The Role of Social Media in Online Gambling
March 6, 2024
Social media can be a wonderful thing. When platforms like Facebook first launched, the initial concept was terrific. By design, social media platforms were built to connect people—family, friends, neighbors, etc. You could connect with friends on the other side of the world, see what they were up to, and chat with them whenever you pleased. However, some might say that social media became too big too fast, and the money involved in suspect data-sharing practices became eye-watering. This opened the door to the modern-day style of social media platforms being used to influence people, which platforms like Instagram have absolutely perfected. Why are we telling you all of this? Well, it’s because all of this leads up to the current link between social media and the online gambling industry.
Despite what some may think, social media plays a massive role in the gambling industry. If you stop to think about it, have you received an advertisement for a gambling site through your Facebook or Instagram account? Perhaps you’ve even seen a friend sharing details of a leading slot game from CT Interactive? Should you have visited or played at an online casino in the past, there’s a strong possibility that the answer is in the affirmative. Celebrity partnerships exist in this industry too, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and his partnership with PokerStars. None of this is inherently negative, and we doubt that Cristiano Ronaldo is encouraging irresponsible or reckless gambling. He’s simply monetizing his influence, although one could question whether the whole activity of gambling is then promoted as glamorous and luxurious from an influencer angle.
Gambling brands leverage such tools, strictly from a marketing perspective, to increase member numbers. Subsequently, revenues go up—assuming it’s a successful marketing campaign. And many other businesses in other industries use the same strategies. They run targeted advertising campaigns on social media that leverage data availability through various channels. When it comes to online gambling, however, the impact can obviously be positive and negative. You could discover a betting brand you had no idea existed, and it could become your favorite platform! Or you might be someone who has struggled with gambling issues in the past, for which such advertisements are the last thing you need to see.
Beyond these marketing-related facts, however, social media can be a very good thing for online gambling channels with no obvious drawbacks. For example, some sites allow accounts and logins to be created by simply linking social media accounts, which makes any registration process a breeze. Additionally, platforms such as “sweepstakes” and “social” casinos have emerged as viable and safe alternatives to real money sites. These platforms don’t encourage real money gambling. Instead, they facilitate casino gaming without the financial risks. Of course, such sites might not be possible without the existence and influence of social media.
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