The global iGaming industry was valued at almost 60 billion USD in 2021. That number is expected to grow to $145 billion by 2030, but it becomes less impressive when you break the industry into localized chunks. The US iGaming market produced just $5 billion, so no developer can afford to approach their profits on a national level. It would cut your revenue in half as well as expose you to liability.
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iGaming localization entails adapting your games and terms of use to a specific state or country
Understanding iGaming localization
At its simplest, iGaming localization entails adapting your games and terms of use to a specific state or country. The process allows you to seamlessly move into a new region without losing your captive audience. iGaming translations are certainly a crucial part of this process, but a simple translation isn’t enough on its own. iGaming localization covers a far broader scope, including:
• Cultural adjustments • Graphics and character design • Local regulations and laws • Technical compatibility • Ethical standards
iGaming services will raise your revenue, increase player engagement, and improve your customer service standards. More importantly, it will keep you compliant with the regulations of each nation you operate in.
Localizing regulations
The iGaming industry is exposed to thousands of complicated regulations that vary across the globe. Every time you cross a border, you must adapt to an entirely new set of laws. In Ohio, gamers must be 21 years old, whereas many European countries have banned iGaming entirely. Online casinos are illegal in Australia (only sports betting and lotteries are allowed), while New Zealand permits casinos to operate as long as they follow the national gambling regulations.
If you’re going to offer your iGaming services to a new nation, your app or site will need to adapt to that region’s laws. Professional translations for iGaming might be integral to your success, but if you don’t comply with local regulations you r site will sink before your potential user base ever creates an account.
If you’re going to offer your iGaming services to a new nation, your app or site will need to adapt to that region’s laws
Professional translations for iGaming localizations
iGaming translations are the first and most overt step in localization, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy to do. This isn’t something a simple automated translation service can handle. You’ll need to translate your terms of use, descriptions, keywords, and logos.
Your user interface and technical documentation will need just as much attention. You might even need to change the name of your casino, so a little marketing expertise will greatly enrich your professional translations for iGaming.
Culture and iGaming localization
Your players won’t stay if they can’t relate to your themes and characters. You only get one chance at a successful first impression, so your customer retention rates need to be at their highest the moment you launch. An iGaming localization service will assess your cultural references and character design to ensure that they meld seamlessly into the new landscape.
Every country has its own cultural sensitivities. Localization will ensure that your site doesn’t offend your new user base or break foreign laws. At the end of this stage, your iGaming services will maintain their tone and intent without distancing their users.
This stage of iGaming localization requires a profound understanding of your target market’s habits, dialects, and values. It also requires an entirely new definition of your target demographic. If your new users are avid slot machine players with little interest in poker, it doesn’t pay to make Texas Hold’em the most dominant game in your casino.
An iGaming localization service will assess your cultural references and character design to ensure that they meld seamlessly into the new landscape
Technical compatibility
Mobile penetration is at an all-time high, but in countries like India and Nigeria, only 20 – 30% of residents own a smartphone. Localization will modify your code and graphics to your new biome so that you can grab a larger market share. You might need to develop a browser-based casino or adapt to a larger iOS user base. Your graphics might need to be simplified, and your code may need adjustment.
Using the wrong keyboard can mess up your commands, so your input problems will need to be assessed. This is a complex and challenging process, but every time you widen your technical compatibility, your foreign potential increases exponentially.
Linguistic quality assurance
Mobile game translations will refine your adjustments through linguistic quality assurance, which must be carried out by native human editors. During this stage, workers will perform linguistic testing and UX evaluation. They will also test platform compliance and overlong strings.
Corrupted or misleading codes will be smoothed away, and numeric formats will be checked. iGaming localization is an incremental process, but you can make it easier by:
• Creating a clear timeline and budget • Writing your code strings in a way that’s easy to translate • Hiring linguistic professionals • Using culturally-sensitive themes and symbols • Creating a content style guide to improve your consistency
iGaming is captivating audiences all over the world. Its immersive powers have turned it into a global revolution, but you’ll lose a player every time you expose your foreigner status. Localization allows you to introduce your product at its best, no matter the cultural differences.
Mobile game translations will refine your adjustments through linguistic quality assurance, which must be carried out by native human editors
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ICE London 2023, the iGaming industry’s unmissable start-of-the-year event, consolidated its position as the industry’s most heavily anticipated fair.
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1Stop Translations presented their new mascot 1STY at their stand.
1Stop Translations presented their new mascot 1STY (Firsty) at their stand. After a long journey that began a few months ago, aboard a space rocket heading towards unexplored markets, he finally landed on planet ICE 2023, ready to explore new horizons (of multilingual content).
1STY attracted great interest among visitors, many of them stopping by at the 1Stop Translations stand to take selfies with him.
During the three days of the event in London’s exhibition district, from 6 to 8 February, we were delighted to meet our existing loyal customers, as well as the many new companies that came to see us at our stand.
1STY attracted great interest among visitors, many of them stopping by at the 1Stop Translations stand to take selfies with him.
Our team’s hard work during the three days of the event was amply rewarded by the compliments received by our customers, who appreciated the quality of our Customer Care (utmost attention to customer needs, speed in case resolution, turnaround punctuality) and our deep interest in international digital marketing services.
1Stop Translations, leader in the iGaming market for the supply of translations in 100 languages as well as supplier of content writing and link building services, key activities for any web-based business today, and emerging services including influencer marketing and advergaming.
