How brand licensing helped cultivate the popularity of online casino games

The power of brand licensing can’t be stated enough. There’s just something about having our beloved characters, franchises, and pop culture icons plastered onto things that compels many of us to try them out, if only to see how well our favorites have been represented. Sure, as we grow older, we tend to become immune to this merchandising strategy; but on the right products, our attentions might still be earned.

This is exactly what the online casino industry did to overtake its bricks-and-mortar counterpart profits-wise. Gaming establishments like those on the Vegas Strip will always have the upper hand when it comes to immersing players in an atmosphere that’s distinctly “casino”: the lights, the glitz, the glamour, and the generally high spirits of the casinos’ patrons. Obviously, mobile casino games won’t be able to replicate this aspect of the gaming experience.

International Game Technology, one of the biggest names in the online gaming business, helped pioneer the industry when it introduced computerized player tracking; a technology which has subsequently led to the actualization of player-rewards programs designed to entice customers to play more often. While the tech has produced positive results, there was still the matter of drawing in said customers in the first place. To swing things in their favor, IGT packaged its games with brands and titles that many would-be players might feel a certain level of allegiance to. Its lineup of games at castlejackpot.com features such recognizable names as Ghostbusters, Transformers, Star Trek, Dungeons & Dragons, and others. Even a game with an original title like Capt. Quid’s Treasure Quest has its logo designed in the vein of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean series. Chances are, people who downloaded and played these games did so because the brand licenses called out to them. Furthermore, playing one of these games with some of your favorite characters featured just makes things more enjoyable.

The wide reach of the Internet was definitely a factor in the spread and popularity of online casino games, but giving many people access to these games is one thing. Grabbing their attention and keeping them onboard is another matter entirely; something which brand licensing helped with in no small measure.