CASINO REPORT Competitive Research and Actionable Product Recommendations - ProGameDev
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CASINO REPORT Competitive Research and Actionable Product Recommendations
TABLE OF CONTENTS
IMPACT DRIVER 3
Pet Collection Feature
Fish n' Chips in Bingo Bash
Product Insights
MARCH
IMPACT ANALYSIS 8
Feature Market Share Impact
Most Impactful Collection Features
MARKET WATCH 11
Breakout Apps
2021
Notable Releases
APPENDIX 17
Endnotes
Liquid & Grit Slots Personas
Premium Partnerships
Casino Mechanics Taxonomy
IMPACT DRIVER
Features and events that boost revenue, retention, or downloads
3
CASINO > FEATURES > COLLECTIONS
Pet Collection Feature
Fish n' Chips in Bingo Bash
4
REVENUE ANALYSIS
Bingo Bash's revenue was +12% and downloads were +66% 2Wo2W after the release of Fish n' Chips.
Bingo Bash
$50K Revenue Downloads 500
Fish n’ Chips
$40K 400
Daily Downloads
$30K 300
Daily Revenue
$20K 200
$10K 100
12/19/20 1/2/21 1/16/21 1/30/21 2/13/21 2/27/21 3/13/21
2Wo2W = 2 weeks over 2 weeks.
5
Graph data is iOS, U.S. only.
FEATURE TEARDOWN 1 2
Players complete bingos on fish cards to collect fish.
Daubing special cells awards fish food that players use
to feed fish for currency and boost rewards.
3 4
Details
• During bingo play, fish cards are mixed in with regular bingo cards (1 and video).
• Higher bets guarantee more fish cards (2).
• Bingos won on fish cards award fish (3).
• Certain rare fish are only awarded for completing collection meters in specific rooms.
• On any card, cells containing fish food icons award fish food when daubed (4).
• Higher bets award more fish food.
5 6
• Players can put up to 10 fish into an aquarium.
• Feeding hungry fish awards currency and boosts (5 and video).
• Each fish type has different food requirements, rewards, and refresh timers (6).
• Collecting a certain number of fish unlocks a prize wheel.
• Players can exchange duplicate fish to fill a meter for prize wheel spins (7).
• A menu shows locked and unlocked fish as well as collection requirements, feeding
schedules, and rewards (8).
• Completed sets award additional currency and boosts. 7 8
Additional Information
• See the Fish n' Chips library for more images and videos.
6
PRODUCT INSIGHTS
Increase the complexity of popular features one step at a time. 1
Collection features have been the most released feature type in the top five bingo apps since the beginning of 2019, and
most collections tend to operate on similar principles: Players win bingos to collect items, complete sets, and earn
rewards. But as playerbases mature, players desire more complex gameplay—and apps can distinguish themselves with
timely innovation. Determining the right level of complexity, however, is a key to success.
Adding one layer at a time ensures that players are not overwhelmed and can acquire a meaningful understanding of
each new element.1 It also allows you to deliver a steady stream of fresh experiences instead of piling a bunch of new
mechanics—and development costs—into a single release.
Add strategic decisions to collections.
Fish n' Chips' pet management system allows players to make strategic choices that impact core gameplay (1). Players can
2
decide which fish to keep in their aquarium based on the reward types, food costs, and feeding schedules that fit best with
their goals and play styles. In the words of a medium-spender we interviewed, "It kind of just all works together."2
This active management system also creates a foundation for future innovations. Once players are familiar with their pets,
you could introduce a greater variety of interactions, upgrades, or even customizable aquarium decorations.
Let players use collection items to customize their profiles or shareable spaces.
Visiting and commenting on other players' customizable spaces is a rapidly growing trend in puzzle and sim apps—and a
major component of recent breakout successes like Redecor - Home Design Makeover and Project Makeover (2).3 With this
in mind, consider letting players visit each other's aquariums, display their favorite fish in their profiles, or share images of
their aquariums on social media.
Publicly visible rewards contribute to players' feelings of competence and relatedness to others, two of the key
components of intrinsic motivation.4 Moreover, seeing other players' rare collectibles also generates desire in players who
don't have them, which can help drive engagement in events and features with exclusive rewards.5
Note: Footnotes have moved to the Appendix to provide more information about our sources and suggestions for further reading.
