How to optimise an igaming campaign for mobile traffic

Mobile devices have become the primary means of accessing the internet and users worldwide have increasingly begun to abandon personal computers and laptops in favour of smartphones and tablets. Statistics confirm this as, according to data platform Statista, the share of traffic accessing the internet via mobile reached 61.85% in 2024.

Many of those mobile users are in the sphere of gambling, where the share of mobile traffic reached a staggering 85% in 2024, according to igaming affiliate network RevenueLab. Industry operators must now seize the opportunity to grab a share of this enormous reach.

In this article, we share our thoughts on how to optimise an igaming advertising campaign for mobile traffic.

Why is mobile traffic significant for igaming?

Mobile devices have become the primary tool for interacting with gambling content. This is due to three key reasons:

1. Instant access: a smartphone allows a user to launch a crash game or open a betting app in just a couple of clicks wherever they are, whether at work or out and about. This has contributed to the rise in spontaneous betting, which now accounts for over 65% of all gambling deposits.
2. Increased engagement: mobile apps for sports betting and online casinos are usually more user-friendly than similar web resources. Developers also strive to make the most intuitive interface and catchy design and add push notifications, which can multiply player engagement.
3. Personalisation: mobile gambling applications often collect personal data about players and their devices, enabling targeted advertising based on GEO, time of day, cultural characteristics, etc.

Share of mobile devices in global traffic. Source: Statista

Igaming campaigns for mobile traffic

At 888STARZ Partners found out why mobile traffic is necessary to promote gambling and betting offers effectively. However, it’s not enough to launch an ad campaign and hope mobile users will respond to the ads, instead operators need to optimise the campaign to attract mobile users. Here’s how:

1. Load speed

Mobile and even desktop users pay attention to the landing page’s loading speed. According to a 2017 study by KISSmetrics, 47% of users expect the site to load in under two seconds. If the site takes longer to load, users leave to look for a more optimised resource. To speed up the landing page loading, compress images, remove unused cascading style sheets (CSS) code, and get rid of unnecessary blocks of text and animations. Make use of tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to track a site’s loading speed. It’s worth noting that many affiliate programmes offer pre-optimised landing pages.

2. Adaptive design

The landing page must be displayed correctly on a smartphone or tablet screen. This is done by increasing the font and size of the call to action (CTA) button, placing the text vertically for easy scrolling, removing animations that overload the device’s processor, simplifying the registration form and shortening the text. Landing pages can be created through tool constructors. For example, Tilda optimises the site for mobile screens using the same-name option. However, do not forget about desktop users as they still occupy a significant share of igaming traffic, so ensure the site design is adaptive and can change depending on the device used.

Optimising an advertising campaign is essential not only for attracting mobile traffic but also for effectively promoting offers to any target audience. This can be achieved through refined targeting, enhanced creatives and making improvements to the landing pages. These adjustments can lead to a significant increase in conversions and positively impact your bottom line.

Customising ad campaigns

Another reason why customising a campaign for mobile devices is crucial is because by setting the wrong parameters, you are taking risks not only on mobile users but also desktop users. Below is a guide on how to properly set up ad campaigns to get mobile traffic:

1. Targeting

The most important parameter for setting up targeting is GEO. In tier-three countries like India and Africa, the number of mobile users is 1.1 billion and 1.22 billion, respectively, and growing significantly year on year. This is because, in low and middle-income countries, many people may not have the means to buy fully fledged PCs and laptops, so smartphones are the usual means of accessing the internet. For example, according to the Global Digital 2025 report, in India, less than 50% of users go online from a PC, and in Nigeria, PC users account for only 13.3%. Consequently, it is best to target tier-three countries for mobile traffic, taking into account the local time for sending ads and the national colours of the selected countries for local appeal.

Graph of smartphone user growth in India (in millions). Source: Mordor Intelligence

Demographics are also worth considering. According to FSGA research, 50% of players are between the ages of 18 and 34, the average age of players is 38.1 years, while, 80% of the audience are men and 20% are women.

2. Advertising formats

For mobile advertising of igaming offers, it is best to use the following advertising formats:

• Push notifications are short messages with time-limited offers; for example, “+100% to the first deposit until 6pm”.
• Vertical videos: 15-second videos emphasising winnings and ease of registration.
• Contextual advertising: advertising banners in Google or Facebook search engines can attract relevant users who are already interested in sports betting and online casinos.
• Apps: due to their ease of use and personalisation, mobile applications are one of the most effective ways to promote iaming offers. For example, in the UK, sports betting apps generated £2.36bn in revenue in 2022.

Sports betting revenue in the US reached $7.4 billion in 2022, roughly 20% of global revenue. Source: Business of Apps

3. Creatives

What works well in mobile creatives is a minimalistic design with no unnecessary elements, description, CTAs and an eye-catching visual design. Replace cluttered banners with concise images with contrasting CTA buttons and minimise the use of animations. It is also essential to consider the national flavour of the GEO in which the creatives will be displayed. For instance, if it’s Argentina, add more soccer attributes; if it’s Canada, bet on hockey.

Tips for increasing conversions

It’s not enough to set up an ad campaign correctly if you want maximum reach and high conversion rates, you also need to improve the campaign using some of these tips regularly:

• Personalise offers: analyse game and deposit history. If the user prefers slots, bonuses can be provided on specific machines.
• Landing page gamification: add interactive elements like a wheel of fortune or progress bars. This increases session time and increases the likelihood of users making a deposit.
• Re-targeting via push: set up push notifications for users who haven’t yet completed a deposit. Offer them additional rewards such as free spins or deposit bonuses.

Want to know more?

Mobile traffic is not the future but the present of the igaming industry. Every year, the number of mobile users inevitably grows, displacing the share of traffic from desktop users. That’s why it’s important to start optimising advertising campaigns in the betting and gambling niche now, to keep up with the trends and occupy this niche earlier than competitors.

To try out the strategies mentioned in this article, the 888STARZ Partners affiliate programme offers igaming products in over 100 GEOs, with some of the most favourable conditions on the market. We accept various types of traffic, including mobile, and provide creatives and mobile apps to all partners upon prior request. And, for the best partners with large volumes, we offer individual terms of cooperation. You can also find a wealth of valuable guides, manuals and tutorials on the 888STARZ Partners blog.

Ivan Kovtun, of 888STARZ Partners affiliate programme, uses his expert knowledge to run the platform’s blog where he shares useful gambling and betting knowledge for operators to formulate the most profitable strategies to attract traffic in different GEOs using popular traffic sources.