Best loyalty tools and solutions in 2025
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iGaming has become the worldwide rockstar — lightning-fast innovation, endless entertainment, and bold escapism. When most markets were reeling from Covid-19, online iGaming was at its peak of prosperity. And it is still growing! In 2024, the global online casino market reached $78.66 billion and is projected to grow at an 11.9% CAGR through 2030. Europe and North America are already feeling the heat of market saturation, and the buzz keeps growing. But all that glitters — the fun, the jackpots, and the dopamine, — is built for the players. For operators, it’s a very different game.
Behind the curtain, the iGaming industry is a stormy ocean — full of sharks (aka your competitors) and tangled in a net of ever-tightening regulations. It looks like the players are taking all the risks, but the real stakes lie with the platforms fighting for every spin, every bet, and every second of attention.
To stay afloat — no, to sail, — you need more than an adrenaline rush and high hopes for a bright future filled with the sound of jackpot hitting. You need a cold mind, a burning heart for the grind, and a flexible strategy that adapts as fast as the industry moves.
So today, let’s discuss several hypotheses why your iGaming platform is losing players to the competition and how to turn that slow bleed into a serious win. It’s time to flip the script.
Player churn in iGaming is a torrent. 55% of new users bail within their first year, handing your fiercest competitors a golden opportunity to swoop in with flashier promos or smoother UX. Remember: winning a new player costs 5–25× more than keeping an existing one. Every defection is lost revenue and fuel for your rival platforms. Pay attention to the most significant catalysts for a potential loss in online casino competition.
The numbers don’t lie: the online casino arena is exploding while operators scramble to claim their slice of the pie. But growth has a price — today, thousands of platforms are vying for eyeballs and wallets, driving up acquisition costs by an estimated 20%–30% year-over-year. User acquisition CPAs are through the roof, affiliate fees are climbing, and every new sign-up feels like a win until you realize three competitors are poaching that same player three days later.
In an oversaturated market, standing out is crucial for business survival. You’ll drown in the noise if you don’t offer a frictionless onboarding funnel, razor-sharp CRM, and laser-targeted promotions.
Now, everyone is a “game-changer,” meaning practically no one is, but the grind to stay ahead of the technological curve never stops. In an era where high-speed internet and smartphones drive a $78.66 billion market, standing still is a death sentence. If your platform relies on static lobbies and cookie-cutter bonuses, you’ll watch your user-retention metrics nosedive when a rival rolls out something fresher. Players now expect:
Operators who ignore these trends will fall behind and lose players when a competitor releases the next big thing.
Player churn is the iGaming industry’s boogeyman, haunting platforms as it drives players away, in search of new online casino experiences. An old saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure,” emphasizing that it’s always easier to prevent a problem than to try to fix it.
The most innovative brands aren’t scrambling to win players back — they’re keeping them from leaving in the first place. To stop the bleeding, focus on proactive retention rather than reactive recovery.
What’s even better is that with a solution like Trueplay, you can tailor your loyalty program to fit your brand’s exact needs.
82% of iGaming companies report that a well-designed loyalty program boosts retention and profitability. This can be achieved by providing special deals, cultivating an engaging environment, and offering other incentives commonly found in loyalty programs.
Loyalty is a currency in the iGaming industry that needs to be earned and spent wisely to succeed. If your loyalty program feels like something hastily patched together, it becomes unattractive and achieves the opposite of its purpose. According to our report, retention rates in iGaming naturally decline over time, dropping from approximately 39%–43% after the first month to about 19%–22% in six months. See? There’s a need for loyalty programs that adapt to changing player behaviors and preferences.
Many programs rely on outdated tactics: points, static bonuses, and one-size-fits-all offers. These may look good on paper, but today’s players often find them bland, repetitive, and easily overlooked. The truth is, it’s not that loyalty programs don’t work — it’s that most aren’t designed with actual player behavior in mind.
Players are likely to engage more if the perks are enticing enough. Just remember that crafting a captivating loyalty program is a strategic move to keep players engaged and invested for the long term.
Loyalty programs, long-standing staples in player retention strategies, typically revolve around bonuses and reward points. Yet, their formulaic nature has become a significant drawback, as they often mirror each other until a player can’t tell one from another. This realization pushes iGaming companies to reevaluate and broaden their horizons beyond these traditional tactics.
Instead, brands are discovering that player retention requires programs that cater to their audience’s distinct preferences and behaviors. Effective strategies now integrate personalized rewards, offer unique experiences, and employ targeted promotions with an immersive and custom-tailored loyalty journey.
A well-built loyalty program is a practical, organic way to stand out. It attracts players and provides them with a reason to stay as long-term partners. Every online casino promises entertainment and escape, but flashy promos and bonuses wear off quickly, often fueling players’ hunger for more.
Is it a powerful strategy? Maybe. But loyalty is built on respect — and players can feel when it’s genuine. My advice: don’t starve your audience. Eventually, they’ll move on to a platform offering more comfort and care.
Trueplay keeps players warm and fed with a sustainable set of connected products that work together — or independently — as a true ecosystem, creating real value and lasting commitment.
Trueplay is your rare Pokémon in the loyalty game — powerful, adaptable, and built to evolve with your platform. It’s a solution covering security, transparency, and real player engagement. With flexible customization, Trueplay helps operators increase key metrics like retention, NGR, and average bet size — and our clients have seen the results firsthand.
Here’s how it works in practice:
This runs through custom-branded tokens that fit seamlessly into your platform’s look and feel.
In my humble opinion, one of the smartest moves an iGaming platform can make is to step out of the race. The constant chase to outspend, out-bonus, and outflash the competition is exhausting — and often pointless. Instead of running faster, take a breath. Look at what you already have.
What are your goals? Who are your players? What do they respond to? Start there. Study player behavior, and build from insight. The right loyalty program is a system rewarding players meaningfully and reinforcing your platform’s value. In a high-pressure environment like iGaming, staying calm and strategic is survival.
