The Rise of Virtual Celebrities and Influencers in Online Casino Games

Advertising in online spaces is nothing new. Almost every inch of the World Wide Web is riddled with ads promoting almost anything in existence, from products to food to movies and, of course, virtual gaming.

Thanks to technology and the rise of social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and X (Twitter), marketing online gaming has become easier than ever, especially with the help of online celebrities and influencers.

Utilizing Online Celebrities and Influencers to Market Online Casinos

These days, almost anyone can become a virtual celebrity. When someone creates content that is utterly engaging and captivating, they can amass a significant following, turning them into paid content creators.

Many brands strike up partnerships with influencers to represent them or market their products. This is because they can gain instant attention just from one social media post done by an influencer. This immediate attention can turn into a new audience for the brand, driving up sales and increasing profit.

Hiring celebrities to endorse casinos is not a new concept at all. Numerous traditional casinos worldwide utilize various celebrities to promote their platforms and services, ranging from actresses to singers to athletes and the like.

As online gaming rose to prominence and technology advanced, casinos had to adapt to the ever-changing landscape, increasing their services and switching up their marketing strategies to entice new players to keep up with the times.

How Virtual Celebrities and Influencers Help Promote Online Casinos

A deep dive into virtual celebrity and influencer marketing is needed to fully understand the power that they wield but one thing is for certain: they drive up huge engagements around the brands that they promote. The loyal followers of virtual celebrities trust their opinions, making any endorsement credible.

Online casinos have seen the strength of influencer marketing, tapping them as endorsers and gaining new players through their promotions. For example, when an influencer shares a positive online casino gaming experience in an engaging manner, it resonates with their followers who see it as an authentic narrative. This fosters a desire in them to experience the online gaming experience for themselves.

Virtual celebrities aren’t just limited to sharing their experience, but their partnership with online casinos also enables them to do giveaways, make sponsored posts, appear in events, and even do social media takeovers. These various marketing opportunities connect the influencer’s audience with the online casino platform, ramping up engagement and revenue.

Risks of Hiring Virtual Celebrities as Online Casino Endorsers

While having influencers endorse online casino gaming platforms is certainly effective, it also comes with risks.

Recently, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) called for the attention of numerous social media influencers for using their platforms to promote illegal online gambling websites. According to PAGCOR, there is a “rapid growth of illegal casinos through social media,” with influencers on Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube encouraging players to try their luck in online casino games.

Online casinos themselves are not illegal in the Philippines, however, many of the websites that influencers have been seen endorsing did not undergo the necessary processes in order to be licensed by PAGCOR.

The House Committee on Public Order and Safety and the House Committee on Games and Amusements have also taken notice of such activities by several virtual celebrities, prompting PAGCOR to submit names so that they can take action.

Furthermore, the House also perceived that many influencers who promote illegal online casinos have audiences who skew towards a younger demographic. It goes without saying that the youth is quite impressionable, and with virtual celebrities promoting unregulated online casinos that don’t have any form of customer verification, young ones and minors are able to access online casinos and engage in gambling.

Conclusion

The digital landscape is ever-evolving, and various industries must keep up with newer marketing strategies in order to stay afloat in such a dynamic environment. In these modern times and with the increase in social media engagement, influencers and virtual celebrities have become powerful tools to optimize brand awareness and increase revenue.

Online casinos have partnered up with virtual celebrities by appointing them as endorsers, allowing them to tap into and engage with a large pool of potential players. The strength and reach of influencer marketing in online casino gaming is highly effective in building trust and credibility, but it also poses risks, especially if influencers are using their voices to market unregulated gaming platforms. Therefore, legitimate online casinos must navigate the influencer marketing landscape responsibly.