Social Media Casino

Social media has changed our lives irreversibly. The innocence of sharing photos with family and friends; announcing some of life’s biggest moments; publicising local events; publicising absolutely anything … social media has become one of the primary ways we communicate as a modern society.

Central Michigan University, which is located near the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort operated by the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe, offers a business degree in gaming and entertainment management, including course-work in the protection of casino table games, gaming regulations and control, the mathematics of casino games, and the sociology of gambling. A strong social media presence is a vital tool in the marketing mix for any business. Online casinos are no exception. A guide to social media at Casino.com. 18+, Play Responsibly. If your casino isn’t advertising on social media, the simple fact is you’re leaving money on the table. All of the major social media platforms give you the option to create a business account which will give you the power to reach your customers and get detailed feedback about their levels of engagement with your content. Social media is the most effective marketing tool casinos have to bring in new customers. It takes a little skill to succeed with social network marketing, but the results are worth it. Social media puts you in touch with the people who are, or who may become, gamblers at a casino. The latest tweets from @IgnitionCasino.

As of 2019, the number of internet users worldwide is 4.38 billion, and the number of those internet users engaging on social media is 3.484 billion, up 9% year-on-year. Another industry booming, the engagement seen in the world of gambling has risen to a mammoth $25.69 billion—partially down to growth in online gambling, and particularly the rise of virtual one-armed bandits; from online slot games UK all the way to the pokies of Australia.

One may struggle to see the connection between social media’s spiralling omnipresence and a practice that dates back to the Paleolithic period, before written history began, but social media has recently faced criticism for its addictive qualities and parallels with slots. Many users, including some of Silicon Valley’s biggest tech players, have decided to curb their time on social media, even going so far as to install apps to control their usage. Those not as switched on, however, are facing increasing addiction to their devices.

Justin Rosenstein—co-founder of software company Asana and former employee of both Google and Facebook—is part of a growing number of individuals speaking out on the addictive nature of social media and the way it has the potential to limit our productivity. Rosenstein is an expert in the field—he was after all the Facebook engineer who created the same ‘like’ button that he now avoids pressing.

“Everyone is distracted,” says Rosenstein. “All of the time. One reason I think it is particularly important for us to talk about this now is that we may be the last generation that can remember life before.”

The advent of the ‘pull to refresh’.

One of the Silicon Valley heavyweights joining Rosenstein in his critique of social media is Tristan Harris. Formerly a design ethicist at Google, Harris is the director and co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology as well as the cofounder of the Time Well Spent movement. He’s coined the phrase ‘human downgrading’; a term that suggests that computers are actually transforming people’s lives for the worse. In 2016, he was described by The Atlantic as “the closest thing Silicon Valley has to a conscience.”

Harris believes that the design of social media applications apply some of the same principles that can make other forms of entertainment, like gambling, exceedingly alluring. He has previously called smartphones the ‘slot machine in your pocket’ and is campaigning for stronger ethics in Silicon Valley, as well as the tech industry more generally.

“Each time you’re swiping down, it’s like a slot machine,” he says. “You don’t know what’s coming next. Sometimes it’s a beautiful photo. Sometimes it’s just an ad.” What slot machines and social media share are variable rewards.

This feeds into the ‘pull to refresh’ function. Every time we pull down to refresh our timeline—whether that’s on Facebook, Twitter or even by email—we don’t know what we’ll discover. That could be a new email from work, lots of surprising ‘likes’ or even disappointment should there be nothing fresh to excite us. The downward-pull action, created by designer Loren Brichter, has been emulated across many different apps, and its ubiquity has become intuitive for its users. Being drawn into what’s called ‘ludic loops’—where a user is unsure whether they’ll receive feedback (or in the case of a slot machine, cash rewards) following anticipation—is what keeps us hooked. Or, as Harris says: pulling the lever.

“You pull a lever and immediately receive either an enticing reward (a match, a prize) or nothing,” says the Silicon Valley activist.

Quick reward psychology is nothing new. American psychologist B. F. Skinner at Harvard University was a pioneer of the concept. His theory of Operant Conditioning, which he first made reference to in 1938, is a method of learning that occurs through punishments and rewards for behaviour. What it comes down to is our conditioned associations between a particular behaviour, like pulling a lever on a slot machine, and its consequence: winning rewards. It’s what makes entertainment like gambling, and new forms of technology, like social media, so alluring; activities we want to come back to, again and again.

All fun and games?

The most simple way of explaining the deep psychology behind users of slot machines, especially online slot games, is that they’re fun to play. The success of the industry speaks for itself. The UK Gambling Commission report shows a massive 12.8% increase in the online gambling sector, accounting for £5.3 billion in Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) during the year. During 2016, online slot machine style games alone generated £1.8 billion in the UK. It’s one of the largest revenue generators of the sector and continues to grow year-on-year.

