Nicolas Levi is one of the most recognized figures in poker. World class player and long time ambassador for Winamax. In 2013 he co-founded RankingHero.com, the social network for poker and the largest results database. In 18 month they have grown to over 200,000 monthly visitors. His expertise includes player engagement, retention and reactivation; as well as gamification and ecosystem management.

Nicolas will be among the speakers at the Eastern European Gaming Summit, in the “POKER IN THE FUTURE” panel, which will include insights from mature markets in poker on how to create a sustainable ecosystem. Poker is more popular than ever in mainstream media, and yet in mature markets, online operators are finding it difficult to acquire and keep happy and engaged customers. This panel will analyze the different motivations of poker players and look at case studies to highlight what works and what doesn’t when devising strategies for a growing poker liquidity.

We have managed to catch up with Nicolas to get a sneak preview of what his session will be about and what are his thoughts on the future of poker.

EEG: Hi Nicolas, since you are one of the key speakers of the THE POKER IN FUTURE panel, we would like to have a sneak preview about what the discussion and presentation will be all about. We have read hundreds of publications saying and I quote this “online poker is dead”, however there is more to add to this topic to prove the contrary. Can you relate to this topic and maybe give 2 examples of striving online poker portals that are seeing growth day by day?

Nicolas: Actually I would agree that online poker as we know it is dead. The paradox lies in the fact that poker has never been so popular with mainstream players, in the media, and general public perception. Our live tournament database shows a significant increase both in unique players and gross revenues worldwide.

Online poker is being delivered wrong, as most platforms try to mimic PokerStars’ secret sauce, but that game is over: for “traditional” online players Amaya knows no competition.  Yet the influx of new players in 2015 is not as much “gamblers” or “keen poker players” than it is “gamers”. New players come from mobile in majority. They want to have fun and love quick games like the so called “lottery SitNGoes”.

To satisfy these players, the poker sites have to work very hard to shift the way the product is presented. The goal should be to have fun, receive social gratification, and a beautiful user experience is key. In fact Real Money Poker would do well to take lessons from the Social Poker games as the two populations start to look more and more alike.

Brands like Winamax -who invented the lottery SitNGo- and Unibet -who moved last year to its proprietary gamified platform – are one step ahead in this change and well equipped to gain the hearts of this new breed of “poker gamers”

EEG: Poker players need to be on the edge every minute of their lives, this what makes this game so special, how do you feel about local celebrities engaging in different brand ads to attract local customer? Has this strategy proved to be of a positive impact to certain brands?

Nicolas: Unfortunately Poker has not reached the status of “Sport” or even “E-Sport”. Its best chance of ending up in the main press is usually when a particular story emerges, like that of Moneymaker. In that regard, celebrity support helps a lot.

When marketed right, poker is the one iGaming vertical that can conquer the mainstream media. Mature markets have all seen a transformation of poker’s traditional “cigars and guns” stereotype to become a more or less respected mindgame. When celebrities advocate the game they love, it makes this change faster and deeper reaching.

EEG: In your opinion, what is the key factor that keeps a player coming back to an online poker portal beside reload promotions?

Nicolas: There are two main types of players attracted to poker: “achievers” and “socializers”.  Achievers will usually engage with an aspirational model, like pro players & leaderboards. This is the backbone of PokerStrategy.com’s success and something the poker industry has been able to leverage.

Socializers on the other end want to make friends, receive social feedback and feel good about themselves regardless of being a “winner” in the long run. This population is extremely important for the poker industry and often overlooked. It’s the reason behind the ‘HeroScore’ that we developed on RankingHero.com: a social ranking that can aggregate and rank millions of players to tell how influent they are in poker, thus acknowledging the accomplishment of engaged casual players as well as the most prestigious players in the world.

If you would like to get the unique opportunity to ask all your important questions and learn first-hand details about the future of poker, be sure to attend the Eastern European Gaming Summit in which Mr. Nicolas Levi shall give his expert opinion and to benefit from the presented gaming tips and strategies. For 8th consecutive year on 23 – 24 November 2015, Inter Expo Center in Sofia, Bulgaria will bring together under one roof world’s leading figures and companies from the industry to present and outline current market developments and future trends with global vision and focus on the Eastern European market