Marco Trucco, chief marketing officer at Mr Vegas, reveals why the operator has faith in their approach in the UK market, continuing to step on the gas in its marketing strategy even as the framework tightens.
Trucco speaks to iGaming Expert on what underpins the importance of the regulated market having the ability to advertise competitively, as the black market continues to surge.
At a time when the UK market is plagued by significant turbulence, why are you doubling down on the country?
Because we have a strong, differentiated casino product. We believe we can win market share in a less profitable, less crowded market. A lot of companies say that. We actually have reasons to believe it.
As we looked around the UK market, we figured that marketing spend may be one of the first things on the chopping block as tax rates heightened. Are you dispelling this myth?
Partly. With lower demand, some channels will get cheaper: Display and paid social targeting gaming-heavy audiences. PPC keywords. Affiliate placements, where fewer operators will compete for premium positions and listing fees will fall. Sports sponsorship pricing will also rebalance as supply outstrips demand.
We need to pass some of the increased cost to marketing partners and reset CPAs at a sustainable level. Not every channel will move. TV, outdoor and radio will largely hold. For example, I do not expect post-9pm TV ratings to get cheaper. Other categories, like fast food and high-sugar products, are now restricted and will absorb that inventory.
How do creative activations help you maximise sponsorship value?
Let me be contrarian. Everyone loves creative activations and fan engagement ideas. We do them too. At the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts, our activations and brand presence, including the Elvis lookalike singing “Viva Mr Vegas”, were noticed and appreciated by 92% of the audience.
That helps define the brand. But I disagree on the commercial value of most activation-linked promotions. They often become a time sink across legal, compliance, design, CRM and customer service. With tighter rules on data, privacy and competition, they are frequently high-effort, low-reward actions. So, I maximise sponsorships by making sure the cost is justified by TV exposure alone. Everything else is upside.
How can you tap into unique avenues and social media to ensure that you gain a boost in the market?
We use social media purely as a paid channel. I do not believe in organic social media for regulated casino brands. It is extremely hard to get players to follow a licensed casino account.
Of course, when I was in charge of global poker brands, it was different. There, I had genuine content, stories, events, communities and characters to work with. Playing casino is a private habit. You need to be fast, edgy, spontaneous and relaxed to turn it into successful social content. But that is incompatible with regulatory checks.
Lawyers are not good social media managers, and social media managers are not lawyers. Crypto casinos perform well because they can communicate in ways we are not allowed to. Also, they have fewer marketing options available, and they pay influencers and streamers insane amounts, effectively pricing them out for regulated operators.
With black-market advertising so rife and so effective, why is it so important that the regulated market is allowed advertising freedoms?
I see a real risk that the anti-gambling industry succeeds in pushing for a full ban on online gambling advertising in the UK. It happened in Italy and elsewhere in Europe. It can happen here.
Large incumbents are often ambivalent: they are publicly against it, but they also see it as an opportunity. A ban locks in their market share and limits competition. Personally, I would rather see this fought properly in court, like in Spain, on competition and proportionality grounds, than in public lobbying, where our usual arguments may be true but are losing.
How vital is the role of TV advertising when it comes to engaging a new audience?
I’m a big fan of good old linear TV because I don’t aim for coolness; I focus on results. Our core casino brands appeal mainly to older, suburban players, so I focus on established adults rather than people who have just turned 18. My “new audience” is the growing cohort of people with time, money and enough tech confidence to play on mobile. TV remains one of the most effective ways to reach them, so it’s part of our mix for Mr Vegas in the UK.
I wanted to ask you talk about Sheffield Wednesday. How have you managed to retain fan support even as everything associated with the commercial side of the club fell apart?
We sponsored Sheffield Wednesday as a team and a community of fans. We didn’t sponsor the previous ownership, but of course, we suffered the association with it. We did what fans did – we stood back until the administrators came in. When the opportunity returned to support the club and the supporters, we stepped back in.
This story was first published on Affiliate Leaders’ sister title, iGaming Expert.
