Narrowing down the most important data points for your specific project is paramount to achieving results effectively and efficiently. In an industry dominated by data like igaming, this requirement is amplified to no end. 

To help better understand some of the most important KPIs in igaming, CasinoBeats caught up with iGP’s Head of Product, Luka Markota, who identified six data points that can make or break your igaming venture. 

Deposit Conversion Rate

The Deposit Conversion Rate measures the percentage of visitors who convert into depositing players, and Markota identifies this as “one of the standout metrics in igaming”.

“When you have information regarding the first deposit and potentially second deposit from any player, this will often indicate the lifetime value of the player,” he explains. 

“It is important to have the technology in place that can track this data and provide the guidance on how to improve your number of unique visitors that are transcending into first-time depositors.”

Average revenue per user (ARPU) 

The ARPU is a self-explanatory metric which is, of course, key to understanding how engaging products are with users and measuring how profitable they are. 

Often used in industries leaning on subscription services, ARPU is essential for understanding player spending behaviour with a certain product.

“Where igaming differs from an industry like media is that some users spend considerably more than others, it is still an extremely useful metric when comparing one operator’s performance against another,” says Markota.

“Management will often take the ARPU number into account when assessing which products are performing well, and which ones will need a different approach.”

Customer lifetime value (CLV)

CLV can help assess long-term customer value and consequently guide future investment decisions in customer retention and acquisition strategies. 

Markota outlines: “If players churn before the investment to acquire them has been made back, then the operator is not extracting any worthwhile value from them. 

“Your understanding of this value may be deemed from a player’s first or second deposits, but CLV is ideally about measuring the value across a long-term period as opposed to a purchase-by-purchase basis.” 

Retention rate

A measurement of the number of players who continue to play on a platform across a defined period, the retention rate is essential to assessing how well a product resonates with players.

“A strong retention rate will be proof of a functioning customer relationship management system,” says Markota. “The way to implement this is to track the number of players who are returning with several deposits, along with the accounts that are inactive. 

“This is an important KPI when it comes to both short-term and long-term success. Remaining on top of this can reduce your costs, because it can be significantly cheaper to retain players rather than acquire new ones.”

Monthly active players

Another self-explanatory KPI, but a crucial one nonetheless. The monthly active players data is crucial in determining the overall health of an operator’s player base.

“For a player to class as an active user, they would usually have to perform an in-app action during a 30-day period, whether that’s logging in or completing a specific action, such as making a bet or deposit. 

Markota continues: “The number of monthly active users can also be compared with the number of daily active users, which will provide more insight on how players are really engaging with an igaming offering.” 

Average deposit rate

Last but not least, Markota identified the average deposit rate to make the top six KPI list. 

“Monitoring this metric helps operators understand player deposit behaviour and optimise deposit-related promotions and incentives,” he notes. 

“This number can vary based on a number of factors, but the important thing is to delve into these reasons and compartmentalise the different deposit rates from separate player demographics. 

“Once you have understood these reasons, you can plan how to track this data and utilise it to improve performance. This figure may fluctuate, but it’s crucial to be on top of when and why this may happen.”

‘Providing expertise to operators’ 

“Simply knowing the most important KPIs for igaming success simply isn’t enough to identify an igaming platform’s strengths and weaknesses”, explains Markota. 

That is why iGP leverages the vast experience and expertise of its product and technology teams to provide in-depth reporting to its clients to ensure they have a holistic understanding of the health of their player base. And regular reporting is even more crucial to get an accurate and contextual view of those vital signs. 

“We constantly track these metrics and provide expertise and advice on how to improve and maintain performance based on the data we have,” Markota notes. 

“This helps our partners drive growth, enhance the player experience, and maintain a competitive edge. With these insights, operators can make smarter, data-driven decisions which will provide benefits in both the short and long-term.”

But there are, of course, challenges to measuring and reporting such vital metrics. Firstly, the integration process must be strong enough to import the necessary data information. Yet, there is a less technical challenge that operators and suppliers alike must overcome. 

What defines good performance? 

The industry likes to keep its cards close to its chest when reporting these metrics publicly as to retain crucial information it can benefit from. So challenges arise when benchmarking because there isn’t enough readily available data. This can make some look red-faced, but iGP is confident that the decades of cumulative experience that its team possesses will help it to overcome these hurdles. 

