What casinos don’t tell you: Extendy gives the low down on VIP players

VIPs and high rollers bring significant profits to casinos. But first off, what’s the difference between the two?

High rollers are players who typically deposit large sums of money, place large bets, and who are willing to risk large sums of money. A VIP client, though, may not necessarily be a high roller. In fact, there are much fewer high rollers than VIPs: the total number of high rollers in a casino usually amounts to less than 1 percent while the percentage of VIPs is much higher, about 20 percent. However, despite high rollers making up only 1 percent or less of a casino’s total player base, they do contribute an impressive 10–20 percent of the total GGR and can bring in, on average, anywhere between $50,000 to $500,000 annually, more if they’re Tier 1 VIPs.

A regular player may become a VIP over the span of a few months, and bring in a more stable and tangible income to the casino than an ordinary player.

Together, VIPs and high rollers generate about 50-60 percent of a casino’s Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR).  

Ruslan, Head of VIP at Extendy delves into the different types of casino players, what exactly classifies a player as a VIP, and the tools that Extendy’s VIP department has used to retain their key players all these years.

Extendy is a white label casino solutions provider led by a team of 150 engineers in collaboration with affiliate experts. Their own cutting-edge platform (which also goes by the name of Extendy) offers affiliate teams a fully functional casino guaranteed to bring long-term development and profits, all the while sparing affiliate teams the hassle of managing all the operational processes involved.

The 6 main types of casino players

Casino players can be divided into 6 different categories. These are:

Players’ various requirements and playing preferences call for particular marketing actions and strategies from the casino, its CRM departments, and game development departments. But when it comes to high rollers, what exactly sets them apart from regular casino players? Hint: it’s more than just the deposit and wager amount!

Regular player	High roller
Tops up his/her account with $100–$200 several times a month.	A high roller can wager $10,000–$50,000 over the same period.
Loses interest in a casino brand or gaming feature within a few months.	Plays at a casino and interacts with the features regularly, with periods of activity possibly lasting years.
Does not require additional investment from the casino other than bonuses and sweepstakes.	Encourages the casino to further invest In retention by gaining access to personalised bonuses, exclusive events and higher levels of service.

Evidently, retaining one high roller turns out to be much more profitable than attracting and bringing in multiple regular players. This is why casinos need to place great focus on retention strategies to up their players’ Lifetime Value (LTV) as VIPs and high rollers could decide to switch casinos due to better terms and conditions, or if a certain game is offered elsewhere. Likewise, this is also why online casinos have departments dedicated to VIP support. A VIP department consists of trained managers who are in constant contact with high-value clients. A VIP Support department aims to provide players with service of the highest quality as well as customised, special conditions in order to maintain a tangible source of profit for the casino. 

What criteria can be used to determine a future VIP player?

Imagine this: you are the owner of a casino with forty thousand players. Each player has his or her own habits, gaming preferences, and characteristics (there may be a user who spends all of his or her money on crash games, and another who prefers placing small bets on slot games). Among those players are future VIP players who can bring you significantly more profit. How will you locate them?

To get a better idea of this type of target audience, it is important to take into account a number of behavioural and demographic factors. Extend has indicated six key metrics to determine VIPs below.

Financial indicators

VIP cards and bank accounts	Region of residence	Age and profession	Lifestyle
Premium cards and accounts may indicate high income	Wealthy regions, such as London, Sydney, Zurich, increase the likelihood of financial security	High income professionals (financiers, businessmen, IT entrepreneurs) often become major players	Premium devices, travel, attending VIP events are signs of a high standard of living

Gaming activity

Frequency and intensity of play	Analysis of deposit activity	Using bonuses	Risky behaviour
Regular sessions, long playing time, activity at night are indicators of high involvement	Frequent deposits, even with small amounts, may indicate a desire to play and take risks	Active use of bonuses may indicate a desire to maximise benefits, but does not always indicate a readiness for high stakes	Continuing to play after losses, choosing difficult games are signs of willingness to take risks

