The Usual and the “Not So Usual”
Is it a method to make money online? Is it a form of online entertainment? A bird, a plane, or some caped guy flying through the skies? Well, online gambling was considered all of the above, when in fact it's one thing and one thing only – a business. And as a business, it needs advertising. One of the most widely used methods to advertise online gambling operations is promotions – special offers for existing or new players that they can claim. But as all forms of advertising, these are not created equal.
If you take a look at the average online casino, you'll see that most such operations are far from being creative when it comes to their specials. The vast majority of them will settle for deposit matches and free spins on various slot machines, a practice I find not just boring, but counterproductive as well. You see, deposit matches come with a nasty little thing called "play-through requirements", which can be a nuisance for many.
Fortunately, they are a few exceptions, that make their promotions stand out of the crowd. My favorite, Royal Vegas Casino, is part of an online gambling group called The Fortune Lounge. It's known for its large game collection as well as its helpful and responsive customer support staff, its fairness and – last, but not least – its well thought out and attractive promotions. Let me give you a few examples below.
Royal Vegas launches Play Another Day promo, a seven day special offer in the key of 007. The couldn't call it Spectre, for obvious reasons, but they made use of the promotion of the latest James Bond movie in a masterful way (referring to Die Another Day, a 2002 Bond movie instead). The promotion involves seven days of play and bonus funds – participants could win a share of guaranteed credits and bonuses at the end of the day – or rather the seven days.
Another great promotion at the Royal Vegas is a recurring one, offered every summer by all the operators in the Fortune Lounge group. It's called the Fortune Lounge Cruise, and it offers players (50 of them this year) the chance to win a seven-day Caribbean cruise for two, with a lot of fun, relaxation and a healthy dose of on-board casino action. The Fortune Lounge Cruise is organized almost every year since 2006.
But this is not the only promotion offering unique prizes to Royal Vegas players. Earlier this year the operator had a promotion called The Bucket List, offering its players the chance to win a trip to one of five "bucket list" destinations – like the Ice Hotel in Sweden or a tropical destination in winter. Clearly, it's a memorable special, perfectly fit to turn heads
There's a right way to do a casino promotion – like the examples above – and there is a wrong one. I wonder why so many operators choose to go with the wrong one instead of being a bit more creative and memorable?
