What Canadian Slot Catalogues Tell Us About User Retention - And What We Can Learn From Them
The iGaming industry in Canada, and particularly in Ontario, is experiencing significant growth. Since the new regulatory framework was launched in Ontario a few years ago, the iGaming offerings for players has improved significantly with private online casino operators building a new world of digital entertainment through exciting iGaming options.
With 50 operators and over 80 iGaming sites to choose from, players have a large choice of platforms, all of which have increasingly high-quality games. Due to the large volume of iGaming websites available, operators have been working on retention strategies to keep players returning to play their favorite games and to try new games that are launched.
Although Ontario is leading the way with the new world of iGaming in Canada, other provinces are also benefiting from the iGaming revolution in the country. Players outside of Ontario can play these slots, with a massive choice of games and themes to choose from.
The Canadian slot catalogues feature a diverse range of game options to appeal to as wide a range of player preferences as possible. These are some of the retention tactics that are being successfully implemented:
Loyalty Rewards
As well as offering attractive welcome bonuses to attract new players, casino operators offer regular rewards for returning players. These include loyalty points with bonuses such as free spins, cashback on losses and reload bonuses.
Diverse Choices
Playing slots can be repetitive so operators make sure that they are able to provide a diverse choice of slot themes and game mechanics. Regular releases of new games and providing a choice of features such as megaways and progressive jackpots helps to retain player’s attention and loyalty.
Statistics show that there is higher player retention when games are released around one per week compared to a large volume of monthly drops all at once. Figures show a higher retention of around 30% to 40% for casinos dropping one game per week.
Providing a mix of high volatility and low volatility games also caters for different players’ risk appetites or if they have a change of mood and prefer to play higher risk or lower risk games.
Personalized Gaming Experiences
The capabilities of AI have also been instrumental in retention, using data to drive gaming experiences that are more personalized to every player. For example, game recommendations that are matched to a player’s gaming history are automatically displayed as dynamic content. Operators are also using AI to identify more personalized bonuses for the games that players enjoy the most.
Gamified Progression
The Canadian slots catalogues also show that gamification is effective at player retention. In addition to the excitement of winning on slots, players can progress to new levels and achieve rewards for continuing to play with a casino. Gamification has been successful in video gaming and the Canadian casino market is leveraging the success across iGaming to boost player retention.
Unlocking new levels and competing on leaderboards gives players added motivation to keep playing slots with their chosen casino. Rather than simply spinning reels, players are going on journeys that build higher engagement.
Mobile-First iGaming
Another tactic that online slot providers are using to retain players is improving the mobile iGaming experience. Many casinos have dedicated mobile apps for both Android and iOS devices, so players can enjoy playing a huge range of slots on their mobile.
The game designs use swipes and touches instead of mouse clicks and navigation around the casino platforms is user-friendly. This caters to the high demand for playing games from mobile devices and operators who are investing in mobile-first iGaming are seeing the rewards in player retention figures.
Over 80% of iGaming in Canada is through mobile usage, so concentrating on enhancing the mobile experience is an important element of driving retention.
Conclusion
The strategies used to increase player retention across Canadian slot platforms revolve around player psychology and with the power of AI, game designs and slot catalogues are becoming smarter, offering players exactly what they want rather than providing a generic iGaming experience.
Other Canadian provinces are looking to establish a similar regulatory framework to Ontario’s and this means that many of these tactics will be prioritized by operators. Providing variety in games and volatility, personalized gaming experiences and mobile-friendly games will be at the forefront of developments.
As the industry continues to thrive, competition between operators will also increase, so player retention strategies will help to deliver even better iGaming options and experiences for Canadian players.