Our team’s hard work during the three days of the event was amply rewarded by the compliments received by our customers.
On the occasion of ICE London 2023, we presented a number of digital marketing-related case studies developed during 2022, such as the online sports magazine Bgame.news, which during its first year of activity was regularly visited by over 100,000 unique users, and the advergame Bgame Quiz, with over 5,000 downloads in its first month alone, the result of an agreement with Bgame, a key player in Italy’s betting industry.
Once again, a highly satisfactory ICE in terms of exciting opportunities for upcoming partnerships!
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The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) in copywriting was unheard of until just a few years ago. However, more and more companies are beginning to experiment with it lately. AGI is making its way into the creative industry by impacting content strategy and internet marketing as technology improves.
6 minutes – read
Although AI has amazing potential in content marketing, it also poses significant concerns. As with every new technology, there are two factions with opposing viewpoints: the overly optimistic early adopters who ignore the drawbacks, and the risk-averse technophobes who vehemently oppose it for fear of change.
AI and Content Writing: what you need to know
What is AGI?
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in algorithms that are designed to mimic human thought and behavior. The use of AGI has grown significantly in recent years. AGI is now used in content writing, video games, cars that drive themselves, and it can even help doctors identify illnesses.
In the creative writing industry, AGI content writing refers to a technology that uses artificial intelligence algorithms to assist you in producing better text more quickly. There are several AI writing tools available online. Some of the most popular tools include; Copy.ai, Jasper, Copysmith, Writesonic, Rytr, GetGenie, and Otter.
AI writing tools enable you to produce copy quickly with only a few mouse clicks. However, an AGI writing tool is capable of much more. It can also help you generate fresh content ideas and rework current material to make it more effective. Furthermore, it can monitor the performance of your material so you can understand what works and what doesn’t.
AGI content writing refers to a technology that uses artificial intelligence algorithms to assist you in producing better text
Difference between AI and Professional Content Writers
1 – Fact-Checking Abilities
When it comes to writing, it is difficult for an AGI writer to do research, crowdsourcing, and fact-checking. You are aware that the world is changing quickly and that things known to be true now were once considered false in the past. This indicates that our concept of reality is constantly evolving, something that only humans can notice.
Additionally, AGI uses the internet to gather all the data currently used by human authors , so you have to double-check any articles created by AGI before releasing them since this technology is renowned for making mistakes.
2 – Words with Emotions
Emotions are amazing sensations that only living beings can experience, something that neither artificial intelligence nor a computer can comprehend. Even a simple phrase or narrative can create a powerful response in a reader. They make judgments based on their feelings and impressions . Emotions play a very important role in marketing, but AGI still isn’t capable of comprehending how people interpret such subtle cues.
3 – Natural Flow of the Content
The greatest challenge for any skilled writer is to maintain accuracy while also allowing the information to flow naturally . Since artificial intelligence has now grown to a point where it can sustain the flow of writing, it can help with this to some degree. However, it will tend to recycle the same concepts throughout the content, so it still makes sense to work with a professional content writer who can contribute their expertise and produce a smoother writing style.
4 – Strategic Planning
Writing an article requires the author to consider a variety of factors that need to be integrated strategically. You must be aware of your company’s goals and the kind of customers that are interested in your goods or services. An AGI writer can only compose an article according to the specific instructions you provided, without any additional understanding of your company’s objectives or the product you are selling .
Meanwhile , experienced article writers are more likely to comprehend your company’s reputation, commercial objectives, and specialty markets. A creative content writer examines the subject and develops a plan to generate engaging content in accordance with these characteristics.
5 – Processing Power and Originality
An AGI’s processing capacity is another element that lowers the quality of information. Only existing words and phrases can be analyzed by an AGI writing tool, which then simply updates the lines of text. Even if the words and paragraphs you get are exceptional and unique, they cannot add new meaning to the statement. A human content creator can creatively direct AGI to meet the needs of the content, whereas the AGI doesn’t know what it is writing about and isn’t concerned with your needs.
Only a human writercan comprehend your topic and use original thought to create an interesting post for your readers. Professional writers have a distinct way of using words and phrases that AGI writers simply cannot match.
Emotions are amazing sensations that only living beings can experience
SEO Oriented Content
Search engine optimization (SEO) means optimizing your web page content in a way that organically improves your website’s exposure in search engine results pages (SERPs). SEO-friendly content is crucial since that is how Google and other search engines evaluate your website. The words you use will thus affect your site’s rankings.
Optimizing your website for search engines can guarantee that the appropriate audience sees your material. When optimizing your website for SEO services, you must consider several factors, like keyword selection and on-page optimization.
Therefore, to achieve success, you must continually educate yourself and keep up with trends. Your website has to be well-designed with a fantastic user experience, and have all the technical aspects needed to rank high in Google. Your website simply cannot rank well in search engines without high-quality content.
The Impact of AI on SEO-Oriented Content
AGI in SEO improves your existing SEO content writing strategy by identifying possibilities such as similar keywords. Its algorithms and speed enable organizations to quickly improve the accuracy of keyword research, competition analysis, search intent research, and other tasks.
AGI has a significantly positive effect on SEO. You can use AGI to enhance search engine optimization ac curacy, efficiency, and effectiveness, including specific SEO content. While some SEOs are concerned that AGI will eventually steal their jobs, AGI is still only a tool.