Social activity

Active participation on social networks	Network environment
Discussing gambling and demonstrating success on social networks is a sign of high involvement	Having friends who are high rollers can influence a player’s desire to increase bet levels

Risky behaviour

Games after losses	Challenging games
Continuing to play after a loss indicates a high risk tolerance	Continuing to play challenging games after losing indicates a high risk tolerance

Interaction with the platform

Personalised service	Response to proposals	Requests for limits
Interest in personal services and interaction with VIP managers indicate a readiness for increased activity	A positive response to individual offers (bonuses, tournaments) indicates a readiness to increase bets	Requests to increase limits demonstrate intent to play at a higher level

Data analysis

Interval Analysis	Impact of wins/losses	Previous experience
Short periods between depositing and playing increase the likelihood of risk	Increasing bets after big wins indicate great potential for growth	High involvement in other forms of gambling predicts future growth

Determining a future VIP player requires complex analysis of demographic and financial data and psychographic and behavioural characteristics. Through the use of analytic tools, precise data, and predictive analysis through machine learning, a casino can perform database analysis and predict with high probability the players who are likely to increase bets and those likely to lower their wagers or stop betting entirely.

Once a VIP player has been determined, the support given to that particular VIP must be individual to his or her VIP player category. While for some VIPs, having speedy fund withdrawals is sufficient, a loyalty system should always be in place to set up clients’ benefits and privileges. Heading Extendy’s VIP department, Ruslan has extensive experience in supplying VIPs with customised support, ranging from adapted, customised casino bonus schemes to arranging luxury services for players such as private jets, arranging family vacations in exotic locations, and gifting luxury items. 

Pinpointing VIP clients: a behaviour analysis of 3 online casino players

As an example, we’ll look at three very different users to figure out the VIP player among them and see who of the three has the most growth potential.

John	Daniel	Luigi
Plays regularly throughout the year but only once a month. Makes large bets and doesn’t mind losing a large deposit. Sometimes, John gets a big win. He does not respond to push notifications and other retention tools.	Plays often and makes small bets. He actively searches for bonuses and free spins. Daniel does have conflicts: he threatens his manager that he’ll leave the casino if the issue he is having is not resolved faster. He prefers to play on popular slots.	His bets vary in amount, are not regular, and his playing style is also inconsistent. Luigi can deposit $10,000 in a day, and then play using small deposits. Likes to try new games.

Answer: The most likely VIP candidate is Luigi.

Why? Luigi is able to make large deposits and is willing to experiment with new games, indicating high potential. Although his activity is inconsistent, a well-designed loyalty program, engagement through exclusive content and player communication, as well as contact with a manager could turn him into a regular player. He demonstrates an appetite for risk and an interest in variety which are important traits of a high roller.

How VIP Managers communicate with VIP players: privileges, bonuses, loyalty system

Once a player has been determined as having growth potential, the next step is to reach out to the player. The VIP manager’s role is to act as the player’s personal consultant, resolving any issues, including technical issues, that may arise as quickly and efficiently as possible, giving exclusive, early access to new slots, curating a personalised loyalty system based on the client’s status and gaming preferences, and also, being there to chat about anything. Maintaining constant communication includes:

• Maintaining active contact: If a player is inactive, the manager will contact the player to see what the issue might be and to offer alternative solutions.
• Creating a friendship: The manager is friendly, attentive, and knows how to carry on a conversation on various topics.
• Maintaining confidentiality: Reliable and trustworthy, a manager worth his salt can make his clients feel at ease.

In addition to support, a VIP manager can offer the player additional benefits to increase his or her activity and spending. For example:

• Improved bonuses. Offers to increase deposits, participation in exclusive high-stakes tournaments, increased cashback, and others;
• VIP events. Invitations to special events for VIP players;
• New games. Exclusive or new games that may interest the player.

