News
EXCLUSIVE: Dr Andreas Koeberl on The Rise of Experimental Content in iGaming
The iGaming News team spoke with Dr Andreas Koeberl, Chief Executive Officer at BetGames, on the rise of experimental content in iGaming
Dr Andreas Koeberl, Chief Executive Officer at BetGames, explores the rise of experimental content in iGaming, outlining the factors influencing growth, the potential of hybrid games, and why failing is not such a bad thing when it comes to innovation.
"Every game provider is looking to establish a reputation as a disruptor – within the tight regulatory corsets. Whether that relates to engineering brand-new slot mechanics, implementing RNG-style features in Live Casino products, or leading the charge in crash and tap games, the innovation race has never been more fiercely contested. Especially for “underdogs”, carving out a new niche remains a key factor in building a sustainable business within the hyper competitive iGaming industry."
The Growing Momentum of Experimental Content
"Genres such as crash games have significantly increased in popularity over the past decade. A prominent factor influencing this surge is the introduction of an element of skill and strategy – even if it’s on the surface only. In contrast to most slots, which have an outcome settled by predetermined backend mathematics, crash games grant the player control. This extends from control over the initial stake to control over when to cash out, with the risk and reward balance facilitating game strategy development.
Tap games were born out of the increasing demand for quickfire gameplay that delivers maximum entertainment value as quickly as possible and instant rewards. The attention span of the modern iGaming player is reduced compared to land-based gamblers spending numerous hours at a brick-and-mortar casino. As a result, there has been a trend toward simple and fast gameplay as suppliers attempt to tailor content toward this new-look player. We have seen this shift across all verticals. There has been a dramatic increase in classic table games promoting accelerated betting rounds, and most slots have a turbo-play button integrated. Tap games take this idea and push it one step further, delivering instantaneous wins with the click of a button. There is a direct correlation between the intensifying pressure on driving player engagement and gameplay speed.
Market analysis suggests that this content style can be utilised as a key driver of ancillary revenue alongside a more traditional offering of slots and table games. The speed and strategy involved highlight them as a potential alternative to slots. At the same time, the simplicity of gameplay and lack of complex mechanics mean they have huge potential in converting sports and recreational bettors into casino players."
Pushing Boundaries with Game Development
"It is integral that game producers optimise these evolving genres with the time-poor consumer in mind. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, a focus on originality, gameplay simplicity, ease of interface navigation, and strategic control can all be potent precursors indicating a game's future success. Ultimately, you can delve into data analytics and make assumptions about content performance, but nobody can say for certain if a game will be a hit with players.
This is why product iteration is vital. Ship quickly, fail fast – this has been a mantra in the startup world for decades and is still something we often see lacking in our industry. It's important to champion this approach, place yourself in the player's mind, and create a compelling, entertaining product that caters to the target audience. Do it fast, test it, kill it or double down. While tricky in the CAPEX intense live dealer vertical, the RNG verticals allow us to do exactly that.
The meteoric rise in the sophistication of artificial intelligence (AI) has also unlocked new doors in game production. From speeding up prototyping by multiples to analysing player behaviours and deriving game mechanics from it autonomously, this enabling technology can’t be ignored. While regulation remains a burden, the opportunities afforded by AI are boundless, and those agile enough to harness its potential will position themselves to reap the rewards. "
The Future of Experimental Genres
"Increasingly, we have seen the lines blurring between traditional verticals and other entertainment categories, from simple crossovers like live gameshows that incorporate RNG bonus rounds to more sophisticated social gameplay incorporating streaming and the likes. A simple example is our very own Penguin Rush. This fuses the simplicity of gameplay enabled by tap games with various difficulty levels and increasing multipliers to deliver dynamic gameplay that places strategy at the heart of the experience, revitalising the Frogger mechanic.
With the advent of AI, we will see more experimental genres emerging, and faster. Game producers feeding models with behavioural player data and amalgamating this with the latest trends, for example from TikTok or Discord, will spark ideas and prototypes in unprecedented numbers. Though, the question remains: will our regulators be agile enough or will we have to break out into adjacent non-iGaming verticals to capture future players?"
Interested? Let’s Talk:
iGaming in Africa: Why Localisation Remains the Industry’s Greatest Advantage
Africa’s iGaming market is one of the industry’s most dynamic growth regions, but success cannot be achieved through a one-size-fits-all approach.
