Developer insight: Google opens the door to app success within igaming  

We live in an apps-driven world where our apps know a lot about us and are even able to communicate with other apps. In this article we explore the implications of this for Google and what the impact will be for the igaming industry.

Google Play is a vast marketplace for apps. It’s also a place for app developers to show their best products and to reach mass audiences, which actively search, download and use millions of apps every day. Indeed, according to Statista, in January 2021, 72% of all smartphones ran on Android OS.

To have your app on Google Play, it must adhere to a strict set of standards that cover everything from local regulation, privacy and security protocols. Making it to the Play Store is like a quality label because Google acts like a gateway and only offer apps that have been tested and approved. This is positive both for the igaming industry as it sets an equal playing field for every gambling app on Google Play, and for customers as they can be sure that the available apps are by reliable operators, which in turn builds brand credibility.

Since the same rules apply for every operator, users will choose their favourite gaming apps based on user experience and features. This opens competition between app developers to create the best experience possible so that players choose their app as opposed to a competing one. Important metrics to measure here are app installs and reviews.

We’ve also seen Google opening gaming apps from just three markets to around 20 markets and we expect this expansion to continue soon. One of the opened markets is the US which has greatly accelerated the number of users looking on Google Play for igaming apps.

Apps have developed a lot in the last years, and in my opinion, gambling apps have not been able to keep up the pace. As mobile users, we came to expect a lot of our apps – we want a simplified onboarding experience and intuitive apps which we can figure out instantly. The casual gaming and fintech apps were more innovative in this regard and that is why we’ve seen such an increased take-up.

At Betsson, we wanted to develop a new native app so that we can maximise on these multiple opportunities (Google Play, the US, new mobile tech and more) and whilst doing so, we focused on developing an app with world class UI and UX in line with some of the most popular apps out there.

Fresh look

We are all unique individuals and to address that we focused on several personalisation features in our app – we believe this will make users more brand loyal which increases their lifetime value. What is quite unique is that we’ve built a modular native framework which also allows us to keep things looking fresh and updated. Through a back-end driven middleware, we can change the visuals on a component level and even change the order in which we display the modules. Everything on the start page is tracked and thus we can, in real-time, see what works best and try out different visuals and orders direct on the fly without sending a new app update on the app store. This smart method also give flexibility to our editors and casino managers to optimise the mobile app experience to their local users based on market specification.

The ability to personalise the experience in apps has also created an opportunity for a more personal gaming experience, one that puts you quickly in the action with a deep link or a jackpot going to fall push notification.

The industry needs to realise that our native apps are competing with other entertainment apps and thus should offer the same, or dare I say, a better, user experience.

So, what will it be tonight? An hour of Netflix or an hour of blackjack?

Eitan Gorodetsky has been working in online marketing for the past 10 years. Six of those years were spent in the igaming industry where he worked at 888, Catena Media and now at Betsson Group. His passion is in search and lead generation with a strong dedication to branding and messaging. Being data-driven and leadership are in his DNA.

The Betsson app is shortlisted for ‘Best Native App’ and ‘Innovation in Mobile and Tablet’ at the prestigious EGR Marketing and Innovation Awards 2021.