AI tools are advancing rapidly though, making it simpler and more affordable for businesses to use them. AGI is a sensible addition to any SEO strategy due to its versatility and capacity to process billions of data points and execute hundreds of tasks. Early users of AGI for SEO content writing will thus often reap the greatest rewards. For instance, you can outperform rivals by producing data-backed content that appeals to users and complies with search engine algorithms.
AI in SEO improves your existing SEO content writing strategy by identifying possibilities such as similar keywords
Final words
There is no doubt that AGI writers can work faster than human writers. But in terms of quality and worth, they still fall short of experienced authors. It is best to avoid becoming overly dependent on such tools for content development. Use it to improve your research, provide topic ideas, assist with summarizing brief paragraphs, and check grammar and spelling.
iGaming translations is delighted to provide high-quality translation, content development, and editing services to the iGaming business, as well as to customers in a wide variety of other industries. If you are a professional writer or translator, then iGaming companies are looking for you.
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Even though the classic fully human translation, namely the one totally entrusted to professional human translators, still remains the top choice when seeking the highest translation quality, machine translation reviewed by human translators (called MTPE or Machine Translation Post-Editing) is nowadays considered a viable alternative that has the advantage of reducing costs and delivery time to the client.
4 minutes – read
In the past decade, great progress has been made in Machine Translation-related research, especially thanks to neural machine translation engines, which have been created and calibrated in relation to the increase in multilingual content to be translated under tight deadlines and the reduction of related budgets. MTPE is the effective solution to these needs: thanks to human revision, it produces, within certain limits, a good quality translation, quickly and with significant economic benefits.
Machine translation quality assurance – 1Stop Blog
Machine Translation Post-Editing
MTPE is a type of hybrid translation, in which the automatic process is followed by a phase called post-editing, or revision by human translators. But how does this type of translation work? First, the software translates the textual content in bulk; then human translators verify the entire content, improving its accuracy by checking form, syntax, terminology, and adaptation (localization). Through this process, the work of the machine is refined, with the goal of achieving a level of quality that can only be achieved by human intervention: the latter adds nuances that the machine is unable to achieve. In this way, the final output of MTPE will be very close to that of fully human translation.
MTPE is a type of hybrid translation
ISO 18587:2017
For Translation Agencies, MTPE is regulated by the ISO 18587:2017 certification, which defines the necessary requirements for workflow, activities, and skills related to post-editing. Specifically, it provides:
the assurance by language providers of the total correspondence between source and target (translated) text, as well as the full comprehensibility of the output
the complete documentation of all necessary requirements for post-editing projects
a set of specific requirements for the figure of the professional proofreader
the precise identification of the translation output (human or machine)
In addition, ISO 18587 helps improving productivity, selecting the most appropriate resources to be allocated on the post-editing activity, and thus allows the agency to remain competitive, and still provide a quality product, in a market where the demand for machine translation is growing.
What are the benefits of MTPE?
MTPE combines the speed of machine translation with the skilled attention of a professional translator. In addition, the editing activity on the machine-translated text is faster than classical translation because the time required to revise a text is less than the time it takes to translate one from scratch, allowing the overall costs of language localization to be reduced.
Human revision also ensures that the result is:
structurally, terminologically, spelling, and grammatically consistent
error-free and accurate in meaning
clear and understandable to the target audience
improved in terms of cultural sensitivity
in line with industry standards and client guidelines
MTPE combines the speed of machine translation with the skilled attention of a professional translator
Conclusions
In conclusion, MTPE is a type of hybrid translation that can be applied in various sectors, including iGaming, which guarantees an excellent output. This type of translations is highly beneficial for the client since it reduces costs as well as delivery time; however, it is always preferable for the machine work to be accompanied by the review made by a professional translator so that eventual inaccuracies can be polished. To do so, it is of utmost importance to work with companies that follow precise requirements, have high quality standards, and are experienced when MTPE is concerned.
1Stop Translations, an ISO 18587-certified translation company, is the ideal partner to turn to and guarantees the highest quality of the translated text, regardless of volumes, languages and technology used. Our translations meet the highest quality requirements set by international standards, which dictate not only perfect comprehensibility of the text, but also consistency of terminology, lexical, and stylistic consistency.
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The choice of a trusted partner is a complex and delicate action. When selecting a supplier, it is essential considering aspects like competence, quality, professionalism, seriousness, and reliability. But how can these elements be recognized beyond reputational information, which is often difficult to verify in advance?
4 minutes – read
One of the tangible proofs are undoubtedly system certifications, issued by independent bodies when achieving certain standards in a specific field of activity and followed by periodic audits and renewals to ensure that the certified levels are maintained over time.
The most important global organization that deals with the definition of technical standards and the requirements to be met for issuing certifications is the ISO(International Organization for Standardisation). Possessing an ISO certificate guarantees and demonstrates a company’s commitment and responsibility to continue to improve its processes and comply with regulations; it also provides a transparent, objective, standardized, and international technical reference framework.
But let’s see in detail which certifications are of interest in the translation field.
Quality? Checked. – 1Stop Blog
ISO 9001:2015 – Quality management systems
ISO 9001:2015 is the international standard for Quality Management Systems (QMS), published by the ISO, that determines the standards for the creation, implementation, and management of a QMS for any company, regardless of its size or sector of expertise. As an international standard, the certification is recognized as the basis for creating a system that ensures customer satisfaction and improvement in any company and, therefore, many companies consider it as a minimum requirement when choosing their suppliers.