In a recent article for iGaming AFRIKA, BetGames VP Africa & LatAm James Everett discusses how player behaviour varies significantly across the continent, influenced by factors such as market maturity, connectivity, payment infrastructure, and local gaming preferences.
More established markets often demonstrate longer engagement periods and higher spending patterns, supported by stronger regulatory frameworks and trusted payment ecosystems. Emerging markets, meanwhile, frequently favour shorter, mobile-first sessions and micro-betting behaviour shaped by practical considerations such as device capabilities and data costs.
These differences reinforce the importance of localisation. Beyond language translation, effective localisation includes adapting products, mechanics, payment methods, promotional strategies, and player experiences to align with local expectations and behaviours.
As African markets continue to develop, suppliers and operators that prioritise trust, accessibility, operational reliability, and locally relevant content will be best positioned to drive long-term engagement and sustainable growth.
Read the full article on iGaming AFRIKA for James Everett’s insights into the trends shaping the future of iGaming across Africa.
Custom Live Casino Environments
Custom Live Casino Environments Are Reshaping Player Engagement
Custom live casino environments are quickly becoming a core part of modern operator strategy, helping brands create more immersive and personalised player experiences.
In the latest issue of G3 Media, BetGames’ Chief Product & Business Development Officer Ian Catchick shares insights into how bespoke environments are evolving beyond simple visual customisation and becoming powerful tools for engagement, retention, and cross-game activity.
As player expectations continue to rise, operators are increasingly looking for ways to stand out in a crowded market. Tailored live casino environments allow brands to create experiences that feel more exclusive, familiar, and aligned with their identity — strengthening emotional connection and encouraging longer-term player loyalty.
Beyond branding, custom environments can also support broader commercial goals. Cohesive experiences across multiple products help operators introduce players to new games and verticals while maintaining consistency throughout the player journey.
However, scalability remains one of the industry’s biggest challenges. Traditionally, building bespoke live casino environments has required significant time, resources, and operational effort, making large-scale deployment difficult across multiple markets or brands.
New AI-powered technologies are beginning to change this. In the feature, Ian discusses how tools like BetGames’ AI-powered Casino Designer are helping streamline the creation process, allowing operators to launch customised environments faster and with greater flexibility.
As competition across the live casino sector intensifies, scalable personalisation and faster deployment are expected to play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of player engagement.
The case for connected play: why cross‑game engagement is driving retention
Player retention in iGaming is evolving beyond individual games and standalone verticals. As player behaviour changes, operators are increasingly recognising that long-term engagement is no longer driven by a single successful title, but by how seamlessly players move across an entire gaming ecosystem.
Today’s players expect platforms to feel connected, dynamic, and continuously rewarding. Rather than focusing on isolated products, they evaluate the overall experience — how naturally it evolves, how varied it feels, and how easily they can transition between different forms of entertainment.
As a result, cross-game engagement is becoming one of the key drivers of retention, session duration, and long-term player value.
From Individual Titles to Connected Ecosystems
Historically, operator performance often relied heavily on a single top-performing game or vertical.
However, this approach is becoming less sustainable as player expectations continue to evolve.
Players engaging with only one type of experience are more likely to experience fatigue and disengage faster over time. In contrast, players who interact with multiple products tend to remain active longer and demonstrate stronger retention patterns.
This is driving a broader shift toward portfolio-level thinking, where operators focus not only on the success of individual games, but also on how products work together to create continuous engagement.
Rather than asking which game performs best independently, operators are increasingly exploring how players move across the entire platform journey.
Why Variety Strengthens Engagement
At the core of connected play is something relatively simple: variety.
Different gaming experiences satisfy different player motivations and moods.
A player may seek fast-paced entertainment during one session, while preferring more immersive, social, or competitive gameplay during another.
Connected ecosystems allow players to explore these different experiences without leaving the platform, creating a more fluid and engaging journey.
This type of variety can support:
Longer session durations
More frequent return visits
Stronger emotional engagement
Higher cross-product participation
When transitions between games feel seamless, the platform itself becomes more immersive and engaging rather than feeling like a collection of disconnected products.
Designing Seamless Cross-Game Experiences
Encouraging players to move between products does not necessarily require overly complex systems or aggressive promotion.
In many cases, the most effective engagement strategies feel natural and intuitive to the player.
Cross-game engagement can be strengthened through:
Shared progression systems
Cross-game missions and events
Connected reward mechanics
Unified promotional journeys
At the same time, user experience plays a critical role in maintaining continuity across products.
Consistent visuals, recognizable interface patterns, and intuitive navigation help reduce friction when players transition between different games or verticals.