7
IMPACT ANALYSIS
Investment and revenue trends for feature and event releases
Slots apps: Big Fish Casino, Caesars Slots, Cash Frenzy, Cashman Casino, DoubleDown, DoubleU Casino,
Game of Thrones Slots, Gold Fish Casino, Heart of Vegas, Hit It Rich!, House of Fun, Huuuge Casino,
Jackpot Magic Slots, Jackpot Party, Lightning Link Casino, Lotsa Slots, my KONAMI, myVEGAS, POP! Slots,
Quick Hit Slots, Scatter Slots, Slotomania, and Wizard of Oz: Casino Slots
Bingo apps: Bingo Bash, Bingo Blitz, Bingo Party, Bingo Pop, and Bingo Showdown
Poker apps: Governor of Poker 3, Mega Hit Poker, Poker Heat: Texas Holdem Poker, Pokerist, WSOP, and
Zynga Poker - Texas Holdem
8
COLLECTIONS HAVE A NEGATIVE MARKET SHARE IMPACT
Collections were the most released feature type by far in both casino and bingo in the past 12 months.
However, they averaged a -1.6% reduction in MoM revenue market share per release.6
Revenue Market Share MoM (Past 12 Months) Feature Releases (Past 12 Months)
Expansions Expansions
Challenges Challenges
Notices Notices
Purchases Purchases
Flows Flows
Missions Missions
Rewards Rewards
Collections Collections
Interactions Interactions
Profiles Profiles
-3% 0% 3% 6% 9% 0 20 40 60
Only features with five or more releases in the past 12 months are shown.
Impact models made by Liquid & Grit by combining our data with revenue data from Sensor Tower. 9
MoM = Month over month.
COLLECTION SUCCESS IS LIMITED BUT SPREAD ACROSS APPS
Even among the most impactful standalone collection features, MoM revenue market share impact
quickly approaches 0%.6 Notably, only one app (Huuuge Casino) has two collections in the top 10,
suggesting that most apps do not support multiple impactful collections.
10 Most Impactful Collection Features (Past 12 Months)
App Feature Market Share Impact MoM Release Date
Cashman Casino Cashman Studios Blockbusters +16% 4/2/20
Caesars Slots Fortune's Return +16% 3/4/20
Scatter Slots Scatter Champions League of Eternals +14% 8/13/20
Big Fish Casino Adventure Road +12% 5/29/20
Huuuge Casino Casino Fever +12% 9/8/20
Zynga Poker - Texas Holdem Zynga Poker Ring Series +10% 10/5/20
Huuuge Casino Huuuge Charms Magical Ages +9% 4/6/20
Lotsa Slots Big City Tycoon Island Empire +6% 9/28/20
Cash Frenzy Build Your Dreams Season 5 Fortune Gardens +5% 6/9/20
Hit It Rich! Rich! Collections Star Struck +3% 7/15/20
10MARKET WATCH
New apps and notable releases from established competitors
11BREAKOUT APP UPDATE 1
Bingo Frenzy by Gluon Interactive Ltd.
We first covered Bingo Frenzy (originally titled Bingo Cooking) during its soft-launch in our July 2020 Casino Report.
Since then, Bingo Frenzy has nearly tripled its daily revenue.
App Update Details
• Daily bonuses now include a 4-week calendar of daily rewards.
• Seasonal mission passes offer free and premium reward paths.
• Premium rewards include an exclusive avatar frame and a bank feature (1). 2
• Completed recipes also award stars.
• Stars allow players to level up chef traits that award boosts for bingo play (2).
• A variety of mini-game events include gameplay inspired by Tetris and snakes and ladders (3).
• Daily missions grant rewards and fill a meter for additional rewards at milestones (4).
Launch Information
• Released worldwide on 3/15/20
• 62nd highest-grossing casino app as of 3/1/21
• Average daily U.S. revenue (90 days): $7,448
• Average daily U.S. downloads (90 days): 780
• View Bingo Frenzy on the App Store 3 4
12BREAKOUT APP 1
Slotrillion - Casino Slots* by AIRMURAL LIMITED
App Details
• Slotrillion builds on traditional slots play with a wide variety of fast-follow features and events.
• A VIP program offers unique top-tier benefits like birthday gifts, holiday cards, exclusive music, and a button to collect all
gifts (1).
• Retention bonuses include a prize wheel, two scratch cards, and a multiplier meter (2).
• Machine-specific challenge events unlock a leaderboard and super jackpot as players level up. 2
• Events include a board game mini-game and a quest race (3 and 4).
• A purchasable boost doubles quest progression.
• Other features include a daily login bonus, daily missions, a stamp card, and a piggy bank.
Launch Information
• Released worldwide on 5/13/20
• 76th highest-grossing casino app as of 3/1/21
• Average daily U.S. revenue (90 days): $2,312
• Average daily U.S. downloads (90 days): 269
• View Slotrillion - Casino Slots on the App Store
3 4
*Formerly Vegas Slots: Deluxe Casino
13NOTABLE RELEASES I
App Release Description 1
• Players collect starred cards from timed chests, bingo play, events, purchases, and more.
