The iGaming industry is growing at a rapid rate: it’s already worth more than $63 billion (as of 2022), and is expected to grow at an average of 11.7% a year for the rest of the decade, according to Grand View Research. But as the sector grows and opportunities arise, new demands are emerging at the same time, including the need to innovate to improve user experiences in a competitive marketplace, 

On February 6-8 2024, Ciklum attended ICE London, the world leading gaming exhibition which brings together the movers and shakers driving innovation in the global gaming landscape. In partnership with Optimove, we hosted an exclusive  workshop - ‘The Deep Impact of Tailored Gaming Experiences & Customized User Journeys’ - where we explored the strategies and technologies that are paramount to delivering next level player experiences. If you weren’t able to join us in London, then this blog highlights the key takeaways and insights.

Hyper-personalization for market mastery 

In iGaming as in many other customer-facing sectors, users want more personalized, individual experiences that are tailored to their needs. This means that generic content, or players being fed games that aren’t interesting or relevant to them, aren’t really going to cut it. Instead, players want - and will increasingly come to expect - tailored odds, personalized offers and messaging, and a more intuitive, human approach.

Tech-driven solutions, like those we have developed and implemented at Ciklum, are essential to delivering on these expectations, whether it’s decoding local nuances, tailoring gaming experiences, or forging partnerships that enable market expansion. Data and analytics can help uncover patterns of gameplay, historical interactions and demographic context to allow those personalized touchpoints and offerings to be crafted.

GenAI: guiding tech evolution

Generative AI was a major focal point of the show, and with good reason. At Ciklum, we’ve found it has an instrumental role to play in enhancing gaming experiences, whether it’s speeding up time-to-market for new games, or improving decision-making through predictive analytics. But GenAI is also making a real difference behind the scenes, too. From a security perspective, it can detect and mitigate the cyber-threats that can wreak financial, operational and reputational havoc on any iGaming business. It can also support responsible gaming measures by helping identify vulnerable players and ensuring interventions are made in a more timely manner.

The synergy of chatbots and omnichannel

AI is already being used to good effect in supporting chatbots that provide new levels of customer service to users and players. These chatbots can automatically handle the most common queries and deliver fast, satisfactory resolutions to customers on a scale that human customer service teams could not possibly provide. As AI technology continues to develop, the ability of AI chatbots to handle more complex and more personalized queries will only increase over time.

At Ciklum, we’ve been working to take the capabilities of AI chatbots and virtual assistants even further by integrating them into wider and more immersive omnichannel experiences. Customers can engage with the same issue across multiple channels - websites, social media, messaging apps and voice assistants - and seamlessly move between them while keeping the context and continuity of the conversation. Allowing AI and human endeavor to complement each other, where AI takes care of the simpler tasks and humans cover the more complex, can really help foster trust among users and reduce any suspicions or perceptions of bias.

Tech-savvy solutions for responsible gaming

Responsible gaming is an important topic across the sector, and operators are increasingly being expected to demonstrate their commitment to player support and safer gaming practices. In the UK, for example, initiatives like Safer Gambling Week each November are helping the use of deposit limits and reality checks grow at a rapid rate. However, there is still more that operators can do at their end to reduce the risk of player harm or problem gambling.

Tech solutions are actively being explored that can help operators in this area, whether it’s ensuring support measures are implemented discreetly, or how tech collaborations can foster more secure gaming environments. AI is proving its worth in our deployments by identifying patterns of problematic gambling behavior and alerting operators to the issue, so that they can take rapid and appropriate action. AI can also automatically suggest self-exclusion measures to players, and help them adhere to them through monitoring.

In summary

The last point is especially important in the context of hyper-personalization. Players need to feel that the games they are playing are fair, while also getting individual and engaging experiences. This is where Ciklum’s position as a trusted partner of many leading iGaming operators is making such a difference. Our approach addresses the key pain points around personalization, through tailored solutions, Agile methodologies, human-centric design strategies and collaborative partnerships.

Our experienced team of iGaming specialists is helping operators adapt quickly to regulatory and market changes, elevate user experiences, align technology with user needs, and deliver on players’ omnichannel expectations. To find out how we apply our expertise, explore our case studies and content library, or get in touch with our team directly.