Amaya develops Instant Rewards tool for online gaming operators

Instant Rewards is a new achievement engine enabling online gaming operators to set up a number of different challenges for players and pay out related prizes in real time. In poker, for instance, the challenge could be anything from winning a hand with two Aces to collecting a certain combination of cards.

Each Instant Reward has its own progress bar that shows clearly how close players are to achieving the prize. The player gets notified directly at the table about his or her progress and as soon as he or she has completed the challenge. The prize, which could be cash or tournament tickets, is made available immediately for players.

“Instant Rewards might be one of the most innovative poker features I have ever seen,” said Herbert Paradis, Poker Manager at Paf. “After a two-month trial we have measured an increase in both time spent by and revenue generated from players using Instant Rewards. Poker players love challenges and this product is well suited to incentivize recreational players. It gives ordinary players an experience of competence and creates a feeling of mastery when they complete the challenge at hand. Ongame is helping us to bring back the fun in poker.”

“The thrill of poker comes from the tension of tough challenges and the joy of winning,” said Fredrik Kjell, Head of Poker for Ongame Network, a wholly owned subsidiary of Amaya. “Instant Rewards highlights those many achievements you do every day as a poker player and provides recognition to players beyond monetary values. The majority of poker players do not make any money; they play because they love the game of poker. Their goal is entertainment, fulfillment and the sense of mastery of the game. Our analysis shows Instant Rewards can not only increase player satisfaction, but also increase revenues for operators.”

Instant Rewards is built into the Ongame Poker product and requires no integration work or set-up costs for operators. The operators can turn on the product with a click. A full service version is also available with management, customization of rewards and in-depth analyses of campaigns. It is available in a downloadable client, on the web and in mobile clients for iOS and Android. Instant Reward is patent pending.