Panel says the next generation of online gambling will be more social, engaged and targeted
The future of online gambling will be more social, more engaged with players and more targeted to their individual interests
NEW YORK — The future of online gambling will be more social, more engaged with players and more targeted to their individual interests, an industry panel said Thursday.
Speaking at the Next.io conference on internet gambling and sports betting, panelists said online gambling — which is still in its infancy after a decade — already needs to change and evolve in order to survive.
That includes many more efforts to get bettors engaged with a gambling company's brand, to accommodate their fondness for social media and communal activity, and to target experiences to their interests.
“The next generation will need something different,” said Jonathan Doubilet, vice president of U.S. business operations for Playtech, the maker of online gambling and sports betting software. “We will need to innovate.”
Seth Schorr, CEO of Las Vegas-based Fifth Street Gaming, is launching a Latino-themed online social casino using his jefebet.com platform in about two weeks, using the Spanish word for “boss.” He also renovated the Lucky Club Casino and Hotel in North Las Vegas last year as the Ojos Locos Sports Cantina y Casino at Hotel Jefe.
“It is a shamefully underserved market,” said Schorr. “There are 64 million Americans who identify as Latino with a purchasing power of $3.5 trillion dollars. It's something I've been executing in a land-based casino for 15 years.
“This is far more dynamic than just having your site in Spanish,” he said. “We have put together a brand that speaks to the language, the culture, the influencers.”
Customers at the social casino buy virtual currency to use on the site, he said.
Justin Park
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