“We possess an extensive amount of industry experience, so when it comes to benchmarking data, this is something members of our team can gauge based on their industry knowledge,” Markota boasts. 

“We always have to remain on top of what operators expect from us, and we will work with them to define what their KPIs should be. Operator feedback is important to us, so we can use the data our partners already provide us to benchmark and take things from there.”

Commercial challenges aside, Markota does concede that the industry could be more transparent when it comes to data, noting that being a little clearer – without giving away sensitive information – can open up the industry to players and help them understand behaviours even more. 

However, for the time being, iGP remains ready to be there for its clients in providing its varied igaming solutions. It also commits to offering robust data, and corresponding insights and advice to ensure it continues to enjoy fruitful and long-lasting partnerships. 

As Markota concludes: “We have always managed to demonstrate the long-term benefits of the reporting suite by consistently providing feedback and expertise, while also taking into account what our partners need us to track. 

“Keeping an open dialogue with the operator is crucial, and we will always provide the best possible assistance we can in trying to keep on top of each metric.”

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Computer hacker group ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility for the breaches, in which payment information of millions of Santander and Ticketmaster customers was gained and reportedly advertised on the dark web. 

Emphasising the impact that the ripple effect from the breaches could have on the gambling industry, Ted Orme-Claye, the Editor of PaymentExpert, told CasinoBeats: “The hacks at Santander and Ticketmaster emphasise that even the most renowned institutions remain susceptible to fraud and cyber attacks. 

“The attacks highlight the vulnerability of amassing huge data sets with extensive personal details about customers, including payments information.

“Companies that operate within high-risk spaces, specifically igaming, should pay close attention to these developments and increase vigilance when it comes to the cyber-security threats present in today’s highly digitised ecosystem.

“In the aftermath of this spate of high-profile breaches, it is imperative that igaming firms prioritise the security of their consumer’s data as the long-lasting impact of security shortcomings are devastating to brands and consumers alike.” 

Santander however moved to reassure customers that credentials obtained in the breach wouldn’t be sufficient in enabling transactions to take place. 

A statement from Santander read: “We recently became aware of an unauthorised access to a Santander database hosted by a third-party provider. 

“We immediately implemented measures to contain the incident, including blocking the compromised access to the database and establishing additional fraud prevention controls to protect affected customers.

“Following an investigation, we have now confirmed that certain information relating to customers of Santander Chile, Spain and Uruguay, as well as all current and some former Santander employees of the group had been accessed. Customer data in all other Santander markets and businesses are not affected.

“No transactional data, nor any credentials that would allow transactions to take place on accounts are contained in the database, including online banking details and passwords. The bank’s operations and systems are not affected, so customers can continue to transact securely.”

According to reports, the sale of the Santander data was advertised shortly after ShinyHunters claimed to have hacked the Ticketmaster platform. 

As a result of both hacks, the group has made claims to have accessed the names, addresses, phone numbers and partial credit card details of 560 million customers.

Jack Chapman, SVP of Threat Intelligence at Egress commented: “While it remains unconfirmed whether ShinyHunters are the actual perpetrators of the breach, Santander has confirmed that 30 million customers’ data has been stolen. Following the Ticketmaster breach last week, we are all asking the same questions: Are the ShinyHunters actually responsible? If so, where are these global organisations’ vulnerabilities, and are both breaches linked to the Snowflake hack?

“The one thing we do know for certain is that the consumers whose data has been exposed in both instances should remain vigilant for any unusual emails, phone calls, and messages in the coming weeks, especially those urging them to act quickly and share personal details. Individuals should also consider adding an extra layer of security to personal accounts, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), to reduce the risk of unauthorised access.”

He went on to emphasise that if the snowflake breach is the missing link between two high-profile breaches, it should be “a stark reminder to all organisations about the severe repercussions that credential theft can have”. 

Further underlining this, recent research suggests that 58 per cent of organisations experienced account takeovers in 2023, with 79 per cent of these incidents starting from a phishing email that harvested employees’ credentials.

Chapman continued: “To double down on preventing incidents such as credential theft over email, companies should invest in AI-based cybersecurity solutions alongside robust and individualised security coaching that’s tailored to the jobs employees do and the real threats they face. In addition to this, cybersecurity leaders should consider a thorough evaluation of any potential vulnerabilities in their security posture above and beyond email.