The ISO 9001 consists of ten sections; the first three are introductory, while the last seven contain the Quality Management System requirements. Its main benefits are:
improving a company’s image and credibility
improving client satisfaction
completing process integration
basing decisions on facts
creating a culture of continuous improvement
involving people
ISO 17100:2015 – Conformity for the quality of language services
ISO 17100:2015 is an international standard which replaces the previous standard EN 15038:2006 focused specifically on the translation services sector and directed at translation agencies as well as translation offices within companies.
The certification identifies the requirements for the main processes, resources and other aspects needed to perform a quality translation service that meets all the applicable specifications. Moreover, its application allows Language Service Providers to demonstrate the conformity of specific translation services to the Standard and the ability of its processes and resources to perform a service that meets the client’s specifications and other applicable requirements, that can be company-specific or related to the adoption of good practices or codes of conduct and relevant legislation.
The most important feature of the certification is the definition of the translation process, in which translation in the strict sense is only one of the steps and does not guarantee quality unless a revision is carried out by a second translator, as well as the precise definition of the professional skills of each of the participants in the translation process, mainly the translators, revisers and project managers.
The aforementioned skills defined in the ISO 17100 standard include:
translation competence
textual and linguistic competence in the source and target language
research competence
information acquisition and processing competence
cultural competence
technical competence
sectoral competence
Furthermore, the translator is required to have at least five years of experience in the field in which they translate/review.
Trust the experts.
1Stop Translations is ISO 9001, ISO 17100, and ISO 18587 certified for the quality of language services.
Our translations meet the highest quality requirements set by international standards, which impose not only perfect comprehensibility of the text, but also consistency of terminology, lexical and stylistic consistency, making us your ideal partner when multilingual content management services are concerned.
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Once again SIGMA EUROPE has proven itself to be an amazing chance to meet old friends and potential partners in the wonderful Maltese islands.
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The second edition of SIGMA after the COVID outbreak returned with a bang. This time the entire MFCC was dedicated to the exhibition, resulting in both the number of exhibitors and visitors to increase in a significant way, if not even double.
Sigma Europe 2022: towards new markets!
Thanks to this boost, the 1Stop Translations team was able to meet hundreds of people from all over the world, cultivating relationships with existing customers and establishing new connections. It was interesting being able to speak with them, to evaluate all the possibilities of partnership, to talk about upcoming projects, and to highlight the value that 1ST can provide by guiding iGaming, Fintech and Esports businesses towards new aims and targets. Once again, human contact was proved to be irreplaceable, adding that extra touch and sense of closeness that is missing when compared to the everyday communication via email or video calls. The feeling of meeting people we recognized from LinkedIn and simply seeing names of people in the field we know but never met in person was one of the highlights of the conference and something not achievable online. Our journey towards new markets was off to a great beginning, starting with the graphics of our stand and our spectacular advertising campaign courtesy of iNTERGAMINGi.
The leitmotiv that 1ST wanted to follow during the exhibition was the journey towards new horizons, represented not only by emerging markets (Asia, Africa, LatAm), but by all those markets that embody a new point of expansion for all those companies that have decided to internationalize and broaden their business. Said internationalization process takes place primarily through Localization, mixed to the implementation of Marketing Services such as SEO Outreach, Influencer Marketing, SMM and so on. During the various meetings, we had the pleasure of being able to explain how, thanks to our expertise and integration of services – extending from multilingual content management to the implementation of digital and international marketing services – we help companies in the iGaming, Fintech, and Esports sectors to expand their horizons and reach new markets. Furthermore, as we all know, SiGMA is not just business; the joy, the people, the drinks, the music, and the whole atmosphere is what the event really stands for.
Walking around the floor in between meetings and talking with new people who were enthusiastic about their inventive and imaginative products or services was intriguing. By doing so, we could interact with others and discover answers that we might otherwise have overlooked. Attendants were not only part of big companies but also start-ups with great ideas and potential, so this kind of networking is ideal for widening our horizons regarding perspectives for business.
1Stop Translations interviewed by SiGMA TV
Having said that, we are looking forward to 2023 and all the surprises we are sure SiGMA will have in store for us.
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African markets have attracted a growing number of iGaming investors in recent years, since Africa has both short-term and long-term potential, and the market is still far from being completely saturated.
5 minutes – read
This increasing interest was due to the continent’s consistent economic growth and the rising accessibility to mobile devices. The local government’s willingness to work on establishing a controlled legal environment for the internet gambling business, which also assisted them in generating new local revenue streams, also aided the continent’s position.
Light up new horizons
Regulations overview
The rapid expansion of the African iGaming business could not have happened without regulatory support in addition to technological developments. According to their level of gambling regulation, African nations can be categorized into three main groups:
Countries with market regulations
Countries with no market regulations
Countries where gambling is prohibited in all forms
Countries belonging to the first category benefited from large investments in the iGaming sector. As a result, tax revenue has increased, and those money can now be used to invest in other industries. The first country to legalize gambling was South Africa, and thanks to its successful implementation, other nations have followed suit. Consequently, iGaming flourished in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, and Nigeria. These nations have increased revenue through gambling taxes by preventing offshore corporations from profiting fully from online casino activity.
The big three
LIGHT UP NEW HORIZONS – AFRICAN MARKETS – 1Stop Translations
Even though the sector is expanding across the whole continent, three nations stand out as Africa’s top gambling markets in 2022: South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya.