The goal is to make movement across the platform feel like a continuation of the same journey rather than a completely separate experience.
From Competitive Advantage to Industry Expectation
Connected digital experiences are already standard across many entertainment industries, including streaming services, mobile gaming, and social platforms.
As a result, player expectations within iGaming are evolving in the same direction.
Standalone experiences are becoming easier for players to abandon, while interconnected ecosystems provide stronger reasons to stay engaged over time.
This trend also aligns closely with the growing importance of gamification and personalization, where platforms increasingly adapt in real time to player behaviour rather than relying solely on static promotional campaigns.
Cross-game engagement is therefore shifting from being an additional feature to becoming a fundamental expectation within modern gaming ecosystems.
The Future of Player Retention
Looking ahead, retention strategies are likely to focus increasingly on the overall player journey rather than isolated product performance.
Operators will continue investing in systems that support:
Personalized engagement experiences
Real-time progression and rewards
Gamified cross-product journeys
Continuous player interaction across multiple verticals
At the same time, simplicity will remain critical.
The most effective engagement tools will be those that connect products intelligently while remaining intuitive and easy for players to understand.
As competition intensifies and acquisition costs continue to rise, connected play is rapidly becoming more than just a retention tool — it is emerging as a long-term strategic requirement for operators seeking sustainable player engagement and stronger lifetime value.
BetGames: Redefining Player Engagement in a Real-Time Gaming Environment
Player engagement in iGaming is entering a new phase — one shaped by real-time interaction, gamification, and increasingly personalized experiences.
Traditional loyalty programmes built around fixed rewards and tier systems are gradually evolving into more dynamic engagement ecosystems designed to keep players continuously connected to the experience.
As player expectations shift toward instant feedback and ongoing interaction, operators are rethinking how loyalty and retention mechanics are delivered across modern gaming platforms.
From Loyalty Programmes to Gamified Experiences
Historically, loyalty programmes followed a relatively straightforward structure: players placed bets, accumulated points, and unlocked rewards over time.
Today, engagement systems are becoming far more interactive and layered.
Challenges, progression systems, tournaments, and leaderboards are increasingly being integrated directly into gameplay, creating more immersive player journeys and additional engagement touchpoints.
Rather than relying solely on periodic rewards, modern gamification systems encourage players to engage continuously through evolving objectives, competitive mechanics, and personalized incentives.
This shift reflects a broader industry trend toward creating engagement ecosystems that feel more immediate, dynamic, and experience-driven.
The Rise of Real-Time Engagement
One of the key drivers behind modern gamification is the growing demand for immediacy.
Digital audiences increasingly expect experiences to react instantly to their behavior, and gaming environments are no exception.
As a result, engagement mechanics are becoming more responsive and personalized:
Instant rewards triggered during gameplay
Dynamic challenges and progression tracking
Personalized notifications and promotional messaging
By responding to player activity in real time, operators can create more continuous engagement loops that encourage longer sessions, repeat visits, and stronger interaction across multiple products.
This approach also allows promotional campaigns to become more integrated within gameplay rather than existing as standalone loyalty features.
Balancing Engagement and Simplicity
As gamification systems become more advanced, maintaining simplicity and transparency becomes increasingly important.
Layered mechanics, multiple reward structures, and progression systems can create richer experiences, but they can also introduce friction if the player journey becomes too complicated.
Players need to clearly understand:
How rewards are earned
What progression means
What value different mechanics provide
When gamification systems become difficult to follow, engagement can lose its effectiveness and begin to feel overly transactional rather than genuinely rewarding.
The challenge for operators is finding the right balance between depth and accessibility — creating experiences that are engaging without becoming overly engineered.
Building Long-Term Player Engagement
Real-time gamification ecosystems are proving to be powerful tools for increasing retention, session duration, and overall player interaction.
By introducing progression systems, competitive mechanics, and instant recognition, operators can create more engaging and rewarding player journeys across both new and existing products.
At the same time, long-term loyalty is not defined solely by the number of features available within a system.
Sustainable engagement depends on how clearly the experience is communicated and how naturally players choose to interact with it over time.
Looking ahead, the future of player engagement will likely be shaped by systems that combine:
Real-time interaction and personalization
Clear and intuitive progression systems
Transparent reward structures
Consistent and accessible user experiences
As the industry continues evolving, successful engagement ecosystems will be those that balance innovation with simplicity — creating experiences players understand, trust, and actively return to over time.