Sebastian Jarosch, an expert and respected voice in the gaming ecosystem, speaks on casino lead, the technicalities on current realities in the sector, and the AI phenomenon.

In your view, what defines a “high-quality lead” in the online casino space today?

A high-quality lead is a loyal player that plays responsibly and does not engage in any kind of fraudulent behavior. It is important to have a deal in place that rewards the affiliate with a fair commission but also boosts the bottom line of the operators.

How have user expectations and behaviors changed compared to just a few years ago?

Casino Players are far more educated and selective these days. A few years ago, attractive bonuses and flashy interface were enough to get players excited.

Today’s players want faster verification, user friendly platforms, a big game selection, localized payment methods, high RTPs, responsive support, and trustworthy reviews. They also tend to research more and compare terms, payout speeds, and user feedback before signing up.

What are some common mistakes casino brands make when trying to convert affiliate traffic?

The biggest mistake is making false promises. If players click on a link and expect a certain bonus offer but land on a clunky site with unfair terms, they don’t convert.

Other missteps include poor mobile UX, slow loading times, missing translations and over-complicated registration forms. Consistency and clarity from review to landing page are crucial to generate FTDs.

Can you walk us through the typical user journey from review site to deposit? Where are the key drop-off points?

The user journey begins with a review on our site, moves to the casino’s landing page, then to registration and deposit. Drop-offs happen if the offer is misleading and when the landing pages take a long time to load.

The CTA must be clearly visible, and registration should be as easy as possible to optimize conversion rates. Localization is extremely important to convert players and includes payment methods, translations and specific game providers.

How important are things like mobile UX, page speed, and content layout in converting visitors?

They’re critical to convert visitors, because almost 80% of our traffic comes from smartphones. If your affiliate site or the operator’s page doesn’t load quickly, it isn’t readable, or forces users to pinch-and-zoom, you’re losing leads. These factors are also rated by Google and will directly impact your Seo.

Do bonus offers still play a major role in converting players, or are other factors more important now?

Bonuses can help operators to stand out from the crowd. We’ve had great results with exclusive wager free bonuses in certain instances, which outperformed non-sticky bonuses from operators that shared the same platforms. But other factors like reputation, payment methods, game selection and withdrawal speed are just as important when it comes to converting players.

How do you gather and analyze data to optimize your funnel for better conversion rates?

We rely primarily on data from affiliate platforms, Google Analytics, and Search Console. More recently, we’ve been testing affiliate program stats trackers like StatsDrone to gain a clear overview of which setups perform best and where we need to optimize the user journey.

What role does trust, in both the affiliate site and the casino, play in the user’s decision to register and deposit?

As an affiliate it is essential to build trust with your visitors with expert reviews based on real experiences. Our ratings can influence how users perceive a casino and must therefore be based on facts. Operators can influence their scores by offering a great product, excellent customer experience and transparent bonus terms. Review sites like Casino-Groups.com engage with their players and help them make informed decisions.

Are you seeing any interesting trends in lead quality across specific markets or regions?

In saturated markets like the UK or Sweden, conversion often requires more than just a welcome offer. Bonuses, deposits and advertising are often restricted and therefore player values are heavily dependent on innovative products, branding and CRM.

In emerging markets like LatAm or Africa, informative content and influencer marketing tend to improve conversions and player values. Localization in terms of translations, payment methods and game selection are crucial in every market to generate high quality leads.

Looking ahead, how do you think AI, personalization, or gamification will impact the lead generation process in iGaming?

Personalized bonus offers, gamification and recommendations based on player behavior can significantly improve retention and LTVs. We see much better player values from experienced operators that are already using sophisticated tools to improve their CRM.

AI helps us with certain aspects of content creation, but we prefer to rely on handwritten reviews from industry experts to add a personal touch with real insider experiences.