Nigeria
In 2021, Nigeria had the biggest GDP in Africa, equal to $441 billion USD. Moreover, the population of the nation is the highest on the continent. In Nigeria, gambling was made legal in 2004, and the first online casino opened its doors in 2013. The National Lottery Regulatory Commission issues licenses to both online and offline gambling businesses and the popularity of sports betting, particularly on European football, has increased as a result of the proliferation of mobile connections and payment methods. Furthermore, over 30% of Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 40 gamble on a daily basis. However, games like poker, roulette, and dice games, are still prohibited in Nigeria.
South Africa
South Africa ranked second in 2021 with a GDP of US$420 billion. Business endeavors, including iGaming, find the nation to be particularly alluring due to the size and stability of its economy. Online lotteries, live dealer games, and sports betting are all quite popular in the area, but online casinos are not allowed, unless they are opened by legally recognized land-based bookmakers. Therefore, without many domestic options for online casino games, users frequently use offshore platforms. The bulk of sports bettors in South Africa, who make up about 50% of the adult population, wager at least once every month. In this regard, investors can consider this market to be an excellent choice for the creation of an online sportsbook.
Kenya
Most forms of gambling are legal in Kenya, and hundreds of brand-new online casinos have popped up recently. The nation is a pioneer in the development of interactive games, and millions of Kenyans frequently visit online casinos. The scenario in Kenya’s gaming market is comparable to that in Nigeria, but because it has a smaller population (47 million), it is not growing as quickly. Kenyans love to gamble on sports, especially football. However, due to recent legislative changes, some major international firms have left the market, potentially creating a sizable void that has to be filled.
Growth opportunities
The increasing number of young people on the continent is important when it comes to online gaming and generally enhancing the user experience on mobile devices. Mostly, iGaming players in Africa are between the ages of 18 and 35, making it the only place in the world where younger people make up a bigger percentage of the general population on an annual basis. Uncoordinated regional bureaucracy makes it more difficult for the iGaming sector to thrive in Africa. Nevertheless, it is a modest price to pay given the favorable changes in legislation, the size of the markets, and the cultural acceptability of betting and gaming. Overall, the youth of the continent love to gamble and have broad access to the internet, which suggests that Africa has a lot to offer.
Payment methods
In Africa, mobile payments are by far the most popular type of payment. Many players simply do not have the choice to keep an account with a conventional financial institution; in other circumstances, some banks will not execute transactions involving gambling. Mobile is the answer, just like it is for internet connectivity. For example, Kenyans who don’t have access to bank accounts now have economic independence thanks to Vodafone’s M-Pesa service, which enables users to make payments using their mobile contracts. All the nations of East Africa, including Tanzania and Uganda, are familiar with the solution. The three most used payment processors are MTN, Airtel Tigo, and Vodafone. To now more about NFT read our article
The importance of localization
Africa is huge, with a wide variety of cultures, languages, financial requirements, and betting preferences and customs. Therefore, for those operators aiming to flourish in this diversified and dynamic industry, they have to include all these elements in their planning. In particular, if we consider the linguistic aspect, it is important to remember that Africa has more than 1000 languages, but the most spoken ones – besides English – are Swahili, Ahmaric, Yoruba, Oromo, Hausa, Zulu, Shona, Arabic, French and Portuguese. Therefore, being able to offer as many languages as possible, or at least the most commonly used ones, is of utmost importance in order to allow more people to enjoy the iGaming experience at the fullest. Not all companies can accommodate such request, thus working with a provider specialized in this market is almost mandatory; a lot of experience is required to manage and choose the right language to implement in order to firmly establish your presence.
Conclusion
Following Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa’s footsteps, several African nations are attempting to enact gambling-related frameworks and laws. Governments throughout the continent are drawn to the potential of the favorable effects of investment and the financial gains to those that proactively embrace gaming legislation. The rise in the number of young people, the popularity of sports betting among millions of people, the availability of cheap mobile phones, and the rollout of 4G and 5G networks could all accelerate the future change of the African gambling industry. And you, what are you waiting for?
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Numerous dynamic nations, some of which hold exceptional prominence in the iGaming industry, may be found throughout Latin America. There will always be opportunities for businesses to succeed in markets like Brazil and Mexico even just considering their size and number of potential players.
5 minutes – read
In the meantime, favorable competitive situations can be found in countries like Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. Of course, there are less developed countries, but even these could eventually prove to be very promising. This largely depends on the regulatory environment and economic stability of the nation; if these two elements come together at the right time with the appropriate telecommunication and payment processing options, nations like Venezuela, Ecuador, and Uruguay would present formidable potential to both operators and suppliers.
Despite this, only Colombia and, more recently, Argentina and Brazil have made progress when it comes to regulation. Alternate payment methods and social acceptance of internet commerce have been the biggest advances. Additionally, the Covid problem appears to have sped up the shift to online gaming and served as a signal for nations to swiftly enact iGaming regulation.
Light up new horizons
Regulations overview
Some nations have outlawed gambling due to its complicated regulatory position, while others have only deregulated it. In the meanwhile, province-by-province regulation is the norm in places like Argentina. As a result, the landscape must be examined case by case, country by country, and partner by partner in order to target the finest chances. Essentially, quality rather than quantity ought to be the main priority. Making the ideal local alliance and maximizing the current company’s offering can be more profitable or ROI-effective by carefully analyzing the available possibilities and comprehending the long-term nature of business.
