Published with the permission of SlotBeats.
Content aggregation, simply put, is the collection of information based on a common topic involving one or more related keywords. However, how can this be used in the world of slots to benefit players and the titles that are highlighted for them?
In this week’s SlotBeats Spotlight, we asked five operators for their views on content aggregation and how it can benefit the industry.
SlotBeats: What are the main benefits of content aggregation from an operator perspective?
Dylan Slaney, SG Digital: The ultimate benefit to operators is that they can offer thousands of games via a single integration.
We’ve seen over the last few months how important content aggregation has been in allowing casinos to diversify their offering quickly, providing them with access to a wide range of game themes and styles, in particular those that resonate with retail customers who have switched to online following lockdown restrictions on land-based venues.
Content aggregation also streamlines the process of offering games to players and eliminates the heavy lifting on the operator side, allowing them to focus on the core user experience and player marketing strategies.
Boris Chaikin, Soft2Bet: The main benefit of aggregators is that they can offer thousands of games from multiple providers through one quick and easy integration.
This streamlines the technical side of onboarding new suppliers, whilst also presenting operators with a wide variety of games to choose from. For new or smaller companies, using aggregators can save a lot of time and resources, allowing them to build strong portfolios with much less groundwork.
Another useful aspect is the speed at which you can target a new market. By partnering with an aggregator, operators can be up and running much quicker than if they were to arrange deals with suppliers individually.
Simon Hammon, Relax Gaming: Aggregation is about providing operators with choice. Against a backdrop of intense competition, growing demand for localised content, and restricted market spend and bonus capabilities, content diversification is a top priority for online casinos.
Aggregation offers greater variety, speed and flexibility without the heavier operations and legal costs attached to multiple integrations.
Zorica Smallwood, ESA Gaming: The obvious one is gaining access to a great number of games from several different suppliers via just one integration. This can beneficial from both a time and spend perspective, allowing the operator to focus its resources on more important things.
We have always developed our aggregation technology with one goal – to make the operational management for operators easier. Using an aggregator platform gives operators the freedom to choose different content that best matches their players’ preferences, which can easily be analysed through the customer data collected from the platform.
ESA’s platform includes multichannel (desktop & mobile) content which is constantly being added to and can be launched with minimal effort from an operator perspective and no further integration.
Our product also allows operators to offer bonus campaigns across multiple content providers, directly from an easy to use back office. An additional benefit is the help aggregators can offer partners in placing games and market them through advertising campaigns based on real-time data.
SlotBeats: What does content aggregation bring to the table for suppliers?
Zorica Smallwood, ESA Gaming: For smaller suppliers, using aggregation platforms is a great way to get their games out on the market without investing in a proprietary RGS.
This allows smaller studios to build up their brand awareness and also gives an indication of what jurisdictions the games are most successful in without having to directly partner with local operators.
This is invaluable information for studios that are in the early stages of developing their products and finding their niche.
Simon Hammon, Relax Gaming: Aggregators provide an avenue for suppliers and independent studios to bring their games to market and reach a critical mass at a faster pace. Where games perform this is vital, meaning a greater return on development investment earlier in the studio’s life cycle.
Given the flood of content in the online casino sector, it can be difficult for the smaller players to get their portfolios in front of the right people. Partnering with an aggregation platform, especially one that offers technical, compliance and commercial support, fast tracks distribution and allows studios to focus on delivering quality, unique content that drives differentiation.
It can also serve larger studios by cutting integration waiting times, reaching more operators or giving room to experiment with new concepts, ideas and innovations, which in turn helps to drive the industry forward.
Boris Chaikin, Soft2Bet: Aggregation also presents multiple advantages for game providers, not least in that it puts a brand’s content in front of a wide audience with the ease of just one simple plug-in.
Studios can distribute their content far more quickly than if they had to seek out deals with operators directly, and also gain much greater reach among top-tier casinos. The economies of scale model of the aggregation also means that, in terms of commercial figures, platforms are often a more cost-efficient route to market, offering maximum exposure at better rates.
Dylan Slaney, SVP Casino for SG Digital: Content aggregation provides games studios with that all important gateway to new operator clients and markets. Making the cut through in this saturated marketplace can be incredibly difficult, especially for independent suppliers struggling to have their games seen by key decision makers.
For those companies, integrating their games onto an aggregation platform can be pivotal. Ultimately, It’s all down to the quality of the content on offer. If a game resonates with players, you can be sure that operators will be looking to add it to their own offering and the aggregation platform is crucial in facilitating the integration.
