Egaming verticals - there are more than just four
New affiliates need to look beyond the big four verticals of bingo, casino, poker and sportsbetting if they want to make an impact, says Neil Mitchell, managing director of affiliate marketing business Soho Rocks - and choose that vertical right and they could hit the big time.
THE BIG FOUR verticals that affiliates promote (casino, sports, poker and bingo) are becoming oversaturated “ Google ‘online casino’ and there are over 37 million results. Is it time for affiliates to look at emerging verticals in order for them to have any chance of breaking into the affiliate arena?
There is certainly evidence that some ‘super-affiliates’ have identified becoming an operator as the way forward “ and as such there will be space for existing affiliates to move up the rankings and eventually take their place. But for the affiliate who isn’t on a massive wage, or is new to the industry, what should they be doing to ensure they become the next super-affiliate?
Everyday life could be a source of inspiration. Search hard enough and there is plenty of news about emerging games and technologies.
Do some research on software developers both inside and outside the gaming industry and you may well find the Next Big Thing.
After all, poker only really became socially acceptable thanks to its appearance on TV and poker sets being made available in the shops, so it’s not too far-fetched to believe that there will be a new gaming vertical in the pipeline.
Could it be as simple as something like rummy or canasta (both of which already have a niche in online gaming that is underdeveloped), or could it be something that is being designed by the likes of Nintendo, Sony, or some other company?
Could it be the advent of an existing subset of the online gaming world “ baccarat, roulette, sic bo?
To the affiliate I say “ think laterally and look for the niches in the market, do some research about upcoming trends around the world and build some sites around what you believe could be the next big thing.
You never know, you could be on to a massive winner, and you have nothing to lose.
This article first appeared in the October issue of eGaming Review.
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