Growth opportunities
Despite the long delay between the regulation of the Colombian iGaming market in 2016 and other nations, LatAm is still a particularly attractive region for the gaming industry due to the sheer scale of the potential market – there are more than 200 million people living in Brazil alone. According to the GSMA, smartphone adoption will reach 73% across the region by 2025, while the World Bank projects that internet use will exceed 80% in Latin America and the Caribbean in the next few years. Additionally, there will be a wider variety of legal gaming alternatives available through this connected penetration. While positive advances have been achieved in Brazil across numerous channels and verticals, online betting and gaming are currently being legalized in Chile, Uruguay, and Peru.
Latam markets, a new horizon to explore
Payment methods
Statistics on banking and payments in Latin America vary significantly from country to country and region to region. For instance, compared to people who live in the south of Brazil, the majority of individuals in the north do not have access to financial services like bank accounts, debit cards, or even credit cards. Latin America does not have as much access to the market as other nations like the US or Europe, consequently local financial institutions, payment networks, and fintech firms are more well-liked than those based elsewhere.
Even though there are still many people without bank accounts and cash transactions still predominate in the area, consumers are growing more at ease utilizing digital wallets and contactless mobile payments. By adapting and innovating, several Latin American nations have created alternative payment systems for their citizens without access to financial institutions. As a result, to improve the inherent financial inclusion of this region, fintech, banks, and even governments are rapidly embracing digital payments.
It is crucial to understand local bettors’ payment preferences and provide alternatives that people are accustomed to in their native nation and will find to be the most advantageous given their current situation; doing so enhances their betting experience and builds trust.
Latin America is one of the most diverse regions in the globe with 20 nations and 13 dependencies. The majority of these nations speak Spanish and Portuguese, but there is also greater variation when taking into account that there are English-and Dutch-speaking parts. Before approaching these particular regions, these key considerations ought to be considered while customizing a project.
However, languages are only one component of localization; sports, leagues, and betting preferences of the locals are also important elements. Given that Latin Americans are among the most ardent football supporters in the world, it should come as no surprise that football is the dominating sport in this region, subject of more than 67% of their wagers.
Content localization is therefore crucial when it comes to sports enthusiasts; LATAM bettors follow more than just the major football leagues, therefore operators must also cover the native football leagues and teams in each of the countries in Latin America.
The betting experience is another significant factor. Each nation in Latin America has its own unique gaming culture. For instance, European players bet differently than those from Latin America. Operators can anticipate lesser wagers placed more frequently; for slot machines, this will mean more spins throughout a session. The involvement of gamers can be raised by various bonus types, cross-sales, and other marketing strategies. Additionally, the region is quite open to adding new features.
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Conclusion
The iGaming sector sees great promise in Latin America. Countries with imminent favorable legislation are anticipating extraordinary levels of growth in the near future whereas markets that have already made the decision to regulate online casinos and sportsbooks are witnessing stable expansion in the sector.
In the next five years, it would be in Latin America’s best interest to have regulations in the majority of its countries. As of now, players are not protected, and these nations’ economies are not benefiting from the tax advantages that laws would offer because either semi-regulated or uncontrolled markets are still operating with little to no control. Once a strong regulatory base has been established, we can actually begin looking into the possibilities that this dynamic continent has to offer.
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Although Asia is undoubtedly not a continent that encourages gambling, dismissing it would be a mistake.
6 minutes -read
Although Asia is undoubtedly not a continent that encourages gambling, dismissing it would be a mistake. In many countries, opinions have changed noticeably in response to the growing awareness of player safety measures and the potential worth of the sector in terms of state income, making legalization possible where it had previously been unthinkable.
The iGaming sector too has had a rapid expansion due to millions of people turning to online entertainment as a result of the pandemic outbreak and restrictions on socializing, leisure activities, and access to land-based casinos. According to the data provided by e-Conomy, in 2020 40 million people in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand placed their first online bets or gambled.
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Regulations overview
Operators are drawn to Asian markets by their enormous potential, yet it is still difficult to enter the sector. Most countries have strict laws governing gambling and betting, and only a small number of businesses are legitimately authorized to operate. Nevertheless, the tendency appears to be toward a gradual legalization.
This is mainly due to the fact that black markets operated by gambling syndicates (which provide neither player safety nor transparency) have grown in many nations where gaming has long been outlawed. Therefore, some countries are altering their policies in an effort to counter this phenomenon – and monetize on the residents’ newly discovered entertainment preferences – by gradually allowing gambling.
Asian markets, a new horizon to explore
Growth opportunities
In 2021, it was estimated that the worth of the online gambling market was around USD 57.54 million and that it would increase at a CAGR of 11.7% from 2022 to 2030. The industry is being driven by rising smartphone usage for online gaming both at home and in public, as well as rising internet penetration rates. Additionally, elements including cultural and legal acceptance, ease of access to online gambling, endorsements, and sponsorships are encouraging business growth. Thus, the market is anticipated to expand even more as a result of the accessible and reasonably priced mobile applications.
Blockchain’s contribution
Play-to-earn models that are integrated with NFTs are receiving a lot of attention, since they offer full ownership and let players generate money from the time they spend playing the game. For instance, the Asia-Pacific region particularly enjoys the NFT game Axie-Infinity, with between 40 and 50 percent of users coming from the Philippines. With the Play-To-Earn technique online gamers may develop, breed, and create more while earning extra passive revenue. Consequently, the persistent desire to expand economies instantly becomes embedded in society. This encourages a solid and resolute relationship. In particular, India has a high population of phone users and gamers, hence the growth of blockchain-based gaming may outpace the economic growth of the country.
