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'The best advertising is done by satisfied customers.' So said Philip Kotler, one of the brightest ad gurus who popularised the notion of the marketing mix, a concept beloved by students and professionals the world over.

The idea of the testimonial – whereby Kotler's 'satisfied customers' lend their endorsement to a brand or product – has deep roots. The concept has evolved, however, and nowhere is it more visible than in the gambling industry's adoption of live streaming on platforms like Twitch and YouTube.

Live Streaming, Roobet-style

There's great sense to this. Take the crypto casino Roobet's recent announcement of its partnership with Nadeshot (not his real name). An 8x champion of the classic virtual war game Call of Duty, Nadeshot has an adoring following of gaming enthusiasts, which includes 2.8 million X followers.

He also likes to spin. And, as of 4 September, Nadeshot has been livestreaming his plays on Roobet. This connects Roobet with a huge audience of gaming enthusiasts across the globe, who can put trust in their hero's favourite gambling site.

Some marketeers still talk about 'video marketing' as a subset of a marketing strategy. The reality? Filmed content – and ideally filmed live like Nadeshot's gold standard partnership with Roobet – should be at the beating heart of any marketing campaign, especially if the target audience is perennially online.

Critics of social media and the digital revolution more generally have flagged concerns that streaming is an unregulated space that, of course, they would like to regulate. To do so would be to defeat the point, if it's even possible, given that users flock to streams because they're more anarchic than traditional media.

But that doesn't mean that marketeers using streaming services shouldn't care about their viewers. Quite the opposite. And in the gambling industry, where the essence of the fun is risk, this duty of care is amplified still further.

Roobet and Pokerstar's Responsible Gaming Agenda

Poker-focused online casino Pokerstars has used Twitch to reach new audiences, livestreaming poker tournaments with viewers getting a close-up view of the twist and turns of elite games. But there are safeguards. The company uses detection systems to flag potential problem gambling and users can easily self-exclude.

Roobet, which dominates in the crypto space, takes a more holistic approach in full compliance with responsible gambling standards. The company operates a seven-part policy, founded on empowering users, identifying problematic behaviours, and proactively supporting those in need.

Regarding empowerment, Roobet users have numerous levers at their disposal to regulate their play.

Roobet has launched a new 'Self-Exclusion' system that allows users to self-exclude automatically. The solution removes their access to the platform – the full website, or one of the casino and sportsbook - for a time period of their choice, be it 24 hours, 1 week, 1 month or permanently.

As for identification, Roobet fully enforces the 18+ requirement. This requirement is discussed with influencer partners, who are not engaged if their audience is disproportionately minor, while their posts are monitored to ensure compliance continues.

The site also encourages users to refrain from gambling with funds meant for essential expenses. Users are warned to avoid chasing losses with even bigger stakes, and to stop playing if they feel anxious or depressed.

In addition, a fully trained team proactively monitors the site for problem behaviours, communicating directly with the identified user.

And in terms of support, Roobet's customer service team is available on a 24/7 basis to guide users towards various expert organisations, including GamCare and BeGambleAware, that provide confidential care to those struggling.

The Future is Bright

In short, marketing, from traditional methods to the current streaming trend, can be both brilliant and ethical. Marketeers can craft products that gain mass and intense attention without compromising on user safety. This fits the more compassionate era we live in now, as compared to a more Devil-may-care past.

Streaming will no doubt continue to drive engagement in the gambling industry, so it's good to see that the rails are in place to keep the entire ecosystem moving forward.