“Given the escalating scale of these breaches, organisations must act decisively to fortify their defences. The message is clear: cyberattacks are becoming more targeted, and no organisation is immune. Companies must prioritise robust and intelligent security measures to protect sensitive data and uphold consumer trust—failure to do so is simply not an option.”

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One of the key focuses for the Spanish-language market focused gaming group was improving the growth of their applications and optimising operations as they have sought to maximise efficiency. 

Leveraging data was also cited as vital by Telias who pinpointed key efforts when it comes to improving the approach to acquisition and retention effort.

‘We are very demanding when it comes to the level of data we receive from the companies we are running. How we analyse this data and how we check it, leads us to the way we deliver. By being on top of this, we know where we need to push and when something is going wrong.”

The group reported a total revenue for Q4 of €46.9m, a 32 per cent increase year-over-year (Q4 2022: €35.6m) with net gaming revenue of €50.1m, a 33 per cent uptick (Q4 2022: €37.7m). 

At the heart of this was how much casino operations were thriving as they exceeded expectations by contributing towards 58 per cent of the quarter’s total net gaming revenue.

For the full year, total revenue grew by 41 per cent YoY to €162.6m (2022: €115.7m) with a net gaming revenue of €171.9m, up 40 per cent (2022: €122.9m).

Aviv Sher, CEO of Codere Online, added: “In Q4 2023 we delivered an impressive 33 per cent growth in net gaming revenue to €50 million, our highest ever quarterly figure, despite a tough competition with the World Cup in the prior year period.

“Our strategic focus on Mexico and Spain, where we are seeing a strong return on marketing investment, has proven successful, with significant increases in both our active customer base and spend per customer. Casino continued to exceed our expectations with a second consecutive quarter contributing 58 per cent of total net gaming revenue in the period.” 

In a recent interview with CasinoBeats, Sher also emphasised the potential of the Latin American gaming sector. Like many other operators, this region has become a key area of focus for Codere. . 

Assessing specific markets, he continued: “Then we will continue to nourish Panama. In Chile right now the regulation is not clear. So we are basically sitting on the fence and waiting to see what’s happening.

“Peru, as it moves forward, we are exploring potential partnerships that would allow us to launch operations in the country. 

“And Brazil is for me, as I said before, it’s a super growth market and we need to approach it differently with the correct capital in the correct [way].”

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Under the terms of the deal, OPTX, who focus on bring all of a casino’s data sources into a single platform and utilising its real-time insights and action for casino operators, will incorporate its player development AI and connect modules. 

OPTX Co-CEO, Brooke Fiumara, expressed: “This is the epitome of our mission: revolutionising what data can do with teams that are leaders in their fields.

“Rush Street Gaming’s selection of the OPTX platform for player development demonstrates OPTX’s position as the market-leading solution for casino operators, and we are proud of how our product continues to prove its dynamic features and functionality increase productivity and profitability for enterprise operations and small properties alike.”

OPTX’s products are said to increase the productivity of the host team, along with improving player loyalty and streamline communications between team members and guests. 

“We were seeking a player development solution that contained advanced operational functionality for hosts and managers yet was simple to install and easy to use,” added Tim Drehkoff, CEO of Rush Street Gaming. 

“The OPTX platform is exactly what we were looking for and will equip our host teams with an efficient new resource to best serve our guests.”

This partnership comes off the back of OPTX’s alliance with San Diego’s Viejas Casino & Resort earlier this month. This saw Viejas adopt OPTX’s slots, slots AI, slot dispatch, player development, player development AI and connect solutions

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Formerly named Maxima DataVault, thesolution, according to The Mill Adventure, will allow the firm to “confidently expand” its operations and reduce the time it takes to comply with data vault requirements. It is hope that this, in turn, will allow the company to enter newly regulated markets quicker. 

Robert Bowell, COO of The Mill Adventure, noted: “We know just how complex the demands of newly regulated markets can be, and managing vault systems can make it even more challenging. 

“With a partner like Maxima Compliance and their DataVault ONE solution, we are able to confidently expand our operations and focus on delivering our igaming solutions to new markets, confident in the knowledge that our data requirements are in remarkably safe hands.”

The DataVault ONE platform is capable of receiving XML and JSON data from operators and game providers, converting and saving these data in the correct format required by local regulators across multiple jurisdictions.

Earlier this year, The Mill Adventure’s igaming platform was certified in the Netherlands. In the Dutch market, the Control Database or Controle Data Bank is mandatory for the platform of any B2C company aiming to obtain a licence for igaming and sports betting operations.

