Expert review by Gemma Heathcote.
What is streaming? It is live broadcast on special online platforms. The creators of such content are called streamers. Gambling entertainment fans broadcast their game to offline online casinos, commenting on everything that is going on. They can communicate with their subscribers in online chat and hold various contests and sweepstakes. Many professional gamblers have become popular due to useful tips, and life hacks that they share with their subscribers. Streamers get income from sponsors, subscriptions and donations.
First streams went live about a decade ago when some gamblers decided to demonstrate their game online. Surprisingly, they gained popularity and a huge number of fans. Later, streaming became popular for casino games.
The largest streaming market segment is occupied by gambling and computer game players. The game, which streamers broadcast and comment life, is watched by thousands of viewers. Generally, the stream’s audience is over 100 million people. Usually, the majority of them are young people who are open to everything new and are willing to communicate with the streamer in the chatbox. The streamer can reward their viewers with various incentives and receive cash donations from them.
Streamer’s main task is the organisation of a high-quality live broadcast. None of the goodies or gifts will save the broadcast if its presenter does not know how to properly make a dialogue with their audience. To stream your games at an online casino, you should have at least some experience in gambling; familiarise yourself with the specifics of games, terminology, slot characteristics and other details. Of course, you can try becoming a streamer without doing all of these things, but then it will be extremely difficult to engage with the audience. In streaming, information presentation is no less important than its content. To hold viewers’ attention, the streamer must be charismatic and sociable. It is also crucial to have a sense of humour. A relaxed, interesting and fun broadcast will surely attract more viewers. Emotionality and sincerity are no less important; the majority of viewers come precisely for the emotions of the presenter. It is vital for them to feel the tensioned anticipation of the result, the joy of winning or the dissatisfaction of losses. Viewers find themselves in the shoes of the streamer and empathise with them.
The main aim of the stream is to demonstrate the content creator’s mastery of the game and the simultaneous interaction with the audience on the air. Streamer’s main task is to keep the attention of the audience. At the same time, they should cover the process of the game in a fascinating way and respond to the audience’s comments in the chat.
New platforms for streaming regularly appear on the market, and existing ones are continuously developed to be able to compete with ambitious newcomers. Live game broadcasts attract a huge number of viewers. Some of the most famous online sites include the following:
Twitch. This platform has worked since 2014 and is the most popular among the online gaming community. It’s convenient and efficient.
YouTube is one of the dominant streaming platforms and allows to make good profits from cooperation with the Google AdSense advertising service.
InstaGib. This is an independent platform that does not require the installation of special streaming software. It allows users to watch a certain amount of content, after which the bandwidth cuts down. These restrictions are removed with the purchase of a VIP account.
Facebook Live is a platform launched five years ago. With its help, you can directly contact the followers. It also provides an option to watch online streams in real-time or as a recording after it has finished.
Mixer. Owned by Microsoft, it is a space where multiple users can stream at the same time. Features like group broadcasting, voting for streamers, real-time analytics, statistics and live chats make the service convenient and quite popular.
The social network VKontakte also has its own service for streaming. On VK Live, you can chat, send donations and choose from a list of recommended broadcasts.
Many major casinos have begun to pay special attention to the development of affiliate programs with YouTube and Twitch streamers in recent times. It is useful for casinos to work with the popular channels since they have a large number of subscribers and, accordingly, provide gambling establishments with advertising and good traffic. And the good thing about streaming is that, unlike teasers, trailers or reviews, it allows viewers to get a full sense of a particular game, which is what attracts users.
Streamers carefully consider which slot machine to choose. It is crucial for them that the broadcast is spectacular, so the slot should be generous with bonuses and payouts. They consider the following things when choosing a game:
The slot should have large multipliers or large payouts in general. Playing at medium stakes in the first case and at maximum stakes in the second, the streamer will receive a solid win, which the audience will undoubtedly appreciate. This will encourage them to create an account and start playing in the hope of getting the same reward.
Streamers that have worked hard to promote their channel have millions of viewers and make great money on their popularity. Some developers are willing to pay five-digit figures to get their games to the top in a few hours. In addition to sponsorship, popular streamers can also earn significant income from casino advertising. Affiliate programs selling merch and souvenirs allow them to earn money on top of that. Streamers make money in many different ways.
Affiliate programs bring the largest profit to streamers and allow them to receive remuneration in accordance with the agreement. Money is credited for inviting foreign users. Payment methods may vary. The RevShare system means that the streamer receives a certain percentage of the funds spent by the attracted player. CPA is a scheme that implies payment for registration, account replenishment or other actions of an invited user. There is also a mixed type, which gives the streamer a payout for both attracting new players and for their activity on the gambling website. There are different terms of cooperation depending on the chosen affiliate program. The affiliate programs such as “Play Fortune”, “Buy Casino”, “Gambling Craft” provides an opportunity to choose from all of the following payment options: CPA – up to $450, RevShare – up to 50% of the funds spent by the player, as well as the individual selection of cooperation scheme possibility.
Gambling streams do not always bring streamers many donations, unlike other broadcasts. Most viewers would rather spend that money on real bets than give it to them. In this case, the presenters use interesting bonus offers for a money transfer. Some streamers choose to share a percentage of the winnings with those who donated a certain amount. Most of the time, such bonuses are received only by those viewers whose donation is the largest.
For large donations, it can also happen that streamers would perform special tasks for viewers. Donating allows the viewer to ask the host a question, clarify the details of the game and ask other questions. Streamers who have a good understanding of the audience and promise interesting bonuses for donations will always have them. On average, donations bring top streamers about $100-200 per broadcast.
In addition to individual agreements with casinos and donations, streamers can receive certain contributions from the platforms and partner programs. There is also a possibility to earn money from viewers’ paid subscriptions. Premium users receive various benefits, such as access to private broadcasts. As well as special badges that distinguish them from others, access to a restricted chat, etc. The cost of a YouTube subscription goes up to $5, and the streamer gets 70% of it. On Twitch, the conditions are almost the same. The only difference is that it offers several types of subscriptions. For $10 and $25, of which the owner of the streaming channel will receive 60 or 70%, respectively.