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Amplifier AI Industry Newsletter

Future Anthem's gambling predictions for 2023

Posted by Vaishnavi Nashte, Marketing on January 18 2023

As a new year has approached, we tasked members of Future Anthem’s leadership team with theorising as to what they thought would be on the agenda for the iGaming industry in 2023.

Unfortunately, nobody at Future Anthem has a crystal ball they were able to consult, but they do have an incredibly deep and diverse understanding of their specialisms within the industry.

Four of our very best managed to come up with some thought-provoking theories for the year ahead which we think you’ll enjoy. Sit back, relax, and check out Future Anthem’s 2023 industry predictions.

 

Leigh Nissim, CEO — Predictions on leadership

I believe, the biggest industry trend in 2023 is going to be personalisation – and more specifically real-time personalisation of the player experience. The next phase of industry winners will be those that work in real-time, not based on yesterday’s performance.

This is the only way to optimise performance and enhance customer experience, while significantly raising responsible gambling and player protection levels.

To truly personalise requires a highly strategic, data-driven approach that processes hundreds of billions of data points. Over the next 12 months–and beyond–data-driven companies will continue to pull away. Operators and suppliers that get their data strategy right and, vitally, put it at the heart of their business, will extract maximum gain away from those who don’t.

Personalisation is tied into another key focus area: Sustainability. A strong focus on operating ethically and responsibly will win more clients and increase engagement with their teams.

From a broader perspective, within sports betting and iGaming, in a coming tougher economic environment, it’s time to innovate or die.

There’s no choice but to innovate rapidly across all operational areas. Ask yourself: ‘Is your company truly pushing the boundaries of what is possible?’

Christopher Conroy, Chief Data Officer — Predictions on Casino

First and foremost, I think it’s a given that real-time will be at the very top of every operator’s strategic objectives for 2023. Real-time personalisation has proven to significantly improve retention and player satisfaction, and ultimately that’s what ever operator wants isn’t it?

Rather than see casinos offer segmented products throughout their lobbies, I think we’ll start to see single personalised player windows instead, offering them exactly what they’re after in one place. Of course, it’s only those smart operators utilising a data-driven approach alongside forward-thinking companies such as Future Anthem that will reap the rewards.

Finally with regards to personalisation, think that it will expand to include player acquisition in the not-so-distant future, there’s so much valuable data out there now that I suspect some very talented people utilising some very impressive technology will be able to bring players and operators together this way.

My last two predictions are focused on casino in general. Firstly, I don’t think the Metaverse is anywhere near ready to reach the mainstream, at least in this space. If it is going to succeed at all I expect it’ll come later when it’s much more accessible to your every-day consumer.

Secondly, I think the pace of product development around slots is going to increase, even more so than it has before as studios scrap for the (very short) attention span of players.

 

Mitchell Feldman, Chief Marketing Officer — Predictions on Marketing

I’ll start by agreeing with Christopher’s prediction that operators and suppliers are going to double down in order to stand out in what is quickly becoming a sea of sameness.

I believe the way they’ll do this is by utilising behavioural data to find brand-new opportunities and create truly unique tailored player experiences. This data will also allow operators to create synergies between departments as they turn themselves from gambling companies to gaming companies.

Looking specifically at marketing, I think that marketing teams across the industry will continue to show a strong commitment to responsible gambling in their messaging, both as a means to stand out from the crowd and in response to growing concerns about player safety in certain jurisdictions.

Most importantly, I’m more than happy to echo that of my colleagues in championing real-time personalisation as that’s something I’m certain will be on everyone’s minds in 2023.

 

Matt Nichols, Americas General Manager — Predictions on Americas

There’s a lot to digest when it comes to gambling in the United States. I think we’re going to see a whole host of new market entrants making a sizable splash in the gaming space in 2023, significantly changing the composition of the upper tier of operators.

As these operators continue to search for points of differentiation in what is fast becoming a very crowded field, I believe providing players with data-driven personalised experience will become a critical priority for each and every one of them.

Whilst growth is inevitable, we’re also going to see companies exit the space as operating costs begin to mount up (led by the competitive nature of customer acquisition). I expect these costs will outpace revenue for all but the largest operators.

On a state-by-state level, Texas and Missouri will most likely be the next to legalise sports wagering whilst Indiana will expand its gaming bill to bring online casinos into the fray.