Emerging Trends in Gambling CPA Marketing
The iGaming, or gambling, vertical has always been popular with affiliate marketers, and that trend shows no sign of slowing. But what other gambling trends should you keep your eye on?
Staying on top of emerging trends will help you maximize your earnings and capitalize on the 30% projected growth the industry will experience in the coming years.
Niche Overview
Gambling is a multi-billion-dollar industry and a profitable niche in CPA marketing. Why? Because there’s a continual flow of new players, a variety of traffic sources and mobile-first platforms that make it easier than ever to play.
The iGaming market continues to grow and reached a value of $230.9 billion in 2021.
There’s no question that gambling is a profitable niche for affiliate marketers, but like with any other vertical, it’s important to stay on top of trends to maximize your earnings.
Gambling Trends in Affiliate Marketing 2023
Here are some of the top trends in the casino industry vertical.
Content Marketing Innovations
An emerging trend in gambling affiliate marketing is innovations in content marketing as a whole. More affiliates are focusing on video content marketing and other forms of content to get more traffic to their offers.
Mobile Optimization
One major online gambling trend we’re seeing is the rise of mobile optimization. More mobile casinos are popping up, along with a surge in mobile gamblers.
In fact, some casinos have developed apps for mobile players and have optimized their games to make them mobile-friendly.
Mobile gambling is expected to have a CAGR of nearly 18% between 2020 and 2027.
Social Media Advertising
Social ads are highly targeted, so it’s no surprise that this form of advertising is a big trend for online gambling affiliates.
More affiliates will invest more of their ad spend budget into social advertising to ensure their creatives are getting in front of the right people.
Facebook recently started allowing gambling ads on their platform in countries where it’s legal. Both online and physical casinos can place ads, so affiliate marketers can also do the same.
Cryptocurrency Integration
Crypto is another one of the top gambling trends we’re seeing. The anonymity it offers makes it the ideal payment method for online gambling. More than half of Bitcoin transactions are associated with the gambling industry.
Crypto-gambling is on the rise across the world, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.
Data Analytics and AI
AI is transforming CPA marketing as a whole, and that includes the gambling vertical. Thanks to advancements in this technology, optimization and rules have essentially been automated.
Data analytics tools will make it easier to gauge a campaign’s performance at a glance and the return on your investment.
Predictions for 2023-24
Trends in the casino industry are always fun to predict because we never know what will materialize with 100% certainty. Here’s what we believe will happen:
- Optimizing adverts and placement will focus heavily on automation
- Virtual reality and similar markets will become very popular
- Expansion in the United States (more in the next section) will bring in even more money
- AI will help make online gambling more fun and exciting
We also have a lingering suspicion that regulatory changes will occur that will change the advertising landscape.
Regulatory Changes
Of course, iGaming trends 2023 and 2024 will come with regulatory changes that both networks and affiliates will need to follow closely. Ignoring regulatory changes can lead to significant fines and penalties.
Some changes to pay close attention to are:
- New York, Illinois and Iowa are states that are or have changed regulations
- Germany is expanding licenses this year, meaning more opportunities to promote new gambling destinations
- Brazil may open its market, flooding affiliates with money-making potential
Technological Advancements
We always have fun trying to predict the tech advancements that we’ll see in iGaming trends, and some that we are sure will come to fruition are:
- AI will be more deeply rooted in algorithms, allowing for more security and other fun features
- Fresh niches are likely to materialize, such as VR gambling, which will attract younger audiences
- Jackpots may be higher this year, thanks to tech expansion
Tech is advancing at such a rapid pace that we may even see new, exciting games hit the market. Computing power is cheap, so you may see many of your favorite tabletop games come into online gambling with more participants and opportunities.
Global Expansion
Online casino trends, for a long time, were very restrictive because the practice wasn’t legal in many countries. Advertising networks had to follow the latest trends and be cautious to avoid having their network show ads to users from specific countries and regions.
Today, you’ll need to continue with this level of prudence.
Some countries where online gambling is illegal are:
- United Arab Emirates
- Cambodia
- North Korea
- Japan
- Singapore
- Qatar
Expansion into these countries is very unlikely, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t watch for expansion in other countries.
Geotargeting and Personalization
Gambling industry trends have, for a long time, focused heavily on geotargeting and personalization. You can expect these trends to continue so that advertisers do not get into regulatory trouble with their adverts.
We expect even further personalization, such as:
- Pushing betting ads to sports fans
- Showing higher age group slots
- Etc.
Advanced geotargeting will remain crucial to promote the right ad to users in the right location and within the proper demographic.
Summary
Gambling trends are likely to send more leads your way. People are trusting online gambling more than ever before, allowing you to promote CPA offers on mobile and desktop. Whether you plan to promote new or top offers via the following or not, we have opportunities for you:
- Website ads
- Social media ads
- Other avenues
Click here to learn more about our iGaming offers on our platform.