• Stars fill album meters for rewards and new story chapters at milestones.
• Stars also fill an app-wide mission pass reward progression (1).
• A $19.99 premium pass unlocks a second set of rewards for each reward tier.
• Premium pass holders who complete the meter earn a ticket for every extra star collected.
Voyage Journal
Bingo Party • Players unlock areas on a map by collecting gold cards from events.
collection feature
• Exploring an unlocked area for a certain amount of time grants a chance to win cards or 2
other rewards (2).
• Players earn adventure points by filling the star and album meters and exploring areas.
• Points increase adventure levels for better rewards and more frequent timed chests (video).
• Adventure level progress persists across multiple albums.
• Players earn fishing rods from purchases or wins on any machine.
• Fishing rods grant attempts at a matching mini-game.
• Players choose between three difficulty levels.
3
• Higher difficulties require more fishing rods and award better prizes.
• Only the two highest difficulties award jackpots.
Fishing Master • Players tap whirlpools to reveal sea animals, fishing rods, badges, and more.
Cash Frenzy
mini-game event • Each matching trio of animals awards a coin prize.
• Unmatched animals can be exchanged for coins (3 and video).
• Emeralds can be used to buy wheel spins that multiply coin rewards for unmatched animals.
• All unmatched animals reset every hour.
• Badges fill a meter for rewards at milestones.
• A leaderboard ranks players in five divisions based on badges earned.
14NOTABLE RELEASES II
App Release Description 1
• Slots spins charge a scanner.
• Fully charging the scanner awards an attempt at a matching mini-game (1).
• Matching three of the same prize awards that prize.
Mystery Scanner • Players earn briefcases from purchases, levels, and slots play.
Cashman Casino mini-game • Briefcases contain batteries and items for the Cashman Agents collection event.
feature • Stars from duplicate items fill a meter for more briefcases at milestones.
• Higher bets award upgraded briefcases with more batteries. 2
• Batteries increase a counter for upgraded scanners at milestones (video).
• Upgraded scanners provide better mini-game prizes.
• Players earn chests containing starred items from spins, missions, purchases, levels, and
rewarded ads (2 and video).
• Stars from duplicate items fill a meter with chests at milestones.
Collections Road
• At each milestone, players can claim the current chest or continue filling the meter for a
Heart of Vegas Trip 3
bigger chest.
collection feature
• Claiming a chest resets meter progress, and a timer counts down until it can fill again.
• Completed albums award coins.
• Completing all albums awards the grand prize.
Super Star • Completing all daily challenges for one day in the Honey-Do List feature awards a prize box
Jackpot Party
collection event with a chance to win an exclusive, limited-time avatar for the All-Stars collection event (3).
15NOTABLE RELEASES III
App Release Description 1
• Players complete challenges to earn prize wheel spins (1).
• Wheel spins fill a meter for a large chip prize (video).
Electric Wheel • Players pop randomly appearing balloons during base spins to add multipliers to wheel
challenge event prizes or upgrade the meter prize.
• IAP bundles include a boost that makes balloons appear faster and doubles the rate at which
players complete challenges. 2
POP! Slots
• A piggy bank saves a percentage of chips bet on every non-winning spin.
Piggy Bank • A purchasable boost increases the percentage of chips saved (2).
bank feature • Saved chips fill a meter.
• Completing the meter allows players to purchase the bank's contents (video).
3
• Purchases allow players to claim up to seven additional prizes on a future date (video).
Prize Wizard
Slotomania • Five price tiers award increasing prize options and picks (2).
purchase event
• Prize options include boosts, bonuses, collection cards, and machines.
Quickly review all features and machines
Filter the Library Tool by month and year to see all new releases.
16APPENDIX
17ENDNOTES
1 What Is Comprehensible Input and Why Does It Matter for Language Learning?, Lewis (2020)
"Comprehensible input" is a language learning theory that suggests students learn best when presented with "i+1" information, where "i" is what they already know.
In this approach, compelling input—information that's relevant to the student's personal goals—is considered the most effective. With that in mind, don't just add
gameplay layers for their own sake; add mechanics that have meaning within the established system.
2 Subject A; Age 39 female, $25–$60/month spend, 40 hours/week playtime
3 We covered Redecor - Home Design Makeover in our March 2021 Puzzle Report and Project Makeover in our January 2021 Puzzle Report.
4 Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being, Ryan & Deci (2000)
Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is one of the most widely accepted theories of motivation. SDT argues that people are most intrinsically motivated by feelings of
autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Autonomy comes from people's ability to determine their own actions; competence is their ability to improve and perform
those actions successfully; and relatedness is their ability to relate to and interact with others.