Operators must assist the Asian markets by providing a wide variety of payment options in order to give comprehensive regional convenience and experience. Generally, Asian players prefer eWallets over bank transfers, credit and debit cards, and other payment options. Additionally, there is Thaipay, which is available to gamers from Thailand, and 2C2P, the largest payment system in Asia, which takes payments from users even without credit cards.
International marketing
A strong marketing strategy is necessary when expanding into new areas. To draw in and keep participation, advertising must be properly localized as well as relevant and sensitive to cultural differences. For a marketing strategy to be as efficient as possible, SEO outreach and link building are some of the best services to be carried out. As a matter of fact, through local connections and affiliate networking, it is possible to reach gamers in any desired region and enhance traffic, as well as to improve advertising results. It is not a coincidence that using affiliate networks with contacts in the region is what has helped the Asian market grow.
The importance of localization
Success in Asia requires a segmented approach that takes into account the political and cultural preferences of each nation. Hence, knowing your players and providing them with material that is specific to their region is a terrific way to draw them to your website.
When talking about efficient localization, multiple variables are taken into account, such as preferred content and suppliers, languages, sports, leagues, offering views, and odds formats. Taking cultures as an example, Mahjong is well-known in China whereas Pachinko is more prevalent in Japan. In general, the most widespread games among gamblers are live casino games with local live dealers, baccarat, roulette, sic-bo, slot machines, lotteries, and skill-based games with very popular activities such as hunting and fishing.
Another example is related to India, where cricket is the most popular game for sports betting, so it is important to provide wagers on local games for bettors who wish to bet on lower-tier leagues as well as the World Championships in order to satisfy individual demand. Some of the other prominent sports in the area are Basketball, UFC, badminton, Muay Thai, and football.
Language is another element that is crucial to the success of localization. Major linguistic distinctions exist across several nations and geographic areas. Operators must provide versions of their websites in the languages that players prefer in order to satisfy local requests. To do so, it is of utmost importance to collaborate with translation companies highly specialized in the iGaming sector that cover all the languages needed to enter these markets.
The enormous importance of localization – 1ST Blog
Conclusion
Until the Asian gaming market is stable and regulated, operators wanting to enter the market must be aware that there will be periods of low revenues as well as periods of high turnover. Moreover, once regulations are loosened, governments should be aware that Asia is likely to become the next major market for internet gambling.
So far, the legalization of sports betting and online casinos has been made possible by the decriminalization of casino gambling in numerous Asian countries. According to current trends, live dealers, table games, and slots are expected to rule the gambling sector in Asia. Currently, the only options available to residents are gambling in brick-and-mortar casinos, going to countries that permit online gambling, or using offshore platforms to access online casinos.
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Positioning a website on Google requires an appropriate link building strategy, but sometimes this activity tends to be neglected or not done properly.
10 minutes -read
Positioning a website on Google requires an appropriate link building strategy, but sometimes this activity tends to be neglected or not done properly.
Forcing the positioning by link building with unsuitable practices may produce the opposite effect, causing the website to fall in the SERP and, in the worst cases, to disappear completely from the search engine.
In this article we’ll address the topic with the knowledge that, especially for the iGaming and Betting sector, there are few ways to boost organic positioning and to increase visits to a website, being severely limited by current regulations and content sponsorship.
What is link building?
Link building is the construction of a network of links among websites. If you think about the web itself, it’s made up of these links among web pages, and all search engines do is browse this huge network, evaluating which pages are most suitable based on search criteria and rewarding, among other factors, those pages that receive more spontaneous references from other pages.
Google not only appreciates links but also needs them for its own proper functioning, in order to give users the answers they’re looking for when they perform a web search. Google itself is keen to let users know that links are awards given by choice, which reward the quality and usefulness of the content. Therefore, the more valid and interesting the content, the greater the chances that another user will offer it to their readers and include the link in their content.
By means of complex and sophisticated algorithms, search engines can understand how pages are connected to each other, evaluating links with their own internal parameters.
Do you think that’s the right way to look for connections?
How Google evaluates backlinks
At this point there’s little scope for quantity: it’s quality that reigns supreme in Google’s evaluation criteria. Before Penguin (the latest update of Big G’s algorithm), it was possible to increase popularity and positioning based on the number of inbound links to a given page. Quantity was the only yardstick. No checks, no attention paid to individual pages, not even a basic analysis of the site hosting the backlinks. This jungle in which SEO analysts wallowed lasted until 2012, when Google’s algorithm saw a drastic overhaul.
The main goal of Penguin was to break down all kinds of spam activities, identify unfair link purchases and exchanges between networks that had no other goal than to distribute backlinks here and there without any logical criteria. In short, Google started a battle against “adulterated” pages, as was said at the time. Wild link-swapping practices were considered by Big G to be an outright violation of Google’s webmaster instructions. From that moment on, things changed dramatically.
The evolution of Google and SEO
In recent years, Google has further perfected its algorithm, its key goal being the evaluation of link quality, which looks at a variety of factors. However, the evaluation of a webpage continues to be based on backlinks, and this parameter remains one of the key evaluation criteria, even though today the algorithm is much more precise in detecting evil webpages.
So, how is link building actually done?
After having clarified the theory, let’s look at the practical aspects. Link building remains the most effective technique for optimising off-page positioning”pushing an ill-conceived page with mediocre content won’t serve any benefit overall. In practice, increasing the number of inbound links to a webpage pushes the search engine to assign it greater authority, placing it towards the top of the SERP. Of course, as we have seen, Google is currently also able to evaluate indicators such as quality, nature, origin, relevance, etc., of which the incoming link will leave a trace.
