Gambling Industry Experience Is Key for an iGaming Writer

gambling writer with vast igaming industry experience
A very young Dominic Field at the beginning of his gambling industry career

When hiring an iGaming writer, it’s vital that you find someone with prior industry experience.

I’ve seen people debating this in discussion forums. Many writers claim that you don’t need a specialist. I understand where they’re coming from, but only to a point.

Let me explain why they’re wrong, and why you actually need an experienced professional.

Why Does iGaming Experience Matter?

A genuinely skilled writer will be just as good at research as they are putting ideas into words. Probably even better, actually. And for many simple topics, a surface-level knowledge is enough.

But for iGaming content, you need much more.

There are certain aspects where a generalist cannot compete. Someone with gambling industry experience is going to deliver much better quality, much more quickly. Plus, there are other perks for clients, as you’re about to learn.

Technical Writing

First of all, there’s a lot of surprisingly technical stuff to cover when writing about gambling.

Although pretty much anyone could write a basic 1,000 word casino review, not everyone can produce a compelling slot review of the same size.

Surely they can play a free demo and write about their experience? Of course. But what does a generalist know about other recent releases from this developer, or similar games?

There are dozens of Irish and St Patrick’s Day slots released every year, for instance. How many have they heard of, let alone played?

How does this particular title compare? Is it just a reskinned version of an older game? Does it introduce a new feature? Does the writer know the difference between a cascade and an avalanche? How do Infinity Reels work? Or Gigablox? Or xNudges?

The same is true of poker strategy guides.

You don’t need to be Phil Hellmuth to explain the ABC of SNG strategy. But if you want to drill down into 3-bet ranges from the cut-off in a 6-max game, can you really trust a guy who’s last gig was writing about hotels in Ayia Napa? Or “marketing hacks”?

Dominic Field iGaming Writer - Why gambling industry experience is key for quality content
Me and my retail team at Dafabet Kenya in 2018

Responsible Gambling

This is another vital area for gambling companies and affiliates, especially in heavily-regulated markets like the UK and US.

You can’t just write a sales article, promoting a casino, sportsbook or poker room. It’s not allowed to be misleading in any way, and that is a term that’s open to interpretation.

Modern gambling content definitely can’t be seen to promote reckless spending, either. Or use imagery that might appeal to younger people.

Those from outside of the gambling industry just don’t get it. How can they?

They’ve never been on the end of a visit from UK Gambling Commission enforcement before. They’ve never had to demonstrate a responsible gambling system to PAGCOR. They don’t know exactly what’s at stake. But I do, because I have.

You need an industry expert that can explain the difference between a loss limit and a deposit limit, or a self-exclusion and an account closure.

Black, Grey and Regulated Markets

Regulations seem to change every week. In countries like the United States, which is currently undergoing a massive evolution, every state has its own rules. And within each jurisdiction, there are further complexities.

Some allow land-based casinos, but not online. Some permit poker, but not sports betting. Things are extremely fluid, changing on a regular basis.

By hiring an experienced writer, your iGaming content will always be accurate and up-to-date.

What’s more, if you’re venturing into grey, or even black markets, you need to tread extremely carefully. For instance, there’s a knack to creating sweepstakes casino content. This is a fast-moving area which isn’t fully regulated yet.

Many people see it as a way to skirt around existing laws. But a skilled iGaming writer can explain things properly and put readers’ minds at ease.

E-E-A-T

Gambling industry affiliates can also benefit from an experienced iGaming professional in another important way.

SEO types will already know exactly what E-E-A-T means: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. If you want your content to rank, you’ll need to excel in this area.

A good trick is to have your writer create a short profile, complete with links to their website, portfolio, LinkedIn and other related socials. That way, search engines can see that your content was created by a genuinely experienced professional, with demonstrable expertise.

In turn, this boosts your E-E-A-T score.

My 13 Year Gambling Industry Career

Before I became a freelance writer, I worked in the gambling industry for 13 years. I started out at the very bottom, as a cashier in a William Hill LBO. But there’s not much I didn’t learn as I climbed the ladder.

I was an odds compiler, before moving into product development, then to product management. At EDITEC – Africa’s largest retail sportsbook operator, I launched their first ever betting websites.

Later, I moved to the Philippines, Kenya and back to SE Asia, launching retail and online products in various territories along the way.

This experience gave me the perfect platform from which to start my freelance writing career, when I decided to quit operations management.

You can read more about my background on my LinkedIn profile.

Benefit From My Vast Gambling Industry Experience

If you’re on the lookout for a gambling writer, you won’t find any with more experience than me.

In addition to an all-encompassing 13-year career on three continents, I’ve #been producing compelling content on a full-time basis since early 2021.

Whether it’s a slot review, a casino guide or poker strategy, I’m your man. Drop me a line and let’s see how I can help.