Gamification - the rise of gamification in online casinos

Recently, when talking about online casinos, you may have come across the word gamification or gamification more and more often. The word comes from the English term gamification, which means to gamify. The aim is to increase player participation and stand out from the crowd, as competition for players is fierce.

Many new online casinos entering the market have adopted a strong theme of gamification on their site. These are used to keep players active and engaged. Gamification can also be tied into a casino's loyalty programme, whereby as players progress through the levels they can collect free spins, deposit bonuses and other benefits.

In this article, we take a closer look at gamification in new online casinos and the future prospects for the phenomenon.

What does gamification mean?

Gamification refers to the process of using gamified elements and mechanics to improve or entertain non-gaming activities, such as work, education or marketing. The aim is to increase participation, motivation and engagement with users by providing them with gamified challenges, rewards and goals.

The trend is also visible in online casinos, and new casinos in particular have started to use gamification to differentiate themselves in a highly competitive industry.

Gamification offers casinos the opportunity to build their operations around a strong theme that sticks in the minds of players. An attractive and rewarding gamification-based programme can raise awareness of a new casino, making it easier to attract players to try out its gaming offerings.

How is gamification reflected in online casinos?

Gamification in online casinos is usually seen as being built into a loyalty programme or reward scheme. Such a programme is structured in a similar way to video games, where players accumulate points or other elements to progress from one level to the next. As you progress, you can also redeem various rewards that can be used in the casino's actual cash games.

For example, in today's casinos, there is a hero theme where players can choose a character of their choice. With this character, you can progress on the map while earning various rewards. Through gamification, the casino thus introduces elements familiar from video games, allowing the player to continue playing outside of the actual gambling games.

Gamification encourages players to keep playing and stay engaged with the casino. While playing, the aim is to progress through the programme offered by the casino and thus gain access to even better bonuses and benefits. It follows the principles of the familiar casino loyalty programmes, but adds a new dimension to the progression process through gamification.

Earning rewards through gamification

At online casinos, gamification always comes with benefits, i.e. players don't just collect points to get to the top of the leaderboard in the statistics. Instead, players are also encouraged to participate in gamification outside the game by rewarding players with various benefits.

There are usually two ways of progressing through the scheme: playing casino games and completing various tasks. Playing casino games can be rewarded, for example, by awarding points for each amount wagered on a game. Tasks can include, for example, claiming a particular bonus or playing a particular game. After completing a task, the player receives additional points, which are added to the existing points balance.

Once enough points have been accumulated, players can earn various benefits and rewards, such as free spins, bonuses or other monetary benefits. Points can also sometimes be used in the casino's own bonus shop, allowing players to claim bonuses that are tailored to their specific playing style.

Gamification offers a way to engage players

The ultimate purpose of gamification is to retain players as customers of an online casino. Online casinos have traditionally offered large welcome bonuses, allowing players to try out the casino's offerings with a smaller stake of their own. This has led to many players jumping from one casino to another in search of welcome bonuses.

Of course, casinos want long-term loyalty and many casinos have reduced the generosity of their welcome packages. New players can still benefit from a bonus package, but few casinos offer exceptionally large bonus packages anymore. Instead, there has been a shift towards player retention to build long-term relationships.

This is reflected in the ever-improving level of loyalty programmes, with not only new players but also regulars gaining access to good bonuses, eliminating the need to constantly switch casinos. Gamification has also been brought in to make the program even more engaging.

With an online casino that uses gamification, players can also experience a sense of achievement outside of the actual casino games. Rewards are also earned within the casino's own programme, and players have the opportunity to progress within this programme. The pursuit of rewards also brings benefits to the player for participating in it, and makes many stay longer as a customer of the online casino.

What makes gamification attractive to players?

Gamification simply adds a whole new dimension to online casino gaming. It's rewarding and fun for the player to be able to progress through levels that are story-driven. Various rewards, points, achievements or virtual prizes also motivate players to complete tasks and stay with the casino.

Gamification can also include various tournaments and competitions, where you can compete with other players directly or indirectly, for example through leaderboards. This also brings a sense of community to casino gaming, where experiences and achievements can be shared with other players. This means that gambling no longer has to be a socially solitary activity, but can become a vibrant community of people who share the same interests.

Gamification can also provide players with a better understanding of the casino's games, bonuses and features. Activities can highlight certain games or features of the casino that players might not otherwise be able to find.

The future of gamification in online casinos

Gamification has been a growing trend in the casino world in recent years. In the future, gamification is likely to become an even more important part of online casino operations. Although the development of virtual reality and metaverse has been slower than expected, online casinos are likely to make increasing use of them in the future. Virtual reality and augmented reality will allow players to be offered an even more interactive experience in gamification software.

Another of the key values of gamification is the opportunity to stand out. A skilfully constructed loyalty programme that uses gamification is sure to be remembered in a positive way compared to, for example, a casino that offers no benefits at all to regular players.

In conclusion, gamification has brought a new dimension to the world of online casinos. It offers players a gaming experience beyond the actual casino games, while helping online casinos to engage their players and make themselves known. Gamification is clearly here to stay and its importance in the marketing of online casinos will only increase in the future.