In this day and age, you have to be careful what you write. The days of overly promoting casinos are over – for the most part. If you’re working with major partners and outlets, then you’ll need to produce ethical iGaming writing content. This is trickier than it first seems, but I implore you to persevere. The process will become easier, and there are very good reasons why making the change to produce more ethical content is worthwhile. Producing sub-par content nowadays will likely result in your work being rejected. I’ll explain what I mean in this WritingKosmos blog.
Ever Stricter Regulations
The gambling world has changed. Casino regulators now crack down on sites producing disingenuous articles filled with untruths, overly promoted content, even, as with the UK Gambling Commission and other top-tier licensing bodies, content that encourages players to gamble.
I know that this kind of defies the point – how do you encourage players to gamble without actually encouraging them to gamble? The truth is ethical iGaming writing is easier than it sounds. After all, most readers have already made the decision to gamble before they read your article. The trick is relaying useful, honest and fact-filled information to them.
Heavy regulation essentially means you have to be careful what you write. If you go overboard, the authorities and regulatory bodies might accuse you of promoting irresponsible gambling, and they can strike back hard. They may penalise the casinos you promote or even issue fines.
Consumer Feedback and Loyal Audiences
It isn’t just the authorities you might want to worry about if you’ve not yet begun ethical iGaming writing. We live in an era of consumer feedback and keyboard warriors. Everybody has an opinion, and the internet is a playground for publishing them. Players have plenty of options to reply to less-than-accurate articles, and they are vocal online. If they feel as though you’ve led them astray, they will likely bite back.
The worst-case scenario is that your name or the website you represent might have its reputation tarnished or soiled. If you lose your audience, you’ll lose valuable working opportunities. Once you have a black mark like that associated with your work in the community, it’s difficult to shake without fully reinventing yourself.
Dare to Be Different
The key to ethical iGaming writing is daring to be different. Use all your know-how and online casino experience to convince players that you’re serious – that you’re one of them, not just another random Joe trying to have a go at making a buck at their expense. Try focusing on the genuine positives a casino has to offer without promoting them. Moreover, include a few of the negatives (you can be selective about which ones or how you get your point across). Just don’t try to drum up support for a product which is clearly predatory or bad.
My advice is to check the current gambling legislation and advertising regulations for your jurisdiction. See what they say about promoting gambling and work from there. Alternatively, check in with your counterparts and clients and see which way they want to go. If they ask you to produce over-hyped content, ensure that your work is ghostwritten so it doesn’t have your name penned on top. At the very least, this will save your reputation in the community.
Something AI Doesn’t Understand
Finally, refrain from using AI, although this should go without saying. AI has no personal experience, and it has no soul. It can’t honestly tell readers what it’s like to play games at a casino or sportsbook – it simply doesn’t know. Worse still, it draws upon already existing articles to form its content, and as you’re well aware, most of those found online are, in a word – junk.
You’ll notice a running pattern in many AI pieces – instead of ethics; they flood text with keywords such as “play slot games online” or “claim casino bonuses”. Readers and regulatory bodies alike are sick of the same old nonsense about big bonuses, big money features and so on. If readers (and clients) suspect your content is AI, then you’re finished and out of business. Because AI doesn’t understand the first thing about ethical iGaming writing, you must refrain from using it.
Only 100% original content written by a player who cares will pass. As with spinning copies to multiple clients, the risk of producing spam, fluff and filler content isn’t worth it. Be concise, critical, and fair, and your work will pass muster with those who matter.