Vegangster is looking to buck the iGaming presupposition that players prefer individual play with the introduction of public player profiles.
The online casino provider’s Product Manager, Anton Surzhan, recently spoke to iGaming Expert about how identity, status and community are becoming just as important as gameplay, as well as its impact on future player retention as social features become increasingly more common.
iGaming Expert: What specific data or trends did you identify to come up with the introduction of public player profiles?
Anton Surzhan: We observed a clear shift in player behaviour, players are increasingly seeking social validation and community belonging, similar to what we see in video games and fintech (like Venmo or Revolut). Data showed that players often share screenshots of big wins on external forums. By bringing profiles in-house, we capture that engagement. We identified that ‘stealth’ play is becoming less popular among the new generation of players who treat iGaming as a form of competitive entertainment rather than a private activity.
iGX: How will this drive retention, and why do you think the industry has overlooked it until now? What metrics can operators use to measure that improvement?
AS: The integration of Public Player Profiles with our Social Chat creates a powerful ecosystem for retention. By allowing players to interact in real-time and instantly view each other’s profiles via chat, we transition from a solitary experience to a community-driven one.
This synergy drives retention through healthy competition and social validation. When a player sees a peer’s ‘Biggest Win’ or rare ‘Achievements’ in the chat, it triggers a ‘bragging rights’ culture. Players aren’t just playing against the house, they are competing for status within the community. They can celebrate each other’s successes, discuss strategies, and showcase their progress, which builds a much deeper emotional connection to the platform.
The industry has overlooked this because it was traditionally focused on the purely transactional ‘mathematics’ of gambling. We believe the future is about the ‘Entertainment Value’ and social identity.
Key metrics to measure this improvement include:
- Social Engagement & Discovery:
- Profile-to-Chat Conversion: How often players click on a username in the chat to view a profile.
- Interaction Frequency: The average number of viewing profiles per session.
- Retention & Loyalty:
- Social Stickiness (DAU/MAU): Measuring if players with public profiles return more frequently than anonymous ones.
- Social LTV Uplift: Comparing the Lifetime Value of ‘Socially Active’ players versus ‘Incognito’ players.
- Community Health:
- Profile Transparency Rate: The percentage of users who keep their profiles public (tracking the success of our ‘default-on’ logic for new users).
Veteran Unveil Rate: How many legacy players choose to manually ‘unhide’ their registration date, indicating high trust and brand pride.
iGX: How much do you expect the player experience to change with this new feature and how will it impact their usual session?
AS: We are moving away from the ‘solitary player vs. the machine’ model toward a vibrant, socially-charged hub. The main change is the constant social proof: players no longer feel they are playing in a vacuum. Every session now offers proof of a live, breathing community.
By seeing others’ achievements and profiles in real-time, the experience becomes much more social. This inherently drives retention through competition-players aren’t just betting, they are building a public reputation. For operators, this opens doors to next-level gamification where bonuses can be tied to community status or ‘social milestones.’ Essentially, it transforms a standard gambling session into a competitive, interactive journey where ‘flexing’ your progress is half the fun.
iGX: What do profiles enable that a regular casino lobby or tournament mechanics don’t?
AS: Lobbies are transactional, tournaments are fleeting. Profiles provide permanence. While a tournament leaderboard disappears after 24 hours or a few days, a profile stores your legacy. It acts as a digital CV for the player, showcasing long-term consistency and ‘legendary’ wins that a standard lobby simply cannot highlight.
iGX: Are the profiles and the community chat codependent? What role does the interaction layer play in the broader product vision?
AS: They are absolutely synergistic. The chat is the conversation, but the profile is the identity. Interaction becomes more meaningful when you can click on a player’s name in chat and immediately see their ‘Biggest Win’ or ‘Top 3 Games.’ It builds trust and a healthy competitive spirit within the community layer of the product.
iGX: Most players prioritise privacy when playing online. How much can players customise what to show on their profiles? Does the privacy issue conflict with the social aspect of this feature?
Privacy is our priority, which is why we’ve implemented granular privacy toggles (“Show Nickname”, “Show Statistics”, “Show Achievements”, “Show Top 3 Favourite Games”, “Show Register Date”). One of the most significant data points is the “Registration Date”. For long-term players, this isn’t just a number; it’s a status symbol that proves their loyalty and history with the brand.
However, we handle this with a very specific ‘legacy-friendly’ approach:
- New players: For those registering now, the public profile toggles are enabled by default. They enter a fully social environment where sharing their journey is part of the standard experience.
- Existing/Legacy players: We deeply respect the privacy of our long-time players. For them, the registration date is hidden by default to protect their history. They have the complete freedom to go into settings and ‘unveil’ it whenever they feel ready to showcase their veteran status to the community.
This ensures that our push for social features never feels forced upon our most loyal, established players, while still building a vibrant, open community for the next generation.
iGX: Is compliance an issue at all for this initiative? How do you stay in line with the multiplicity of privacy regulations across jurisdictions?
AS: We design with Privacy by Design principles. Our profiles never display PII (Personally Identifiable Information) or sensitive financial data-only gamified statistics. We stay compliant with GDPR and other jurisdictional rules by ensuring all social sharing is player-initiated and that ‘incognito’ modes are always available to satisfy responsible gaming requirements.
iGX: With Scroll & Play and now social profiles like those seen in other industries, Vegangster seems to be taking significant inspiration from outside iGaming. What habits from other entertainment industries can drive success for a gaming product?
AS: We look at TikTok for engagement (Scroll & Play) and Steam or Xbox Live for social identity. The habit of ‘collection’ (achievements) and ‘curation’ (showing off your favourite games) are powerful drivers in Gen Z and Millennial entertainment. We are moving away from ‘Casino as a Utility’ toward ‘Casino as a Social Platform.
iGX: What comes after social profiles are live? Can you expand this feature further, or will Vegangster focus on innovating elsewhere?
AS: Social profiles are a natural continuation of the social ecosystem we began building with our Social Chat. They aren’t just a standalone addition; they provide the essential identity that makes every conversation and interaction meaningful.
We don’t see them as a finished feature, but as the starting point for a deeper transformation of the player journey. This evolution moves the platform away from isolated, individual play toward a collective, shared narrative. Our vision is to continue expanding this ‘social layer’ as the heartbeat of the product, where a player’s reputation and social presence unlock new dimensions of gameplay. At Vegangster, we are committed to redefining the boundary between iGaming and social networking, ensuring that community remains at the centre of every future innovation.
