Author: PropellerAds
Today, iGaming is one of the fastest-growing and competitive industries that shows no signs of slowing down.
This growth is fueled by several key factors: the rise of mobile igaming, which now accounts for over half of global igaming revenue, and the widespread appeal of online iGaming, with 26% of the global population engaging in some form of it. It’s not just your stereotypical iGaming player either—the average online player is a tech-savvy 34-year-old who’s just as likely to be playing on their phone as they are to be checking social media.
But as exciting as these numbers are, they also highlight a critical challenge: high competition.
As the industry grows, so does the number of companies vying for the attention of potential players. This is where understanding your traffic sources—and, more importantly, choosing the right ones—comes into play.
So, here’s the big question: how do you find the best traffic for your iGaming offers?
Whether you’re navigating strict ad regulations or seeking out untapped traffic sources, this guide will arm you with the insights you need to succeed in the world of iGaming media buying.
Ready to level up your traffic game? Let’s get started!
Traffic quality: Why it matters and why all clicks aren’t equal!
Now that we’ve established the sheer size and competitiveness of the iGaming industry, it’s time to zoom in on what really makes a difference: traffic quality.
If you’re an iGaming media buyer, you’ve probably already felt the sting of high acquisition costs. The iGaming world doesn’t come cheap—every click, every lead, and every conversion comes at a price.
And let’s face it: not all traffic is created equal. Sending thousands of users to your iGaming offers might look good on paper, but if they don’t engage, what’s the point?
Poor traffic means low conversion rates, wasted ad spend, and ultimately, a losing game. Worse still, some traffic sources can damage your brand’s image. No reputable iGaming company wants to be associated with low-quality, spammy traffic or risky sources.
So, how do you avoid wasting money on poor traffic?
It starts by focusing on quality over quantity. You want users who are interested, engaged, and, most importantly, likely to convert. This means targeting audiences who are already in the mindset of playing and winning, like sports fans or users who have previously engaged with iGaming content.
The best traffic sources for iGaming: Regulations, challenges, and opportunities
Now that you know why quality matters, let’s dive into where to find the best traffic for your iGaming offers.
Each traffic source comes with its own set of regulations and challenges, so let’s break them down:
1. Search engines (Google)
Google Ads is a tempting option for any iGaming marketer due to its broad reach and precision targeting capabilities. However, advertising iGaming offers on Google isn’t as simple as setting up a campaign.
Google’s strict policies mean that promoting real-money iGaming content requires proper Google Ads certification.
To get certified, your iGaming offer must comply with local laws, provide responsible iGaming information, and only target approved countries. Google doesn’t allow ads to minors or in countries where iGaming ads are restricted, and you need to follow Google’s policies closely to avoid disapproval.
Even after obtaining certification, running iGaming ads on Google can still be challenging, with some users citing account bans or suspensions.
The takeaway? If you can navigate Google’s regulations, it can deliver high-quality traffic. But beware: even minor policy violations can lead to your ads being pulled, so you need to stay compliant at all times.
2. Social media (Facebook and Instagram)
Social platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer excellent audience segmentation, but they also present significant hurdles for iGaming marketers.
Meta’s advertising policies for iGaming and games are strict: you’ll need written permission, proof of proper licensing, and you can only target users in approved regions. Your ads can’t target anyone under 18, and there are restrictions on the types of iGaming activities that can be promoted in different territories.
Despite these limitations, the benefits of social media are clear. Audiences tend to be highly engaged and responsive to all types of content and advertising. It’s essential to understand that users are there for entertainment and are eager to click on ads that fit natively into their feed.
3. Native ads
Native advertising is a solid alternative for promoting iGaming content without the strict barriers found on Google or Facebook. Native ads blend into the content users are already consuming, making them less intrusive and more likely to be clicked. This is particularly useful in the iGaming industry, where users might be wary of traditional banner ads.
Although native ad platforms generally offer more flexibility, you still must comply with regional restrictions and ensure your ads are not misleading or targeting prohibited regions. Native ads can be especially effective when they are personalized and placed on platforms that attract igaming enthusiasts.
4. Display ads
Display ads are another powerful tool for driving traffic, but they often fall victim to ad blindness—when users ignore banner ads after seeing them too frequently. To make the most of display ads, consider using retargeting campaigns to stay top of mind for users who have already shown interest in iGaming offers.
Display ads present similar challenges to other platforms: you must comply with country-specific regulations, avoid targeting minors, and ensure that your content meets local iGaming laws.
5. Twitch
For a platform that delivers high engagement with a gamer-centric audience, Twitch is a natural fit for iGaming marketers. This platform’s live-streaming format allows advertisers to engage directly with a community that’s already enthusiastic about igaming. Unlike more regulated platforms, Twitch still offers some freedom in promoting iGaming content, although it has begun implementing stricter guidelines.
Many Twitch streamers are willing to act as affiliate marketers, showcasing gameplay and promoting your platform live. This kind of authentic interaction can build trust and loyalty with potential players. Keep in mind, however, that Twitch’s policies are evolving, and some specific iGaming activities are now restricted.
5. PropellerAds
For media buyers seeking a platform with fewer restrictions and the ability to scale rapidly, PropellerAds is an ideal choice. With a worldwide monthly audience of over 1 billion users, PropellerAds offers broad worldwide reach and flexible ad formats like push notifications, in-page push, popunder ads, and a unique format – Survey Exit.