The VIP manager must consider each VIP’s individual preferences, keeping note of these details throughout the player’s entire gaming journey at the casino. Depending on the manager’s experience and the players’ tiers, the number of VIP clients in a VIP manager’s portfolio can vary between 100 and 200 players.

As VIP managers build a close relationship with their VIP clients, managers do take on the role of a friend and confidant, taking genuine interest in their players’ well-being and maintaining a constant, comfortable atmosphere of communication. In fact, a change in VIP Manager can negatively affect a player’s loyalty which is why personalisation and trust play such a key role in retaining VIP clients.

Even though VIP managers act as players’ personal consultants while being available on various communication channels, VIP managers, however, are not expected to be available 24/7. VIP Managers usually work day shifts, with night shifts being taken over by the VIP support team.

How do you become a VIP client and how does a loyalty system work?

Becoming a VIP is not as simple as placing one large deposit. Rather, a lot of data analysis goes on behind the scenes, such as taking into account entire sets of data like the overall activity of the player, the number of bets placed, frequency of play and the average time spent in one gambling session.

Extendy has created a VIP Loyalty Program catering for several VIP tiers with each tier providing unique benefits. Being a transparent system, players are able to see the particular bonuses and privileges at each level which serves as motivation for players to progress further up the Loyalty levels.

VIP client scenarios: what to do in a given situation

Imagine you’re training a VIP manager who has just been assigned three VIP players, all of whom are considering leaving the casino. What should be done to retain all three VIPs?

First case. The player is at the very first level of VIP support – the player has played regularly and made large deposits in order to get into the loyalty program. However, he is now claiming that another casino has offered him better conditions, like faster withdrawals, more bonuses, and exclusive games which your casino does not have.

Solution: This player is indeed important to the casino. The VIP Manager should offer personalised bonuses, faster withdrawals, and exclusive promotions to show the casino’s value, and should continue to communicate and show attention to the players’ needs to maintain trust.

Second case. A VIP player has had a big win of $70K which he immediately fully withdrew. The player then made a large deposit, began to play on the site, lost all his deposit amount (and more), and turned to his VIP manager to complain that the slots were ‘rigged’.

Solution: It is important to reassure the VIP client: explain that all games are independently certified and operate with an RNG (Random Number Generator) meaning they are based on chance. To maintain his trust, offer to try another slot with a high RTP or offer the player personal bonuses that will compensate for his losses. You can also recommend new strategies or games with lower volatility. Continue communication so as not to lose the player and strengthen his loyalty.

Third case. The VIP player has been a loyal player at the casino for a long time and brings in a lot of money to the brand. However, he is now spending three times less time on the site and his deposits have plummeted too. He confides in you that he is feeling depressed.

Solution: It is important to show care and attention to players whose activity on the site is dwindling. The VIP Manager should first express his or her gratitude for the player’s previous activity and try to understand the reason for the recent decrease in activity. If the player is depressed, the manager should be respectful of the player’s condition and not insist on playing, offering a temporary break if necessary.

Are all players profitable?

There are times when supporting a player can become unprofitable for a casino, for example, when a player abuses bonuses, frequently cancels payments, engages in outright fraud, or demands more resources than he or she brings in. To understand whether a player is profitable or not, the casino must analyse his or her total income, lifetime value, activity, retention costs, response to bonuses, and cancellation rates. If a player becomes unprofitable or shows risky behaviour, the casino may curb the privileges given, limit bets, or block the account.

Anyone passionate about gambling truly stands to benefit from their efforts through dedicated, rewarding VIP programs. A VIP membership will give VIPs a premium experience including immediate and personal assistance, invitations to high-end events, early access to exclusive games, personalised, high bonuses including faster payouts and higher bet limits and withdrawal limits, lower wagering requirements, and often, luxury gifts. If you absolutely have gambling close to your heart, then a VIP life might just be your next step!

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