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These Are The Top Customer Acquisition Tactics for iGaming Startups
In a new report, emerging iGaming companies share their strategies for acquiring their first customers.
Industry investor Waterhouse VC engaged with a spectrum of companies, both B2C and B2B, to unearth the most effective customer acquisition methods for new startups.
Key insights
- Seven strategies account for every start-up securing their first customers.
- 50% of surveyed startups credited only a single strategy for their early traction.
- High-touch customer engagement is the go-to tactic.
- Paid ads absent in the list of top tactics for customer acquisition.
- Tactics deployed to attract initial customers are often significantly different from those used in scaling customer acquisition.
“High-touch customer engagement emerged as the clear front-runner,” says Tom Waterhouse, Chief Investment Officer at Waterhouse VC. “It reinforces the idea that in the early stages, doing things that don’t easily scale can be the key to building a solid customer base.”
Incentivizing early adopters came in as the second most popular tactic, highlighting the significance of immediate customer rewards and recognition.
Tactic | B2B Company Examples | B2C Company Examples |
Leverage Your Network | Low6, Circle Squared | Sisu Group |
Targeted Influencer Marketing | Shuffle, Invincible GG | |
Strategic Partnerships | Caerus Risk Solutions, Low6, Circle Squared | |
High-Touch Customer Engagement | Kinectify, Circle Squared | BetDex, Betting Hero |
Incentive-Driven Acquisition | Voxbet | Novig, BetDex, Invincible GG, Sisu Group (ReSpin) |
Market-Specific Localization | Checkd Group, Simplebet | |
Strategic PR | Octoplay, FBastards, Checkd Group |
A notable trend observed in the study indicates that B2B startups typically concentrated on one or two strategies, in contrast to B2C startups which tended to adopt two to three approaches. For instance, Shuffle, an online crypto casino, led the way for B2C startups by employing four distinct tactics to achieve their initial growth.
Ishan Haque from Shuffle describes their novel approach: “Instead of participating in traditional acquisition channels like streaming or traditional affiliate marketing, we recognized our edge in finding influencers with a small following, but that following consisted of 1000 true fans.â
In the realm of B2B startups, Checkd Group particularly stood out. Callum Broxton, Head of US Operations, remarks, “For our US launch … we were able to leverage our established UK business to build relationships with North American operators.â
Dublin-based âspeak-to-betâ technology company Voxbet focused on offering incentives, in the form of exclusivity, as a way to acquire their first customers.
Jonathan Power, Founder & CEO, remarks, “Typically, we have used exclusivity as the reward for an early adopter. I think this is now more important than ever because if you look at innovation over the last 15 years – betting in-running, cash out and bet builders – in each case once 1 operator proved demand every operator copied within months.â
Tom Waterhouse further comments, “The absence of paid advertising in these early stages reflects a strategic shift towards more organic and relationship-driven growth methods. It’s a reminder that understanding your audience and directly engaging with them is a precursor to scaling acquisition through paid channels.”
About Waterhouse VC
Launched in August 2019 by Tom Waterhouse, Waterhouse VC specializes in global publicly listed and private businesses within the wagering and gaming sectors. The fund offers wholesale investors access to the Waterhouse family’s extensive experience spanning over a century in the industry. Since its inception, the fund has delivered performance of over 27x, with a return of +39.5% in 2023.

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Rooter Launches ârStreamâ to help Brands connect with Gen Z
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Introduces In-Stream Ad Viewership Tracking Technology and AI-Led Media Creation & Distribution
India, 2nd September, 2025. Rooter, Indiaâs largest game streaming and commerce platform, has launched rStream, a breakthrough native Adtech solution that helps brands drive stronger impact from their campaigns while enabling creators to monetize their content efficiently. Built around a non-intrusive, high-engagement format, rStream allows brands to seamlessly integrate into live game streams without interrupting the viewer experience. At the same time, it pushes the envelope on the industryâs campaign quality measurement practices, delivering actual, real-time, in-stream Ad views data.
rStream transforms how brands engage with live-streaming audiences through AI-powered, context-aware Ad creation. By tailoring messaging to game genre, stream context, creator voice, and viewer segments, brands can achieve higher relevance and CTR uplift by nearly 2X the industry average with this solution. In application, branded content gets smoothly baked into creator content in the form of pop-ups, audio-triggered ads, in-chat promotions, and more. With access to over 500 verified creators, rStream campaigns can reach up to 100 million users across Rooter and YouTube â setting the stage for effective outreach to the Gen Z community at scale.Â
Going beyond the standard industry practice of equating Stream views with embedded Ad views, this new solution delivers real-time, precise data on âactual ad watch behaviourâ. Brand partners can access this granular tracking of in-stream ad views through an easily accessible live dashboard, which is additionally verified by a leading third-party research agency.