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The importance of backlink analysis
As mentioned above, the determining factor in setting up an effective link building strategy is the credibility of the site the backlink originates from. If the latter comes from an authentic website, with a history and a high reputation in terms of SEO, the quality index of your site gets a boost.
Conversely, if the site the backlink originates from is designed to host “guest posts” and generate links only on paper, the backlink has a high probability of receiving a negative score and being penalised in terms of its quality index.
The main strategies to link build effectively
A tried and tested strategy involves the creation of optimised content with specific target keywords, which deepen the topics covered by the host site. Remember that Google’s algorithms have become very accurate in capturing the relevance of backlinks. In this regard it might be useful to study the current ones and track them as No-follow or Follow links.
Another effective way, especially in the iGaming and Betting sector, is to be included in themed websites or blogs with topics and reviews related to online gaming platforms: this increases the access points to the site of highly targeted users and offers a significant boost in terms of SEO.
How to get natural backlinks
The best way to obtain natural backlinks is through “link earning” – the free and unmanipulated increase of links and citations of your page. The natural earning of backlinks occurs when the content (news, information, insights, etc.) is deemed useful by the host site. Google is keen to ensure that links are spontaneous and free from manipulative interventions. As it is easy to imagine, link building experts set up strategies to disguise the planning of campaigns that at first glance are classified by Google as natural links.
The risks of link building
It is practically impossible for Google to recognise paid backlinks from spontaneous ones; however, some steps to this end have indeed been taken by Big G. It’s possible for the search engine to detect the so-called “link schemes”. This includes, for example, a practice called “link neighbourhood”, or the bidirectional exchange of backlinks without any added value and in non-linear contexts. And it’s certainly possible that Google will be able to identify content full of links, anchor texts and keywords with the sole purpose of increasing a page’s ranking. If this is exaggerated, the page ranking system collapses to the point of jeopardising the visibility of the entire website.
For this reason, link building is now considered an art, and the SEO analysts who master this discipline are few and far between. A strong strategic ability is required to plan a link building campaign, as well as also creativity, intuition, overview and, of course, an adequate budget.
How are backlinks evaluated?
Now that the big picture is a little clearer, let’s take a look at the practical aspects of link building.
First of all, we need to understand the value of the link that we have received and whether it could offer a real-world advantage in terms of positioning. It is practically impossible to fully define all the factors that contribute to the progress in the ranking (or to the loss of positions in cases of malpractice). The detailed functioning of the Google algorithm is only known by Google, but we certainly have access to clues and signals to help us understand it a little more.
Quality links
The quality of a backlink is evaluated by analysing and combining a series of parameters.
The most important parameter is popularity, or how relevant and authoritative the website is. Then the geographic and content relevance is assessed:a completely off-topic site coming from a foreign domain will be looked down upon by search engine crawlers, whereas a vertical, on-topic site with high domain authority will most likely offer excellent benefits in terms of SEO.
Another relevant variable is the site’s trust. We can define the trust parameter as a kind of “criminal record” of the website. If in the past the site was subject to link exchange activities aimed at deceiving the search engine, it will have a dirty criminal record, or a lower trust score than the sites that have always played by the rules. Obtaining links from websites with high trust scores guarantees 100% SEO improvement.
The main SEO monitoring apps define trust as a value ranging from 1 to 100, 100 being the maximum score.
The age of the link is also considered. Search engines favour younger links as they consider them fresher and more current.
Lastly, there’s the social spread. It’s still not abundantly clear how search engines interpret links from social media, but it seems that these have some influence on page ranking.
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The key elements of a link
Along with the characteristics that define the quality of the backlink, which we can consider more “generalist”, there are more specific parameters related to the content the link points to.
An increasing number of experts argue that the position of the link within the page is significant. Links positioned at the top and easily visible seem to provide greater quality to the backlink, but to date this remains a hypothesis, supported by non-exhaustive data and evidence. On the Google side, all is quiet, so we have to figure this all out for ourselves.
A point of consensus among the vast majority of SEO analysts is the anchor text factor. Anchor text is that portion of text that links to another site, which we usually find underlined in a different colour. This practice is almost unanimously considered one of the strongest signals for the ranking even if, in the past it’s been used with a certain flippancy, leading to huge penalties in the most serious cases.
We should avoid forced cases, for example if our site includes too many anchor texts which, coincidentally, are all identical and match the keyword of the page the link originates from, we’re giving Google the impression of wanting to play fast and loose with the rules.
Conclusions
Our journey through the Link Building Universe ends here, but let’s end with a consideration.
We know that there are few opportunities to promote the iGaming and Betting sector online and we know how difficult it is to create a complete 360º strategy to “turn on” a sales funnel. The restrictions in terms of advertising are well known, and SEO outreach/link building remains one of the most important practices to increase online visibility and receive new traffic, which we can then use to implement lead generation strategies.
If you decide to invest in this practice, rely on genuine professionals and be wary of those offering low-cost strategies: link building shouldn’t be a “low budget” practice but a complex tool which responds to precise strategies. As well as complex, it’s also delicate, and there’s a non-trivial risk of spending money and obtaining the opposite effect to the desired one.
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Do you need help to get started or to further your existing link building strategy? Contact us for a free advice or request a video call with our experts.
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