Millennials are the first generation that have grown up with the internet and modern tech as we know it. Nearly every aspect of a millennial’s day to day life is affected in some way by tech, and its many benefits. They therefore have a profound intuition, understanding and enjoyment when it comes to tech platforms - unlike any other generation before them.

Who are millennials and what are their behaviours and habits?

Millennials, like other cultural generations, are people of the same age group, who have similar ideas, problems, behaviours and attitudes.

So what age are millennials? In general, if someone is born between the early 1980’s and the mid-1990’s, they are considered to be part of the millennial generation. 

Millennials are known to be independent, open-minded, strong-willed and tech-savvy. In addition, they are confident, ambitious, and achievement-oriented, and they expect high standards from the providers that they buy goods and services from. 

Having grown up in the eighties and nineties, millennials have lots of fond and nostalgic memories of these decades, and this can be seen in ‘retro’ and ‘vintage’ fashions across clothes, music, film and decors over the past ten years or so.

What are millennials’ attitudes towards betting?

With laptops, smartphones and games consoles in abundance, millennials have access to the internet and tech platforms wherever they go. You’ll rarely find a millennial who doesn’t have instant access to the world wide web at their fingertips. This is a generational thing, and in the space of a few short years has transformed how businesses speak to their young adult audience.

Sports betting and iGaming operators have an incredible opportunity to maximise profits within the millennial generation by staying in tune with what these customers are watching, playing and thinking. It’s essential for every iGaming merchant to have a business strategy that incorporates millennial preferences. With ever increasing spending power, the millennial generation can lead the way to huge profits for iGaming operators. 

Here are 5 ways to engage millennials in betting:

  • Create a simple and sexy user experience
    Millennials place a lot of emphasis and importance on sleek, responsive and attractive UX when it comes to online gambling. Brands from any number of industries who buy into this will be successful. Just look at Apple - probably the most profitable company within the millennial generation - who engrain simplicity and minimalism into their product range. The same should be done for your iGaming business, so try not to clutter the interface with too much iconography, text or imagery. Instead, choose simplicity and minimalism for your user experience by keeping the customer at the heart of the game, and dispensing with any unnecessary gimmicks.

    Another way that you can drive an excellent user experience is with regular positive reinforcement, which will keep your players continuously engaged and will keep their adrenaline flowing. A simple way of doing this could be through in-game bonuses, for example.

  • Evoke nostalgic memories
    The explosion in shared, internet-based games on consoles such as PlayStation and Xbox, as well as the constant inter-connectivity of smartphones, have made interactive games, between friends as well as between complete strangers, a vital part of the current gaming landscape. This is particularly applicable to millennials.

    As an iGaming merchant, try to make sure that you keep your gamers engaged as much as possible. Whether this is bonus rounds, social or team gaming environments or loyalty schemes, making games collaborative and encouraging your customers to become more and more involved in your platform and in your games is key to driving enjoyment, customer satisfaction and profits.

    Social media plays such a massive part in the lives of millennials that whenever they have victories, however small, they enjoy sharing these on social media. If you have the opportunity, link your gaming platform to various social media apps so that millennials can interact with their friends and share their experience, which will act as an additional marketing opportunity for your business. 

  • Create strategy-based experiences where possible
    Although gambling essentially comes down to the turn of a card and the roll of dice, players like to feel that their own skill and strategy plays at least some of a part. As online gambling evolves, players - and particularly millennials - like strategy to be involved, so they feel like they can influence the outcome of the game - and their own luck. 

    This could be enhanced versions of the very basic ‘stick or twist’, or more elaborate skills and tactics specific to your roster of games. Whatever you choose, you should make your millennial players feel like they are dictating the course of the game with their tactical choices, rather than just sitting back and letting chance take over. By placing them in the centre of the game, they can enjoy a sense of empowerment that’s important for their generation.

  • Use popular culture to spice up your games
    With constant access to news, social media and entertainment, millennials are connected with the world around them - and especially popular culture - like no other generation. Referencing popular culture in your online games can bring a relevance and vibrancy that will help your games keep up with the times, and reassure millennials that they are playing the latest games in the market.

    For online casinos, this could be referencing popular television shows in your slots or roulette games. You should match your games with the latest Netflix craze that everybody’s talking about - a game such as ‘Tiger King roulette’ would have proved hugely popular during lockdown when it seemed like everybody was taking the time to watch that documentary on Netflix. Staying on top of what’s hot in popular culture can make your platform a big hit amongst a millennial customer base.

Finding a software developer that can help you create exciting games for millennials is a top priority for any iGaming merchant looking to make a big success of their business. The huge influence and spending power of millennials should be one of the top considerations when defining business strategy within online gambling, and the right software development specialists are essential to bring about long term success.