In the third part of SlotBeats Spotlight, we take a look into the value of jackpot prizes, may that be mega jackpots or smaller daily drops, and ask our experts if players are still driven by jackpot prizes and with players leaning more towards smaller jackpots, is there still value in mega jackpots?
SlotBeats: How valuable are jackpot prizes in driving interest for both new and existing games?
Yuriy Muratov, Booongo: As aforementioned, the key to success is the game itself. For new releases, jackpot mechanics are not always necessarily the right promotional tool for every game, hence why we have numerous options from which to choose from.
Many players are now enjoying the competitive experience of tournaments based around the release of games; with others preferring progressive cashback campaigns, such as our daily rewards engagement tool.
Innovative marketing approaches and tools which offer instant gratification now appear better options for generating traffic for new releases, while jackpots are ideal for retaining and attracting new players to existing games – increasing activity with these titles in the long run. Booongo sees jackpots as a long-term strategy that slowly helps increase player engagement and ultimately their retention.
Vsevolod Lapin, Playson: Jackpots are a good indicator as whether a game works well with players. Jackpot tools are a fantastic way to reinvigorate the interest of players in an existing game, and can help bring it back up to the top of the casino lobby.
But if the traffic to the game remains roughly the same, even with the addition of promotional tools, the likelihood is that the game’s life cycle is coming to an end. At Playson, we understand this and it’s why we always have exciting new games in the pipeline to continuously satiate the appetite of our players.
Carl Ejlertsson, Red Tiger: They are the proposition that remain across all the games: a red line if you like. Players don’t feel they are missing out on them because they are changing games. We consider them to be very valuable, but you have to treat the liquidity with respect.
You’ll also need to capitalise properly by distributing the money around into different pots, with different time urgencies, etc, so it’s all things to all players.
We have 25 different jackpot configurations, as a result. There are subtle differences between them, but they cater for varying types of player and player behaviour. Daily jackpots are not a static product.
Arcangelo Lonoce, Habanero: Jackpot prizes are a commonly used promotional tool, and in my view, essential. Indeed, given the saturated nature of today’s slot market, they can certainly be helpful for those trying to spotlight a particular game.
The modern player is presented with a wealth of different choices, so UI and UX alone will not be enough to promote your offering, even if both are of an impressively high quality. As a result, jackpots are by far one of the most engaging and entertaining channels an operator can explore – and with the right campaign built around the right game, the sky’s the limit.
Jo Purvis, Blueprint Gaming: There’s definitely an advantage of placing a title under a jackpot system as it immediately puts the game in front of jackpot fans.
A wide range of games fall under the same jackpot banner, which means operators are more likely to have a landing page widget that promotes the jackpot and the associated slots.
New titles including the jackpot immediately get top billing within the widget, leading to front page exposure that every supplier aims to achieve for a launch.
Adding the jackpot system to existing games can also breathe new life into a title which may have fallen off the radar of the mainstream player.
We’ve taken this approach with a couple of our classic games recently such as Fishin’ Frenzy and now King Kong Cash, adding them to our Jackpot King series. Although they were great games in their own right, including the pots has opened them to a segment of players who prefer playing jackpot games only.
SlotBeats: With more players leaning towards games that feature smaller jackpots that must be won by a specific cash value, is there still a place for the mega jackpot prize that’s generated over weeks and months?
Jo Purvis : Yes definitely. Smaller pots that accumulate and drop faster have shown their worth in attracting players for the short-term, but jackpot fans will always have the lottery level prize in the back of their minds.
Although daily jackpots provide a euphoric moment for the winner, they cannot compare to the life-changing sums which can be won from a mega jackpot and how this can affect a player in a positive way.
The anticipation that a million pound plus jackpot brings is much greater than a daily pot that pays out no more than around £20,000. You cannot compare the dreams of scooping a million-pound jackpot to the prize on offer through a daily giveaway.
This is especially apparent with Blueprint’s Jackpot King progressive system, where players enter the Wheel King before knowing if they have won the jackpot they so greatly desire or not.
Arcangelo Lonoce: Here at Habanero we are not great believers in massive jackpot prizes accumulated over a number of weeks and months.
For us, it’s more about offering smaller, regular jackpots for the games that our players love coming back to – and we have no plans to compromise the maths models of our games to supply a mega-lottery style experience. It would not suit our business model.
That said, there is certainly a space on the market for mega jackpot prizes. They are of particular use to larger brands that might have strategies built on quantity, as mega jackpots can work across numerous different iterations of the same game, ensuring plenty of longevity.
There will always be slot players who hope to bag that massive win with a tiny contribution. However, one thing that surely doesn’t play in mega network jackpots’ favour is that, as a rule, local jurisdictions do not allow pots being shared across different markets – the pot has to stay local. This means that, with more and more markets regulating, the old multi-million jackpots of yesteryear are bound to lose some of their appeal.
Vsevolod Lapin: All promotional tools, including the big network progressive jackpots, were created for a specific audience. Small jackpots are a fairly new feature, and with the influx of a new generation of players and varying playing models, only time will tell as to the popularity of both small and big jackpots.
Many believe that the older generation of gamblers aim for the big fish, yet more novice players search for a quick win. Though with the industry evolving at such a pace, we’ll have to wait and see.
Carl Ejlertsson: Yes, they are still marketed heavily and players still like to play them. We support a few ourselves as a result. The problem with them is that they come at a cost. That’s the reason the smaller casinos don’t get a look in.
My question would be can operators continue to operate them with the increased price of regulations and compliance? If you include player acquisition costs many of them must be loss-making. Smaller jackpots are far more profitable. The money is recycled into the system and stays within the ecosystem.
Yuriy Muratov: Absolutely! There is always a place for big jackpots. The only question is determining their proper placement to ensure profitability for every link in the delivery chain. Many players already favour their particular type of gaming experience and it would be remiss to change something that continues to work successfully.
Small and daily jackpots are ubiquitous, and in order to be competitive in the market jackpots are a key tool to have at your disposal. Booongo will soon be announcing the launch of our classic, time and must drop jackpots along with even more exciting news we have planned for 2020 – so watch this space!
To read part two of SlotBeats Spotlight, click here.