Antonio Zanghi, CEO of ComplianceOne Group, commented: “The Mill Adventure’s goal is to bring their igaming innovations to newly regulated markets as efficiently and quickly as possible. 

“Our DataVault ONE solution, which integrated easily into their cutting-edge platform, was able to support them in that goal, being among the first companies to enter the Dutch market. We are thrilled to further support our partner in Germany.”

DataVault ONE is currently certified in multiple jurisdictions, including Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Germany, where The Mill Adventure has acquired the licence to operate online slots.

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The results from the publication revealed that improved use of data has been one of the main contributors to the sector’s positive performances over the last 12 months, with 74 per cent of respondents stating it is a “focus area for the year ahead”. 

“Having taken the industry’s pulse once again in our 2022 State of Online Gambling survey, it is clear that data is key to future growth,” Nissim stated. “The majority of respondents cite the improved use of data as a major focus area (74 per cent), and 50 per cent more organisations share data with suppliers and partners than 12 months ago.

“We expect these trends to accelerate as the industry increasingly reaps the benefits in key operational areas.”

In addition, Future Anthem’s survey stated that 87 per cent of its respondents claim their data is structured – an increase from 76 per cent in the company’s 2021 state-of-the-sector survey – including 32 per cent who say it is very structured.

Future Anthem go on to highlight that gambling companies are continuing to use improved data to “build better experiences”, stating that operators and studios are “putting data at the heart” of how businesses are grown, utilising it to enhance market presences and create products across numerous devices. 

However, the firm claims that whilst there is a “growing understanding” for data use, the industry has “yet to realise its full potential”. 

The survey emphasised that, although it witnessed a 24 per cent increase in organisations sharing their data with at least five suppliers and partners – more than double the year prior – 41 per cent of its respondents still do not share their data with suppliers and partners.

Furthermore, Future Anthem revealed that 33 per cent of its respondents feel that their organisation “does not extract the full value” of their data, with 26 per cent claiming that their data-driven decisions are “measurable”. 

Moving forward, Future Anthem believes that data science allows operators and studios the chance to “address several industry challenges” surrounding games and portfolio optimisation, as well as elevating responsible gambling standards. 

Nissim concluded: “Online gambling is competing with the likes of Netflix, Amazon and other kings of recommendations – being more data-driven is the only way to win minutes and eyeballs.”

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In partnership with H2 Gambling Capital, the data release, covering EU-27 and UK markets, includes information about Europe’s gambling market revenues, regulated market shares, popular online gambling products, and various information about national gambling markets.

The report predicts that by 2026, online GGR is expected to reach 41 per cent of Europe’s total gambling revenue, up from a 26 per cent share in 2019.

Another trend expected to continue is the increasing use of mobile devices, such as phones and tablets for online gambling, with the share of bets from mobile devices this year set to account for 50.5 per cent of Europe’s online bets for the first time, with the EGBA expecting this number to reach 61.5 per cent of all online bets by 2026.

Commenting on the data report, Maarten Haijer, secretary general at the EGBA, said: “The growth trend of Europe’s online gambling market continues but there remains significant room for online development in markets such as France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, where the online share of the total gambling market is still relatively low despite the online markets in these countries being relatively mature. 

“With continued online growth also comes the responsibility to ensure the online market is well-regulated and operators continue to utilise the latest online technologies to promote a stronger culture of safer gambling.”

The data released also includes information about Europe’s total gambling revenue, which is set to increase by 7.5 per cent in 2021 to €87.2bn GGR, driven by a 19 per cent growth in the online sector totalling €36.4bn GGR.

However, despite this increase, total gambling market revenue is down by 13 per cent compared to 2019 levels as Europe’s land-based gambling sector continues to feel the impact of COVID-19 restrictions. 

Also due to pandemic-related restrictions, while Europe’s land-based gambling revenue is expected to increase by 0.4 per cent this year to €50.8bn GGR, land-based revenue is down significantly by 32 per cent compared to 2019 levels.

With EGBA members now accounting for 36 per cent of Europe’s online gambling revenue, the association has also published finalised European market data, for 2020, from its member companies – bet365, Betsson Group, Entain, Flutter, Kindred Group, and William Hill – including information about revenues, products, customers, and licensing in the EU-27 and UK online gambling markets.

