Big Data in Casino Affiliate Marketing: Client-Side Processing

Modern entertainment platforms are constantly competing for gamblers. The success of iGaming projects directly depends on the ability to analyse information about users and their actions.

Those operators who predict the behavior of casino visitors more accurately will be able to take leading positions in the market.

Properly collected and processed personal details will help entrepreneurs build an effective affiliate network.

Smart Money specialists talk about the features of working with massive information blocks. The studio offers ongoing support to online platforms and can create profitable marketing campaigns.

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About the Concept

It means large datasets, for the processing of which modern technologies are used — cloud services, NoSQL listing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.

The term involves collecting details on any users’ actions in the digital space: what sites people visited, where they bought goods, what pages these clients decided to subscribe to on social networks, etc. These are unlimited information flows from different sources.

Correctly collected and analysed large datasets help companies to:

• understand the preferences and needs of customers;
• detect fraudsters;
• predict user behaviour;
• implement advertising activities in a timely manner, etc.

Big Data in the iGaming Vertical and Affiliate Marketing

In the entertainment niche, this mainly means not petabytes of info but systematic work with several main sources. This makes it possible to understand:

• what marketing campaigns lead to FTD (the gambler’s first deposit);
• which players not only register on the platform but also bring profit;
• what is the lifetime value (LTV) of each client;
• when and why a visitor stops placing bets;
• who can potentially leave the website and how to prevent this;
• which advertising strategies are effective, and what depletes the budget.

Why It Is Not Recommended to Focus Only on CR and FTD

To evaluate the effectiveness of traffic, online casino partners normally use the following metrics:

• CTR — the ratio of clicks to the display of ads;
• CR — the percentage of customers who registered after switching to the platform;
• FTD — the number of new players who replenished their accounts.

However, these indicators are not enough to fully understand the effectiveness of promotional activities.

Engagement campaigns can be unprofitable under the following conditions:

• retention rates of less than 2 days — gamblers leave the platform almost immediately;
• the average deposit size is less than the bonuses provided;
• fraud detection — for example, there is fake traffic;
• attracted casino visitors do not correspond to the location of the iGaming platform, licensing conditions, etc.

Let us give a simple example. The CR level reaches 23%, and FTD is $25. It seems good but after a week, out of 100 players, only 3 remain on the digital portal. The actual ROI (Return On Investment) will be negative.

In this case, it will be possible to obtain accurate data through cohort analysis. It involves studying the behaviour of users in dynamics. The life cycle of each visitor is fully checked:

• how much money they brought to the website;
• how long they spent in the virtual casino;
• when and for what reason they left.

How to Structure Data Collection and Analysis: Guidelines for Operators

We have prepared a step-by-step plan on how to properly set up an information-gathering system. By following these recommendations, you will be able not only to obtain the necessary details but also to generate reports, build behavioural models of your customers, and anticipate their actions.

Accumulation of Data

It is important to use several sources of information:

1. To learn about advertising campaigns (traffic source, clicks, etc.), specialised services are applied: RedTrack, Voluum, and Keitaro.
2. Details about key events in online casinos are collected: the first deposit and its size, the use of bonuses, etc.
3. Information about the lifetime value of gamblers, churn rates, and player status (for example, VIP) is taken from the CRM system.
4. Based on the obtained data, smart analytical tools (Business Intelligence) segment people and create predictive models.

Storage of Details

All aspects operators find out about must be securely protected. For this purpose, various storages are used depending on the information volume.

There are several levels:

• initial or basic — Google Sheets, Airtable;
• intermediate — PostgreSQL and visualisation via Google Data Studio;
• professional (for working with high load) — Metabase, Looker, BigQuery, and ClickHouse.

This is a list of the main tools. Entrepreneurs can also use other software that is convenient for them.

Transfer and Integration

For automated transmission of collected data, such services as Zapier, n8n, and Fivetran are considered the most suitable.

API integration solutions allow casino owners to combine partner platforms and gaming sites with a system for collecting information they select.

Cohort Analysis for Predicting Future Actions

We are talking about the studies of separate categories of clients, united based on common features. For example, this can be the date of the first deposit and its amount, as well as the regularity of visits to the entertainment resource and other aspects.

Cohort analysis allows operators to:

• track daily user activity;
• predict profitability after a certain period;
• plan their budget more accurately;
• compare traffic sources by the duration of the players’ life cycle;
• determine the most effective acquisition channels, etc.

The tool provides an in-depth understanding of the behaviour of an online casino audience over time. Thanks to this, entrepreneurs will be able to make sound decisions, choose the best traffic sources, and abandon unprofitable strategies.