Speaking about rStreamâs potential, Piyush, Founder and CEO, Rooter said âGaming environments are known to generate high viewability and attention rates. For brands, itâs a matter of keeping that attention and not jolting gamers out of it. Whether entering gaming for the first time or scaling existing campaigns, rStream ensures seamless campaign delivery and transparent ROAS evaluation, keeping gamers engaged and brands impactful.âÂ
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Tom Horn Gaming Shakes Fortune Loose in Tao Tree Coins
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In its latest release, Tao Tree Coins, Tom Horn Gaming is inviting players to step into the glow of silken lanterns and embrace the promise of fortune in a game showered in golden coins.
Tao Tree Coins blends the timeless charm of Asian-themed slots with a modern, on-trend Hold & Win mechanic, offering dynamic gameplay designed to engage both traditional slot fans and thrill-seekers alike.
The game is played on a 3Ă3 grid and features a popular coin mechanic, Hold & Win, and a Bonus Buy option.
The base game keeps players on their toes with the grab feature, a rewarding mechanic that instantly sweeps up fortune at random.
At the heart of Tao Tree Coins is the Hold & Win bonus game, triggered by any three coin symbols landing in unison on the reels. The bonus game ramps up excitement with its high win potential, thanks to collector symbols, multipliers and jackpots. The bonus game starts with 3 respins, which reset with every new symbol. Coin collectors gather all visible coin values, and multipliers boost wins by up to x5. Cash coins can deliver 1x to 50x the bet, while jackpot coins unlock Mini, Minor, Major, or Grand Jackpot.
For those eager to cut straight to the action, the Bonus Buy option allows direct entry into the Hold & Win bonus round for 450x the total bet.
âWith Tao Tree Coins, we wanted to strike a balance between familiarity and freshness,â said Ondrej Lapides, CEO at Tom Horn Gaming. âCoin mechanic continues to resonate strongly with players, and by adding layers like collectors, multipliers, jackpots, and the grab feature, weâve created a game thatâs not only rewarding but also emotionally engaging. Itâs a strong addition to our portfolio and a title we believe will perform exceptionally in our key markets.â
Designed with high volatility and fast-paced spin cycles, Tao Tree Coins delivers powerful gameplay experiences that combine an uplifting soundscape with proven features. The game is set to drive long-term engagement and retention while reinforcing Tom Horn Gamingâs position as a key innovator in slot development.
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The post Tom Horn Gaming Shakes Fortune Loose in Tao Tree Coins appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Starting September 1 â a New Chance in N1 Puzzle Promo: 5 Premium Prizes for the Top Puzzle Masters!
Have you heard about the N1 Puzzle Promo by N1 Partners, where the ultimate winner will take home a Robinson R22 Beta II helicopter?
If youâre driving SEO, ASO, PPC, FB, Social Media, SMS, Email, UAC, or In-App traffic, but still havenât joined the race â nowâs the perfect time to change that! From September 1, the second lottery of the N1 Puzzle Promo kicks off, giving you another chance to grab a new lineup of premium prizes.
The first lottery ran for three months, turning the puzzle hunt into an intense competition. On July 21, N1 Partners already gave away some of the top prizes â including AirPods Max, Apple Watch, LV backpack, and more.Â
Now itâs time to join the next round!
Promo period: September 1 â November 30.
Main rule: collect as many puzzle pieces as possible during the lottery period.
Finally, the part everyoneâs waiting for â the prizes:
- 1st place: MacBook Pro 16″ (top configuration)
- 2nd place: Porsche eBike
- 3rd place: Cartier Santos Medium watch
- 4th place: Leica Q2 camera
- 5th place: Apple Vision ProÂ
And thatâs not all â N1 Partners will hold a special giveaway among all N1 Puzzle Promo participants who have at least one item from the N1 Partners merch collection. The lucky winner will get an exclusive items package!
You can earn puzzles in the N1 Puzzle Promo not only for traffic: join the special activity until November 15, collect extra puzzles, and try your luck in the giveaway for a home VR flight training set â the âPilot Courseâ!
Donât miss your chance to join the N1 Puzzle Promo â you could be the next name at the top of the leaderboard!
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