Data use a main area of focus, performance contributor in iGaming, Future Anthem survey finds

According to Future Anthem's State of Online Gambling Survey, the improved use of data has been one of the main contributors to positive performance in the gaming industry in the last 12 months, with 74% of the survey respondents saying it is a focus area for the year ahead.

The AI and game data science specialist shared the results of its survey on Tuesday. The report found that 50% more organizations share data with suppliers and partners when compared to a year ago. Furthermore, 87% of the surveyed said their data is structured, an increase from 76% in Future Anthem’s 2021 survey, including 32% who say it is very structured.  

Future Anthem says gambling companies are re-shaping their use of data, with improvements being leveraged to build better gaming experiences. Operators and studios are putting data at the heart of the way they are growing their business, using it to conquer markets, move into new areas and create products across more devices. 

Future Anthem found that, while there is a growing understanding and clear support for the use of data, “the industry has yet to realize its full potential." Although double the amount of organizations, accounting for 24% compared to last year, now share their data with at least five suppliers and partners, the size of the potential to improve performance from data is shown by a total of 41% of respondents not sharing data.  

Meanwhile, 33% feel that their organization does not extract the full value of their data and, in addition, only 26% of respondents said that their data-driven decisions are measurable. 

"Data science brings many benefits to operators and studios," argues Future Anthem, allowing the chance to address several industry challenges around game and portfolio optimization, as well as increasing responsible gaming standards. 

Taking this into account, and in the light of the company’s new report, Future Anthem’s CEO Leigh Nissim, stated: “Having taken the industry’s pulse once again in our 2022 State of Online Gambling survey, it is clear that data is key to future growth. The majority of respondents cite the improved use of data as a major focus area (74%) and 50% more organizations share data with suppliers and partners than 12 months ago."

"We expect these trends to accelerate as the industry increasingly reaps the benefits in key operational areas," Nissim added. "Online gambling is competing with the likes of Netflix, Amazon and other kings of recommendations - being more data-driven is the only way to win minutes and eyeballs."