One of PropellerAds’ strengths is its global reach, allowing you to target audiences in a wide range of GEOs with fewer compliance headaches. PropellerAds also offers demographic and interest-based targeting, so you can zero in on the right audience, increasing the likelihood of conversions. Additionally, features like social traffic targeting allow iGaming marketers to bypass some of the restrictions imposed by traditional social media platforms.
Key features to drive impact
To get the best out of your iGaming campaigns, it’s important to understand which features and strategies can drive the most impact. Here’s a breakdown of the key features to use to optimize your traffic and conversions:
1. Demographic targeting: Zeroing in on the right audience
The success of any iGaming campaign relies on reaching the right people. One of the best ways to do this is through demographic targeting, especially for audiences like sports fans, who are likelier to engage with iGaming offers.
Platforms like PropellerAds allow you to refine your targeting based on interests, such as users who frequently interact with sports content. Targeting sports enthusiasts, for example, is particularly effective in countries like Brazil, where sports iGaming is hugely popular. By using demographic data like age, gender, and location, you can reach users more likely to convert, making your campaign dollars go further.
2. Social traffic targeting: Bypassing restrictions and reaching engaged users
Social media platforms like Facebook have tight restrictions on iGaming ads, making promoting iGaming offers difficult. However, social traffic targeting provides a clever workaround.
Platforms like PropellerAds offer social-style traffic options, allowing you to benefit from social media promotion while avoiding the same strict regulations. This feature enables you to target users who interact with content on social media, including video ads and in-app activities.
With fewer hoops to jump through, social traffic targeting lets you reach the right audience without the roadblocks imposed by major platforms.
3. Optimization Strategies: Fine-tune for maximum performance
Once your audience is set, the next step is to optimize your campaigns for top results. Choosing the right ad formats can make all the difference. Platforms like PropellerAds offer a variety of formats, such as popunder ads for massive reach, push notifications for personalization, and survey exit ads to warm up the audience with background questions before they go to a landing page. They are all highly effective in iGaming.
To ensure your budget is being spent wisely, use user activity targeting to segment your audience based on their engagement levels. High-engagement users might receive targeted push notifications, while less active users can be retargeted with popunders to boost their interest.
In addition, GEO optimization makes sure your campaign reaches the right people. By focusing on regions with high conversion rates, you can maximize your ROI. Tools like Subzones help you get even more specific, allowing you to target the highest-converting subzones within these regions’ ad zones.
4. Precise tracking: Key to optimize ad delivery
While you can get basic campaign information from PropellerAds, it’s best to add an additional layer of information by employing a tracker such as Voluum to better understand what works for your audience. A dedicated tracker can help you squeeze the most out of your ad dollar and, in the case of Voluum, automate many repetitive tasks, allowing you to focus on more revenue-generating tasks.
Additionally, you can perform extensive A/B tests to fine-tune your message and use rule-based paths to make sure that each audience segment will see a page with content that engages them the most.
Ad trackers are getting traction in the iGaming industry after conquering other verticals and niches.
Success stories: Real results using key features in iGaming campaigns
To demonstrate the effectiveness of the strategies and platforms we’ve discussed, let’s take a look at some real-world examples. These case studies show how leveraging key features and tactics can lead to impressive results in iGaming.
1. Brazilian iGaming success: 100K registrations and 10K+ FTDs
One of the standout case studies comes from a Brazilian iGaming campaign that saw huge success using a combination of Popunder, Classic Push, and In-Page Push ads with PropellerAds. This campaign, which ran from March to July 2024, generated over 100,000 registrations and more than 10,000 first-time deposits (FTDs).
Key takeaways from this campaign:
- The advertiser started with Popunder ads for broad reach to collect data for optimization.
- After refining their strategy, they launched Classic Push and In-Page Push campaigns, significantly increasing their conversions.
- By focusing on localized creatives in Portuguese and offering interactive content, such as sweepstakes and games, the campaign was able to engage Brazilian users effectively.
This success was driven by the use of interactive creatives and smart targeting, ensuring that the ads resonated with the local audience. By optimizing the campaign based on real-time data, the advertiser achieved their desired cost-per-acquisition (CPA) goals while increasing their budget for further growth.
Another impressive case study comes from a media buying team that ran an iGaming campaign in Nigeria and South Africa. Using PropellerAds’ Social Traffic feature along with Popunder and In-Page Push ads, the team achieved 5,996 conversions over one month.
Key highlights from this campaign:
- The team mixed traffic sources, including PropellerAds, Facebook, and Google Ads, but found that PropellerAds delivered higher volume and better quality traffic compared to the other platforms.
- Social traffic helped reduce conversion costs and provided a cost-effective way to reach highly engaged users in Africa.
- By targeting a broader audience (mobile users on Android and iOS), the campaign maintained a high conversion rate, even though individual deposit amounts were smaller.
This case study highlights the power of using a mix of ad formats and social traffic to reach audiences in regions with high engagement but lower individual spending.
PropellerAds: Your next step to better iGaming campaigns
Whether you’re targeting sports fans with precise demographic targeting or leveraging social traffic to bypass restrictions, one platform can help you execute these strategies at scale: PropellerAds.
PropellerAds boasts over 1 billion monthly audience reach, ensuring you have access to high-quality traffic worldwide.
Whether you need push notifications, popunders, or advanced targeting options, PropellerAds is designed to help your campaigns thrive. With over 70,000 ad campaigns running monthly and 60 million tracked conversions, PropellerAds has the tools and reach for you to drive real results.
Ready to take your iGaming campaigns to the next level? Give PropellerAds a try and see how it can help you grow!
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