Gambling is just a game

Gambling has a lot of similarities with gaming. The similarities in the psychology is striking. Growing your gambling bank can be compared to moving up the levels in a game, or increasing your points. I see gambling products becoming increasingly game like. Having play for fun game that teaches people how to gamble is very useful from an acquisition and monetization perspective.

I think that the similarity has been recognised by operators like Zynga, who have begun to integrate gambling features into their popular games like Mafia Wars (see previous post). Bwin have also recently purchased a majority stake in United Games, an MMORPG games company.

People who play Mafia Wars, or MMORPG games, are predisposed to gamble because the gaming dynamics press the same psychological buttons. Owning such games provides operators with a huge audience of pre-screened, high quality prospects from which they can convert to their pay for real offerings.

From a product development perspective it means monitoring the gaming industry for developments and ideas that are relevant for gambling. A recent article by New Scientist about adaptive games is a good example. Developing an adaptive gambling website would have the same benefits. Matching the site features to the level of expertise of it's user to maximise relevancy and engagement.