Q&A: Daniel Lindberg, Quickspin CEO

In an increasingly competitive landscape it is no longer good enough to simply develop good quality slots games. With hundreds of new titles launched each year, operators need to crack the promotional code in order to make their product stand out from the crowd.

Quickspin CEO Daniel Lindberg believes social casino developers have risen to the challenge better than most. Here he talks to eGaming Review about some of the lessons real-money operators can learn from their free-to-play counterparts.

eGaming Review (eGR): What do you consider the best tools for promoting games?

Daniel Lindberg (DL): Free spins are probably still the best way of getting players to play a new game. It obviously gives them a chance to try it out without spending their own money. But in a competitive market place it’s important that we look beyond these simplistic acquisition offers and start thinking about retention too.

Current campaigns are a blunt instrument. They don’t take into account staking levels or player preferences. Giving a medium/high roller some free 20 cent spins is more of a hindrance than help. They’re not going to waste their time and luck on low stakes. Each player should have bonuses tailored to suit the way they play the game.

I think operators with a flexible enough platform would be well-served by gamifying those bonuses too. Current loyalty programmes make seemingly onerous turn-over demands on players or are just plain boring. It’s simple: if you want players to play more, give the operators tools to encourage them to play more.

eGR: Have social casino developers cracked the promotional code better than real-money operators?

DL: They probably have because having those weapons in their armoury is a necessity. With no real money prize at the conclusion of the spins or feature rounds they have to incentivise people to play more and spend more via the freemium model. They’ve had to try harder.

But I’d argue with real-money casino being so competitive now and players having multiple options, these guys have to try much harder too. We have to ask ourselves what is the equivalent to social casino gamification in RMG. We have to gamify our bonuses and reward loyal players with options that encourage further play. RMG has just as many tools, they’ve just not used them yet.

eGR: Do different types of games require different promotions?

DL: Most branded games are used as an acquisition tool only. They’re far more expensive to produce and earn less money for operators and suppliers and are a loss leader. In theory they attract players who like the brand rather than the idea of playing slots. The trick is to then cross-sell other games to these new players in order to keep them playing.

There are so many game releases these days that I think people do need to tailor promotions far better. Audience segmentation around maths models, for instance, is important as there’s no point trying to keep a casual gamer with a highly volatile slot that they’re not going to enjoy. LeoVegas does this well. Others need to think about the tools at their disposal and use them better.

eGR: Are operators doing enough on social media to promote their games? Is social media an effective player acquisition channel?

DL: Some are; some aren’t. Again, the likes of LeoVegas are making the most of social media like Facebook and Instagram, with some of the classic completion elements in which players are rewarded with free spins. This attracts a surprising amount of goodwill in some cases. But a great deal of care has to be taken. It’s very easy to tip from the right amount of promotion on social media to be being loudly and widely criticised.

I think there are still some taboos in gaming too. It’s easy to boast about getting one over a bookie on a football match or picking the winner of a horse race. There’s obviously an element of skill there. People don’t take to social media to talk about playing RMG games, for obvious reason. Telling people you spent a load of money on a slot game last night has less kudos. As a result, I think social media, done right, can complement other game promotions. But it will never replace them.