5 The Gamer's Brain, p. 138–142, Hodent (2017)
Hodent also points out that this encourages players to figure out how to obtain rare items for themselves, creating a cycle of intrinsically motivated goal-setting.
6 Market share impact is the average percentage change in an app's revenue market share for a given time period following a new release. This analysis helps isolate
the impact of individual releases from external forces that affect large segments of the market at once, like holidays or COVID social distancing measures.
When calculating market share impact, we generally use only standalone releases—i.e., releases that did not overlap with other event or feature releases on the same
day—to provide the most accurate assessment of each event or feature type's impact.
18LIQUID & GRIT SLOTS PERSONAS
Participants from the U.K. and U.S. (n=1,299) were surveyed about their mobile gaming use. The data
produced five personas with distinct patterns of slots preferences and playing habits.
Demographics
Fame Frank Money Mike Daydreamer Denise Gambler Gail Sensation Serena
Size 21% 22% 27% 19% 11%
% Female 50% 51% 66% 60% 55%
Age 32 mean / 30 median 34 mean / 32 median 35 mean / 34 median 35 mean / 33 median 35 mean / 32 median
Education 3.5 3.3 3.5 3.2 3.3
Money Spent 4.2 4.9 3.5 5.4 5.8
Playtime 5.0 4.5 5.0 4.9 6.5
* The education, money spent, and playtime numbers represent the relative value of each category compared to other player personas. 19PREMIUM PARTNERSHIPS
Liquid & Grit partners with these premier market research and analytics companies to infuse our
reports with the most relevant and detailed gaming personas, data, and statistics available.
Sensor Tower Kinrate Analytics Quadrant Strategies
Mobile App Store Intelligence Player Personas Market Research
Sensor Tower website Kinrate Analytics website Quadrant Strategies website
Sensor Tower is relied upon by financial analysts, Kinrate Analytics offers game developers, Quadrant Strategies is a market research
VCs, and publishers who need to leverage data to consultants, publishers, and cloud gaming consultancy that uses research to help the world's
identify the fastest-growing apps, emerging operators the best cross-platform game most prominent technology, gaming, and
markets, and more. recommendation engine for targeted marketing, as entertainment companies develop strategies for
well as a novel profiling-as-a-service solution for building their user base, increasing user
Clients harness Sensor Tower's suite of app
intelligent market segmentation and social engagement and spend, and strengthening their
intelligence tools to:
networking. marketing and brand plans.
‣ Evaluate app economies and app vitality.
Other services include advanced market prediction We do that using a range of quantitative and
‣ Drive organic growth with the leading App Store analyses for identifying emergent gaming trends qualitative methodologies, including gamer
optimization platform. and access to unique AI-enhanced data of 140 segmentation and persona development, feature
‣ Get the best global download and revenue thousand game titles and 48 million game players. testing, message creation, and loyalty and
estimates for the App Store and Google Play. engagement modeling. The work of our senior
The products of Kinrate Analytics have been
‣ Discover top creatives and better shape user leadership goes back many years, and includes
developed in university-led research projects in
acquisition strategy. long-term engagements for console and gaming-
collaboration with economists, psychologists, game
PC hardware-makers, individual games in a range
scholars, and data scientists.
of genres, and across consoles, PCs, and mobile,
and for some of the top game franchises.
20CASINO MECHANICS TAXONOMY
Family Definition Family Definition
Accelerators Increases the power, impact, or efficiency of play Interactions Any social feature with direct or indirect interaction
Banks Saves a % of spend that can be unlocked later Leaderboards Stand-alone leaderboards
Bonuses Free bonuses given to players, often with time intervals Levels Anything to do with leveling
Challenges Goal-oriented tasks for players to complete Mini-Games Smaller, shorter games within the app (e.g., scratch cards)
A group of players accomplishing goals or competing with
Clubs Missions A linear set of tasks that players must accomplish
other groups
Collections A set of items players collect, often for a completion prize Notices Feature or product announcements
Competitions Players competing against other players Other Miscellaneous features and outliers
Cosmetics Improvements or updates to the app or a feature Profiles A player's setup, profile, settings, and controls
Currencies Changes to currencies, economies, stores, and items Purchases Anything to do with spending money on in-app items
Tasks that advance players along a map or map-like
Expansions Additional rooms, worlds, play modes, VIP lounges, etc. Quests
mechanic
Any reward players receive for engagement or spend (other
Flows Specific flows, like new user flows, ratings, and surveys Rewards
than those in the bonuses family)
21“The first principle of architectural beauty is that the essential lines of a
construction be determined by a perfect appropriateness to its use.”
— Gustave Eiffel
LiquidandGrit.com
Brett.Nowak@LiquidandGrit.com
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