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In comparison to the previous month, real event betting dropped by 24 per cent with 5,127,999 active users, in contrast to the 6,708,655 in April. 

Examining the period between March 2020 and May 2021, the data covered both online and, where relevant, some offline gambling operator data, whilst keeping into consideration the fact that land-based premises have only recently been able to re-open due to COVID-19. 

The data shows decreased activity in the online market while total bets remained at a similar level. Meanwhile, slots Gross Gambling Yield increased to £211m between April and May, with the number of spins increasing two per cent and the number of active players decreasing by five per cent.

Furthermore, the number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour decreased by one per cent to just below 2.6m, while the average session length increased to 20.7 minutes, with almost nine per cent of all sessions lasting over an hour. 

In a statement, the UKGC said: “It is likely many have picked up new gambling routines and habits during lockdown that may be hard to change as things return to normal, even as normal spending on other things resumes. This could be challenging for some and important for operators to identify through their monitoring. 

“We know that some consumers, such as highly engaged gamblers who play a range of products, are likely to spend more time and money gambling and with high level sporting events taking place over the summer there are more opportunities for betting customers to gamble.”

Looking forward, operators are expected to continue to follow the strengthened guidance issued during the first lockdown, taking close interest in data that may show consumers spending more time or money than usual. 

In addition, they are expected to interact directly where triggers are reached on top of their more generic email engagement, and avoid exploiting the current situation of the easing of lockdown for marketing purposes – remaining cautious whenever seeking to cross-sell products. Lastly, operators have also been urged to take particular care whenever they onboard new customers as well as when making any decisions over affordability checks. 

Meanwhile, the UKGC looks to continue tracking any risks related to the pandemic by: assessing the impact of the strengthened guidance to operators, monitoring and publishing any additional key data, supporting the industry along with the reopening of land-based premises and taking further action to protect customers. 

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Developer iSoftBet is now using Snowflake’s cloud data warehouse to become more data driven, as part of its digital transformation strategy. The move gives the supplier comprehensive insight into its online gaming portfolio and audiences, enabling iSoftBet to launch new functionalities, such as real-time leaderboards, insights on games and tailored marketing campaigns for customers.

To maximise the value of the data generated, iSoftBet has also launched a new data and analytics transformation strategy, adopting Snowflake’s cloud-built data warehouse and adding Tableau software on top to provide data visualisation and analytics.

“Having established our reputation in the market as a leading online games provider and aggregator, it was imperative we also explore the data being generated, improving our services for both our customers and the third-party supplier ecosystem,” said Andrew Bonnici, head of data and analytics at iSoftBet.

“Snowflake’s cloud-built architecture and scalability allows us to get to market faster, so it was the ideal solution for our data warehousing needs. In just a short amount of time, we have been able to migrate our existing data into Snowflake and have our data team up and running with data at their fingertips,” he continued.

“As we are kick-starting our data strategy and look to continue growing this investment, Snowflake offers us a future-proof and flexible solution. We can scale up our data requirements for peak periods of data analysis, and scale down for quieter periods, helping us save money in the process. Centralising data with Snowflake makes it easier to access and analyse, which is important internally to improve services and the gaming experience for our customers, and also better visibility externally of how games on third-party platforms are performing,” said Bonnici.

“Online gaming has become a huge industry, with the market expected to grow to $59.8bn by 2020,” added Thibaut Ceyrolle, Snowflake’s general VP for EMEA.

“For these companies, especially online-only companies, investing resources into analysing data helps better understand customers and how to improve services.

“By using Snowflake, iSoftBet has very quickly benefited from having a more data-driven approach, which will only grow in importance the more it continues to levy data,” he said.

Read iSoftBet’s Michael Probert’s reflections on a transformational year for the company

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The company said in a statement that the value of the gross assets attributable to the BMIT Group, as of December 31, 2017, was €15.8m, while profit after tax generated by the group during the financial year to December 31 amounted to €4.1m .

BMIT hopes to raise up to €49m through the sale, generating liquidity to the company that “will be applied to deliver returns to its shareholder,” it said.

The Group offers customers a full suite of data centre focused services, including hosting and managed services, as well as a range of public, private and hybrid cloud services.

These can be deployed at the customers’ premises, hosted at any of BMIT’s two data centres in Malta, or integrated with services offered by leading cloud services providers. The group also specialises in the design, implementation, support and optimisation of ICT solutions for the corporate sector.

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