Advantages of Process Automation

The availability of modern systems and services helps to remove the main part of routine tasks from specialists.

Here are some examples of such an approach in the iGaming vertical and affiliate marketing:

1. Automatic shutdown of ineffective channels if ROI indicators fall below 0.8.
2. Triggers in the platform's CRM system if a person has not been active for more than 24 hours. The service sends reminders several different ways — by email, SMS, Telegram, etc.
3. Audience segmentation using artificial intelligence — AI solutions segment clients into groups depending on the size of deposits, lifetime value, behavioural characteristics, and other features.
4. Control of the amount of first replenishments: if the indicator decreases sharply, the system sends messages through the selected channel (for example, Slack or Discord).

Automation is not just the attraction of “robots” but a way to free up human resources and time for making strategic decisions.

Special programs track numbers and metrics, and operators can concentrate on resolving urgent issues, considering business scaling opportunities, and establishing new collaborations.

Legal Aspects of Using Big Data

Working with these volumes of information implies compliance with the rules reflected in statutory acts. Each region has its laws. For example, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is in effect in the European Union. It applies to all companies interacting with EU gamblers.

The document regulates the features of collecting, storing, and using personal data. Among the main requirements, it is worth noting the following:

1. Details can only be collected with the permission of players. A person must give the respective consent when visiting the digital platform for the first time.
2. Reliable storage and encryption of information. We are talking about especially important data (name, email, IP, and payments).
3. Transparency of storage peculiarities. Companies must keep records of who has access to personal details, through which channels, etc.
4. Gamblers have the right to demand the deletion of provided information. It should be done right after the relevant requests are made.

Violations of the rules specified in the regulation cause the imposition of fines: up to €20 million or 4% of the company's annual turnover. Operation with personal data is also monitored by the authorities that granted permits to online casinos.

In case of offences, entrepreneurs face various sanctions:

• licence revocation;
• fines;
• investigation by the regulator.

Big data is a powerful tool but it is important to comply with legal requirements and the laws adopted in the selected jurisdiction.

Common Mistakes

The owners of iGaming portals and affiliates often take the same incorrect actions. Each of them negatively affects the results of marketing campaigns and becomes a cause of budget spending, for example:

1. Evaluation of effectiveness only by CR (conversion rate). To obtain clear data, it is necessary to take into account LTV (customer lifetime value) indicators.
2. Lack of clickID – userID connection. It is important to clearly understand who clicked on the ad and became a visitor to the platform. Without this info, project owners will not be able to conduct an effective analysis.
3. Saving data on a PC. The risk of loss or leakage of personal details increases, so it is recommended to use secure services.
4. No information about performance degradation. It is important to receive prompt notifications about problems. This will protect operators and their clients against financial losses.
5. A unified approach for all countries. Businessmen should take into account the behavioural characteristics of gamblers in different regions. Thanks to this, brands will be able to optimise their campaigns.

Recommendations for Affiliates

To increase the effectiveness of marketing activities, online casino partners need to:

• track the clicks of each user and their further path;
• calculate not only the first deposits but also the LTV metric after 7 and 30 days;
• disable traffic sources in which ROI indicators remain negative for 2 weeks;
• use BI analytics to obtain accurate information.

Tips for Operators

Owners of iGaming sites need to perform the following actions:

• provide feedback on important metrics, such as client activity, deposits, and the application of bonuses;
• send data to partners’ CRMs for better analysis of results;
• use AI models to predict customer behaviour, identify risks, and prevent the outflow of players.

The Main Things About Big Data in Casino Affiliate Marketing

If applied correctly, the technology will become a modern and effective tool for increasing traffic to entertainment platforms. Partner companies that work “intuitively” will lose to those who can analyse numbers.

Key aspects of working with big data:

• Tracking and predicting customer behaviour. Operators and affiliates will see the exact amounts of deposits, frequency of visits to iGaming sites, personal preferences of clients, and much more. They will also be able to identify actions that indicate that a person will soon leave a casino.
• The use of various sources of information and metrics. This approach will help obtain the most precise details for further forecasting.
• Compliance with the law. Different regions have adopted relevant norms regulating the handling of players’ personal information. It is important to comply with the requirements to avoid sanctions.

The Smart Money studio provides comprehensive services for the creation and development of online casinos. We develop and implement effective marketing campaigns and help you to attract and retain customers.

The article was prepared by our experts who want to emphasise that data is an extremely valuable asset. Operators and affiliates who have learned to get the maximum benefits from this tool can expect stable and projected profits.

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