How JackpotCity uses DRTV to drive E-Commerce Sales

We recently shared an article about how e-commerce is turning to DRTV to drive sales. One example we cite is JackpotCity.com. Here is a recent interview we conducted with COLIN ANDERSON, Affiliate Program Manager at JackpotCity, on how Kingstar Media helped to launch a successful DRTV campaign in Canada.

There seems to be a lot of online gaming sites out there. What sets JackpotCity apart?

Most online sites focus exclusively on poker. While we do offer card games, our site is a virtual casino featuring all the games you would find in a bricks-and-mortar casino, including roulette. The DRTV spots, which are 30-second short-form, do not mention gambling. Why is that? In Canada, broadcast regulations do not yet allow advertising for gaming where money changes hands, which is at our dot-com site. Kingstar Media has played a central role in making sure we meet all regulatory requirements. We drive people to our dot-net webpage where there is no money changing hands. People get to test out the games and get to know the site.

How easy is it to migrate people over to the dot-com site?

Learning to play the games is a lot of fun but at some point people get tired of winning imaginary money and prizes so eventually people want to start playing with actual money. How long has JackpotCity been around?

We are one of the oldest and largest online casinos. We were created in 1998, and are one of the largest privately owned casino brands in the world, meeting all the financial reporting and auditing requirements. Our main office is in Capetown, South Africa and our executive team is mostly in London.

But you live in Ontario.

Indeed, I moved from Scotland to Lakefield, in the Kawartha Lakes region, and I absolutely love it here. As a company, we really do strive for local connections. For example, our call centre is Capetown, but if you call from Canada, you will be speaking with an actual Canadian on the other end. Ditto if you call from, say, Australia. It's part of our recruitment strategy.

Any insights you'd be willing to share about your DRTV tactics?

We've found that supplementing national spots with media buys on local stations creates an added level of trust, which is absolutely vital. Bricks and mortar casinos spend huge sums to inspire trust. We rely on amazing customer service, but first we need them to get to know us.

How do you find Canadian customers differ from other markets?

Canadians tend to be more conservative at first, but they are more likely to become loyal, long-term users once you've gained their trust. What are some trends in online casinos, and where do you see DRTV taking you in the future? JackpotCity has definitely noticed a trend towards mobile users. People commuting on a train, for example, can pull out their smartphones or tablets and visit our casino. The competition for mobile users – and regular users – is going to increase in the next year or so, as Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. enters the market with its own online gambling. The good news is that we expect broadcast regulations to loosen enough for us to start directly marketing our dot-com site.

We spoke with COLIN ANDERSON, Affiliate Program Manager at JackpotCity, a global online casino that turned to Kingstar Media to launch a successful DRTV campaign in Canada.