cultures are hardwired to take a risk on something or other, and gambling for money, is a modern-day form of entertainment that millions of people partake of. It is what it is, no more and no less!

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Online Gambling Affiliates Require A Change Management Strategy

Posted by Gambling News | Gambling Industry News | Friday 13 December 2013 8:37 am

The online gambling marketplace, while certainly not bottomed out, has become pretty saturated from the point of view of the affiliate industry. With the emergence of gambling online as a massive money spinner, quite a number of other sectors benefited off the bottom line. Advertising and affiliate marketing were two of these sectors.

The online gambling industry, especially in the UK and Europe has become mature, and this changes the way things in marketing need to get done. While years ago it took very little money for someone to get set up as an affiliate online, this has changed, and it is not so easy for these small one-man ops to make a decent living off affiliate earnings. This is a performance based industry, and due to complexities in the marketplace, rewards are fast becoming diluted. Cornering this market today we find specialized third party vendors, super affiliates and affiliate management agencies. These days it is far more beneficial to select a specialized niche and concentrate on this, rather than on a generic area. In other words, concentrate on "slots" for example, rather than "gambling online" per se.

However there are certainly ample opportunities popping up where we are seeing exponential growth. For example the mobile gambling industry, and perhaps turning our envious eyes upon an emerging market in the USA.

In the few short weeks that online poker has been test-played in the state of New Jersey – up to 33 000 new players, or more have registered and these are only intrastate players. Who knows what the possibilities could be as more and more states open their doors to poker at first, then perhaps other online gambling games too. But change management for affiliates is certainly a strong recommendation too. Affiliate business owner need to learn how to tap into a new market place.

Just out of interest – including the usual Thanks Giving holiday traditions they had to deal with, punters found the time to create 5,000 new online accounts. Testing commenced in New Jersey on the 21st November, and while it was difficult for assessing how many wagers were actually placed, some gamers had registered with more than one online brand. This indicates the largest expansion of gambling in the state since 1978, when the first Atlantic City casino opened its doors to the public. They are the third stat in the USA to offer legal and regulated gambling online.

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Microgaming Releases Its 40th Html5 Game; Reel Thunder Slots Is Now Live

Posted by Gambling News | Gambling News | Wednesday 11 December 2013 4:36 pm

Gamers on the go have yet another new mobile game to enjoy; Microgaming’s Reel Thunder is now live on the HTML5 platform.

Players will have the ride of their life with Reel Thunder, a 9 payline, 5 reel slot. The game has both Scatter and Wild symbols with a maximum winning jackpot of 10,000 coins.

Reel Thunder is the latest addition to Microgaming’s expanding HTML5 mobile collection which now boasts 40 great games and has expanded every month throughout 2013. In a bid to develop games designed to cater for the ever growing number of mobile and tablet devices, HTML5 has been a key platform for Microgaming software as it supports the broadest number of screen sizes and resolutions.

Neill Whyte, Head of Product Channels at Microgaming, comments: "We are very proud of our mobile achievements in 2013; we’ve released 21 HTML5 games, all of which are designed meticulously to provide the best possible mobile experience. We have spent years perfecting the art of creating graphically appealing, immersive and compelling games for PC, so why would we give the mobile player a different experience? Our commitment to our mobile product will continue in 2014 with a more aggressive rollout of games, as well as the release of some exciting features designed to maximise the player experience."

In addition to enhancing its HTML5 platform, Microgaming has added HTML5 capability to its Download App which means that its HTML5 games can now be released to both the HTML5 platform and Mobile Download platform concurrently. As such, Microgaming has added the recently launched HTML5 games Pure Platinum, Halloweenies and Big Top to its Mobile Download platform as well as Playboy which has been designed specifically in an Air-based application for Android devices.

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William Hill Online and NetRefer announce new partnership

Posted by Gambling News | Gambling Industry News | Monday 2 December 2013 3:53 pm

William Hill and NetRefer are pleased to announce their partnership to enhance William Hill Online’s Affiliates United program through NetRefer’s Performance Marketing suite.

Rated by EGR Magazine as one of the most powerful gaming operators on the planet, William Hill Online is a significant partner and an exciting addition to NetRefer’s growing client base. This partnership continues to assert NetRefer as market leaders in affiliate management and performance marketing.

William Hill Online’s new affiliate programme will offer state of the art functionality including fully managed online hosting, advanced media tracking, dedicated customer support and account management, flexible reward plans, attractive affiliate commissions, on time payments, and extensive reporting along with other industry leading marketing tools. This will empower the business with all the necessary functions to support CMOs, marketing and affiliate managers and affiliates effectively and efficiently.

William Hill Online has always enjoyed a very strong brand image, and through the implementation of their new affiliate platform, this will encourage further growth for their online business, a key objective for all NetRefer’s online gaming partners.

Anat Errell, Head of Marketing Operations for William Hill Online, said: "This is a very important chapter in our business, and we are very excited to be working with the industry leaders in affiliate marketing to ensure all our esteemed affiliates and marketers are provided with the leading edge solution in the business. We are proud to have selected NetRefer as trusted partner for our marketing solutions".

Julian Buhagiar, CEO of NetRefer Malta, said: "It has been a pleasure to work closely with the marketing and technical teams at William Hill Online to ensure they are provided with all the latest marketing tools to fulfil their requirements. Our goal is to ensure all the affiliate team as well as their affiliates are provided with a fully configurable rewards engine, clear and flexible reporting, in-depth analytics as well as user friendly dashboards available in over 99 languages to ensure market reach and localisation for William Hill’s entire online brand."

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