Casino Livestreams: Why Are They Gaining Traction?
Acquiring and retaining players has always been the holy grail for iGaming brands. The industry can’t boast a variety of games and unique services that could set one operator apart from the crowd. What companies usually do is compete with each other in the generosity of bonuses, hoping to earn customers’ loyalty.
Players, in turn, crave more dynamic and engaging online entertainment than plain solo gaming. Forward-thinking businesses have understood the assignment and took inspiration from the video game world by adding livestreaming services.
In this article, we’ll explore common use cases for streaming in the iGaming industry, discuss the benefits of hosting live streams, and introduce our streaming solution.
Types of iGaming Streams
iGaming streaming takes various forms. We observe three use cases that differ in the nature of human involvement from the operator’s side:
– Sessions with professional dealers on a casino website or a streaming platform
– Gameplay streams of dedicated platforms
– Participatory streams where players automatically bet behind a host
Casino streams combine the convenience of playing from the comfort of one’s environment with the pleasure of being in a lavishly designed casino among the well-dressed crowd. A player joins a round with a dealer through the platform and interacts with them via chat. Meanwhile, other users observe how a casino specialist deals cards or spins the roulette wheel and what decisions a player makes behind the screen.
Source: LuckyStreak
This form of remote gaming proved its viability during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it resembles the authentic casino experience many had to sacrifice for the sake of health and adherence to government restrictions. Now, happily, fans are free to choose entertainment options as they please.
Gameplay broadcasts on platforms like Twitch and Kick typically involve a professional player or an enthusiast showcasing their gameplay and emotionally commenting on it. Viewers cheer for the streamer, ask them questions, and communicate with other observers. A host may help users understand the game’s rules and intricacies and give tips on winning strategies. So, the value of these broadcasts can go beyond merely entertainment.
Streamers usually gather a crowd while playing poker, roulette, blackjack, slots, and other traditional casino games. But slots, with their appeal of big wins, are the most popular among players and viewers.
As of June 2024, an average of 92 slots channels on Twitch accumulated over 11 million hours watched and 40,097 peak viewers.
Slots & Casino was among Kick users’ top three preferred categories during the same period. Its results are almost 25 million hours watched and 208,858 peak viewers.
Participatory iGaming sessions represent a hybrid approach to streaming. In this case, passive viewers can participate in the fun on the screen and watch the stream at the same time. They specify the percentage of each bet and the number of spins they want to mirror after the streamer on a dedicated service page.
Therefore, users take the same risks as streamers because they share wins and losses. This experience fuels their excitement and fosters the feeling of companionship.
The Perks of Participatory iGaming Streams
Brands use live streams to support customer acquisition and engagement activities.
Boost to player acquisition. Streamers can invite their loyal viewers from streaming platforms to an iGaming website via affiliate links or promo codes. These viewers can become new active players on the platform.
Transferable trust and affinity for a brand. The audience’s affinity and trust for a charismatic and cheerful streamer naturally extends to the iGaming business they represent. The marketing adage “people buy from people” applies here.
Continuous engagement and retention. In addition to encouraging users to bet behind them, streamers can make exclusive prize draws and share unique content (videos and photos) with those keeping them company during live streams.
Implementing Livestreams With a Twist
Brands that satisfy players’ hunger for new, interactive gaming experiences have much higher chances of getting their constantly shifting attention and remaining in sight for as long as possible than those that don’t innovate. However, introducing such functionality and managing underlying infrastructure can be a complex undertaking, technology-wise.
Therefore, our goal was to ensure that all interested operators could add participatory streams to their platforms with minimum effort. We created CopyStake, a ready-to-use and highly integrable solution that allows brands to hold live playing sessions and let players replicate streamers’ bets in real time.
The product and development team are making the final touches before releasing the upgraded version of CopyStake. Meanwhile, you can schedule a demo call and learn more about the tool’s capabilities in the dedicated blog post and documentation.