Casino Loyalty Programs: The Operator's Ultimate Guide
Casino loyalty programs help iGaming operators keep their players happy with rewards. But how are they done, and why do they matter?
As the iGaming industry is expanding rapidly in all corners of the globe, competition is becoming more challenging on a daily basis, forcing operators to spend more on customer retention strategies.
Player retention in iGaming is possible in many different ways, although one of the most general practices being implemented by iGaming affiliate schemes and operators is casino loyalty programs.
What is a casino loyalty program?
Casino rewards programs at CasinoEntertainer.com, also known as casino loyalty programs, are customer retention and marketing strategies meant that will encourage players to go on and utilize the services of an operator. They offer the player a basis for sticking with one casino instead of switching to a different operator. Casino loyalty programs also aid operators in managing player engagement and retention—conveniently leading us to our next subject!
How do casino loyalty programs work?
Casino loyalty programs offer players special offers and promotions, which are a great contributor to the iGaming operators' user base and engagement. All players want the best offer on the table, and this makes it simple for operators and casino affiliate programs to lure them with exclusive deals.
This can be done in different ways, such as offering gambling credits, or by offering them other related benefits through a casino VIP scheme.
How are casino rewards programs able to drive player retention?
Casino loyalty programs are a major contributing factor in keeping online casino players because, as mentioned above, most players always want to get as much value for money as possible, and to provide such deals through online casino rewards programs is an important factor that all operators ought to adopt.
Another important player retention driver of casino loyalty programs is the customized offers. Engaging with loyalty programs entails collecting information on customers, so it is typically pretty simple for operators to provide their players with bonuses and other promotional promotions. For others, it could be those games on which they play best; for some, it may be a given category of titles popular with specific groups.
Why do operators find casino loyalty schemes valuable?
While a casino loyalty program is not the only customer retention strategy available for iGaming operators, it is one of the best options out there. Most iGaming loyalty programs also offer operators great returns within a pretty short period of time, however, some of the best casino loyalty programs out there, like subscription-based ones that we’ll get to later, can generate returns pretty much instantly, further enhancing their appeal.
Furthermore, utilization of casino rewards schemes will also help gambling operators market their offerings since they will not only appeal more to gamblers but also to potential affiliate partners. This will help iGaming businesses negotiate more favorably for themselves in arrangements with their affiliates.
Types of casino loyalty programs
There are rather a number of various types of casino loyalty schemes available, among them VIP clubs, subscription schemes, and reward points. Let's take a look at some of the most popular ones available, starting with the latter one mentioned above.
Loyalty points
Loyalty points work award players a fixed number of points in relation to the cash spent at the casino. Such may be customized by iGaming operators to return users a higher number of award points for each unit of currency if the user deposits more money in a single transaction, thereby making such casino loyalty schemes more efficient.
Users can spend their points either as wagering credits, purchase casino bonuses, or play special game rounds outright, something provided by most developers in their games. Online casinos also have the ability to offer other purchaseable rewards with loyalty points, such as commodities or VIP club memberships, which is the second type of online casino loyalty programs we will discuss.
VIP clubs
VIP clubs are usually only available to a iGaming operator's most loyal players, providing them with enhanced experiences in a variety of ways. As these casino reward plans usually have few members, operators are able to easily collect information about them so they can offer high levels of personalization. Internet casinos that offer VIP clubs and loyalty points can reward their VIP members with a pre-determined number of loyalty points at set intervals to motivate users to visit their websites.
Operators that offer only iGaming VIP clubs, however, have plenty of other perks that they can offer their regular players, such as personalized rewards, priority customer phone numbers, faster withdrawal options, early access to certain games for their players, and much more. Most community-oriented gambling sites can even offer exclusive VIP chat rooms for their most regular players.
Subscription-based loyalty programs
- Subscription loyalty programs offer a bundle of rewards to players who pay a particular fee from time to time.
- Subscription loyalty programs are virtually identical in essence to VIP Clubs, except the mandatory subscription exists.
- Due to subscription-based casino loyalty programs requiring the players to pay an initial amount, they tend to be less popular than their cost-free counterparts.
- The few punters they will be able to attract will be clients with over-average spending on the activity and therefore will be worth to some operators.
Like our previous point of contention, they use the relatively smaller membership base to offer a high degree of personalization and offer a number of the same benefits, such as bespoke rewards and VIP customer support lines. These types of programs are a bit more difficult to sell because players will only consider them if they're offering outstanding value. But for more seasoned gamblers, subscription-based casino rewards programs are an excellent way to promote player activity.
Tiered loyalty programs
Tiered loyalty programs reward players based on the amount of money they spend with the casino. This may be achieved by either rewarding based on a player's constant deposits or by the amount they bet. Players can be offered a variety of benefits by these casino loyalty programs, such as free spins, higher odds, or even membership in the gambling website's VIP club. These types of casino loyalty programs are closely similar in nature to the aforementioned VIP clubs but offer fewer rewards to more of the casino player population.
Cashback schemes
A cashback reward program is a type of casino loyalty program where customers receive a part of their spending back in the form of cash or other rewards. As a player, you’d be spending money at your favorite online casino and getting a little bonus in return, just for playing. This reward may be redeemed into the player's bank account, applied to playing future games, or redeemed for reward points to enable further benefits.
For players, cashback schemes offer a small cushion. By receiving a percentage of their losses back, they are motivated to play on with a reduced impact of losing streaks. Because of how easy they are to implement, cashback schemes are very effective at ensuring players are kept entertained and happy.