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That the industry has become so lucrative has had many benefits for the players who enjoy online slots. The more income generated by the slots, the more people want to get a part of the action. Including game developers, publishers and brands. The saturation of the market has resulted in many advancements in game technology. Newer, more exciting games are being published every week as game companies compete in the marketplace. And with developments like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), online slots are continuously evolving as they become more and more entertaining for the people who access and enjoy them.

The success of the industry—and the fun it elicits for its many players around the world—makes it a fine example for other sectors to try and replicate. That many of the techniques used to entice people to play online slots are being used by social media companies makes sense: they know a good model when they see it.

Where casinos have used techniques like air filtration and a lack of natural light to keep their gamblers in a limbo-like state, online gambling has allowed users to dip in and out of gaming anywhere, at any time of the day, and social media shares this perma-connection. Smartphones guide us out of any situation we don’t want to be in, it negates awkward silences, deletes boredom at the source. We are bombarded with stimuli and all of the techniques learnt from the world of gambling keep us coming back for more.

Of course to be ‘an addict’ requires a predilection to addiction, it requires pain that cannot be coped with another way, not everyone will become addicted. But this doesn’t mean that Silicon Valley shouldn’t look at the techniques it employs. “The ultimate freedom is a free mind,” says Tristan Harris, “and we need technology that’s on our team to help us live, feel, think and act freely. We need our smartphones, notifications screens and web browsers to be exoskeletons for our minds and interpersonal relationships that put our values, not our impulses, first. People’s time is valuable. And we should protect it with the same rigour as privacy and other digital rights.”

Just think next time you ‘pull the lever’: do you really need those likes?

Social Casinos Online

Casinos are sometimes still associated with images of senior citizens puffing away on cigarettes as they sit at slot machines. But today’s casinos have a diverse mix of clientele on their floor that range from the young to the old to the in-between. Digital marketing is a big reason for this. Successful casinos these days have an effective social media strategy working for them. One that not only lures first timers through their doors but anyone that “likes” them on Facebook and “follows” them on Twitter. One that establishes brand identity and helps foster customer loyalty.

Truly harnessing the promotional power of social media isn’t an easy task. It takes time and work. You don’t just set up a few social media profiles, lean back, start trending, and make it rain. Daily content must be pushed out to drive repeat visits, customer engagement, service, and referrals. Content that is interesting enough to get likes, retweets, and generate the kind of social shares to take your message and advertising viral.

With more states legalizing gambling, and more casinos competing against one another, your online marketing approach must draw in your audience. Here are a few suggestions to help you achieve a return on your investment.

Plug Casino Events

Okay, perhaps the Oak Ridge Boys aren’t the best example of casinos targeting a younger demographic, but we couldn’t find a corresponding image that promoted Jay Z and Beyonce’s casino gigs. Social media is a great way to promote upcoming events such as live music or comedy. It allows casinos to showcase booked talent with a YouTube clip as well as link to online ticket sales. If people in your network enjoy the YouTube video, or the artist showcased, they may even share your content with their fans or followers to further help you promote your upcoming live show.

Get Facebook Likes with Targeted Paid Ads

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Paid Facebook ads are a great way to build awareness, promote casino events and live entertainment, and grow your fan base. Facebook allows you to test ads and implement highly selective targeting to reach the most relevant audiences. This will amp up social exposure and get your casino more Facebook likes. Many of those likes will be new and returning players – perhaps even big spenders.

Engage Your Audience with Promotions

One of the most powerful ways for a casino to engage its audience on social media is to post about contests, sweepstakes, and giveaways. This is a great way to generate a buzz and get players in the door. Certain promotions also allow casinos to collect information about their customers that can be used for other marketing purposes.

Let People Know About Big Winners

When people venture into a casino, they naturally have aspirations of hitting the jackpot and winning big. This optimism increases if they follow your casino on social media and routinely read about people – just like them – exiting the casino as winners. Make a big deal out of big winners.

Notify Players of Upcoming Tournaments

Competitive players are attracted to tournaments and guaranteed prize pools. Social media is a great way to keep this type of player updated on upcoming tournaments and opportunities to win the pot.

Showcase Community Presence

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Social media is all about building a sense of community and part of that is proving that you contribute to your community. Spotlight any regional public service or charitable contributions. Show support for local sports teams and causes. Demonstrate to your customers that your establishment gives back.

Conclusion

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Today’s casino has an advantage that yesterday’s casinos didn’t have. Casinos today can continually engage customers and entice visitors with free points, free tickets, and free meals. They can also gain valuable insight into the likes and dislikes of customers. They can reward social activity - for instance, sharing online content with their friends and followers - with points and prizes. It’s no longer a case of relying on lady luck to push new business through your doors. Casinos are now scoring big with effective online marketing.