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The idea of a life-altering win has been the core of gambling casinos for as long as they’ve existed and with the regulated market now more active than ever before, this lure is larger than it has ever been. Large progressive jackpots and large prize pools are some of the most effective ways casinos can draw in new customers, retain current customers, and create a competitive edge in an increasingly overcrowded marketplace. With states continuing to approve online casino legislation and Sweepstakes Casino platforms expanding their reach; jackpot-based player engagement is changing the way all of these competing entities will operate and the reason why players will decide which platform to play on.
Why Jackpots Work: The Psychology Behind the Pull
The key to creating a jackpot that continues to attract new players and retain current ones is based on psychology. When a player has the opportunity for a large payday, they experience the exact same type of chemical release (dopamine) when anticipating the outcome of their game play. The larger the potential payout, the greater the player’s anticipation response will be. However, it isn’t simply winning a jackpot which creates player loyalty. Rather, it is the road to getting there; seeing a progressive meter grow, being able to track how much money is going toward a pooled prize, or realizing that each spin you take puts you one step closer to potentially winning a large sum of money.
Some of the most important psychological aspects that allow for successful jackpot mechanisms that sustain high levels of user engagement include:
- Near miss mechanism: Players who get close to reaching a maximum jackpot threshold have been found to show increased motivation to continue playing games.
- Social proof: Seeing recent winners announced through various forms of social media or viewing recent winners displayed in some way can give players a feeling that they too could be a recent winner.
- Community jackpot: Shared prize pools that increase in real-time create a feeling of community among all users.
- Milestone anticipation: Must drop jackpots where the upper limit is clearly visible creates both a need for urgency from users to log back into their account and increases session frequency as users know how long they have until the pool reaches its trigger point.
Jackpot Performance Across Regulated Markets
|
Jackpot Type |
Avg. Session Length | Player Return Rate | Typical Prize Range |
| Standalone Progressive | Moderate | Medium | $500 – $10,000 |
| Networked Progressive | High | High | $10,000 – $10M+ |
| Must-Drop / Timed Jackpot | Very High | High | $500 – $50,000 |
| Fixed Jackpot | Low-Moderate | Low-Medium | $200 – $5,000 |
| Sweepstakes Prize Pool | High | Very High | Variable |
The Sweepstakes Casino Angle
Sweepstakes Casinos are situated uniquely as well. They operate using the promotion of sweepstakes vs. being subject to laws governing the traditional Gambling Industry; therefore, they operate their Jackpot Mechanics in an entirely different way, but with the same (if not greater) level of player Engagement.
Instead of providing Cash Jackpots, Sweepstakes Platforms provide Sweeps Coin Prize Pools, Redemption Tournaments & Promotional Jackpots linked directly to Games/Events. A number of Platforms have been able to leverage those types of structures to produce Major Engagement Spikes:
- Tournaments featuring large Prize Pool associated w/ Popular Slots creates Repeat Play over Multi-Day Windows
- Bonus Jackpot Overlays – the Platform adds a fixed amount of money onto a Game’s Base Jackpot creates Exclusive Value that Players cannot obtain elsewhere
- Sports Calendar/Holiday Seasonal Jackpots continue to Drive Engagement at times when typically there would be less Player Activity
- Leaderboard Jackpots rewards Players for Cumulative Play, not just for a Single Spin Outcome encourages longer Sessions & Repeat Visits
As a result, Sweepstakes Casino Platforms are able to utilize similar jackpot mechanics as Real-Money Gaming Platforms to engage players, but without needing to build out Regulatory Infrastructure (a huge advantage for Platforms looking to operate in each and every one of the 50 States).
Operator Strategy: Building Around Jackpots
Operators of both real money gaming (RMG) and sweepstakes-based online gambling platforms view “jackpot” features as an opportunity to develop a content marketing strategy.
The top performing RMG/Sweepstakes platforms will utilize their jackpot catalogs similarly to how a media outlet would use its flagship shows; i.e., surface them frequently, promote them aggressively, and update the portfolio regularly.
Strategies for using jackpots to drive player engagement include several common attributes. The most prominent is placing the active jackpot meter and previous winner(s) on the main landing page of the operator so that the information can be seen at the time of each player’s initial log-in (not hidden among the player’s library of games). Second, trigger push notification(s) when a jackpot reaches significant milestones ($1 million, $5 million, $10 million) to encourage dormant players to continue playing. Third, create exclusive jackpot offerings. These are titles that may be offered exclusively through a particular platform or through a single sweepstakes network, creating a competitive advantage that is difficult for other competing platforms to match. Fourth, make transparent the odds of winning and the historical payouts associated with each title. This provides players with confidence regarding the legitimacy of the offering and builds trust, encouraging first-time players to attempt jackpot titles they may have previously avoided.
The Road Ahead
The use of jackpot mechanisms by regulated gambling markets will be of increasing strategic significance as more jurisdictions allow for legalized on-line gaming and as the current sweepstakes products mature and develop. The rate of technological advancement is further expanding the potential of this area of opportunity: Real time jackpot feed information; Cross platform pooling of jackpots; And AI driven personalized marketing strategies which show the correct jackpot to the correct player at the correct time are all now being used as tools in an operator’s marketing strategy.
The implications for players are direct: More operators competing for player dollars = Larger prize pools; More frequent jackpot events; Better overall value. The same can be said for the platforms themselves: In a market where there is less than enough player attention to go around, very little drives engagement like the chance to hit it big.