Omnichannel Gaming: Land-based Operators, don’t get left behind!


Catalysed by the impact of the Pandemic, land-based operators are steadily coming around to the idea of engaging their customer base online. However, this is still a relatively new concept in many regions and operators still need guidance on the best ways to construct an online platform and deliver a truly omnichannel experience for their players.

We caught up with industry veteran, Suren Khacatryan Founder and CEO of Technamin, an innovative iGaming platform provider which began its own journey at the peak of the lockdowns. Gain some great insights as Suren breaks down the benefits of providing an omnichannel experience, as well as key techniques and tools for converting your land-based players online.

“The increase we saw in the number of land-based operators aiming to establish an online presence during and after the pandemic was unprecedented,” says Suren Khachatryan, “We were definitely expecting a spike, but not one as significant as that which occurred. Land-based businesses who had never considered getting into iGaming, suddenly needed to go online – and not all of them knew how. Operators also found themselves under pressure when it came to keeping up with the increasing demand; players weren’t simply going to stop playing just because land-based locations had shut down. Demand was hugely heightened, giving great impetus to the need for a genuine omnichannel experience many brands had been talking about but had not needed to implement until now.”

Suren says that this is what gave him the idea for Technamin. He wanted to merge existing technologies with his years of industry experience to provide operators with alternative opportunities to go online, providing users with the ultimate omnichannel experience. 

“Nowadays, more than ever, it’s important to establish your gaming brand online. And by online, I mean a brand that is available on all platforms. Not just a desktop version, but also mobile-friendly and accessible on almost every conceivable device. This would have been the case regardless of lockdowns, as it is a natural progression of customer demand as technologies advance over time. People spend more time online anyway, and certainly expect to have similar, if not the exact same, gaming experiences on their handheld devices. There are definitely steps which operators should take in order to make sure that the transition from land-based to online is as smooth as possible.”

Loyalty Programs

“The first thing you as an operator should be able to achieve when going online is connecting your land-based loyalty or rewards programs to your online website. The best way you can do this is making sure that your player account management is omnichannel, which is something Technamin can do. That way, your player segments will get the same cash-backs and bonuses online that they get at the physical location. You should also implement a point system which they can redeem on the online platform, and vice-versa. These are points they can convert into cash later on in case they want to play at your physical location.

“Before omnichannel became a thing, saving a betslip wasn’t possible online. Nowadays, it’s a feature that you must include on your online website alongside many others, because it’s what players require.”

A Single System

“From an operator point of view, it’s best to have a 360-degree view of player activity via your back office. This will greatly help with segmentation and customisation. Once their activities are digitised, it will be easier to trace their games online and offline and everything will flow under a single system as opposed to multiple systems. Using a single back-end, everything can be managed across all channels.”

Artificially Intelligent

“Let’s face it, AI is here to revolutionise everything, and iGaming is no different. There is a lot that can be achieved through AI, especially when it comes to providing omnichannel experiences. Using these technologies, one can identify the specific patterns and preferences of players, which can be immensely helpful in providing them with not just a safe environment, but also fully customised experiences. For example, you can monitor which games a player plays most in a land-based casino, and you can offer them the same type of games as soon as they log into their accounts. The same goes for their preferred sport types. It’s much harder for humans to analyse players’ individual preferences by the hundreds, but guess what? It’s much easier for AI to do so! In fact, it has also been very helpful when it comes to identifying rogue behaviour and thus eliminating the risk of fraud.”

Crypto vs. Cash

“While there are a number of land-based casinos out there that accept crypto-payments, the whole concept of these blockchain-based currencies is mostly focused on the online marketplace. By offering the option of crypto payments, as Technamin does, we add an extra layer of flexibility for the player. Lest we forget, crypto payments are preferred due to their anonymity and safety nowadays. This is also an added omnichannel feature which is popular, and a must-have.”

The more the iGaming industry grows and the more players hop on, the more important omnichannel will become, Suren thinks. “The reason why we are advocating for an omnichannel approach to things is because we are seeing a growing demand for it. Irrespective of lockdowns and pandemics, technology is opening new avenues for experimentation. VR technology, for example, can be a big part of the omnichannel experience by replicating the feeling of being in a live casino or betting shop. Omni-channel is certainly something that operators have to have, and this is exactly why we started Technamin. Using our resources, land-based operators can establish their online presence, while existing online operators can give their businesses the boost they truly need. 

“We will be exhibiting our products and solutions at ICE London 2022 this April, and we’re excited to see how the iGaming world reacts!”

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