Liftoff and GameRefinery issued a report showing that iOS users spent nearly $1bn on casino apps through the Covid-19 pandemic. The report also shows that Android is making headway against Apple as the leading platform for downloading casino apps.
The data was drawn from August 1 2020 to August 1 2021. Compiled jointly by Liftoff (a mobile app marketing platform) and GameRefinery (a data aggregator of the online gaming), it was drawn from 83 billion add impressions and 12 million installs of 239 apps (amounting to 1.1 billion clicks).
The report found that, as the pandemic caused foot traffic to decline in land-based casinos, online social casino games skyrocketed. In the US, iOS users spent $990m. Most interestingly, even as lockdowns eased and vaccinations became accessible, the popularity of online gaming apps did not dim. There would continue to be record profits of $260m for Q2 2021.
The data also discovered that more than half of social casino adopters are over the age of 45 and evenly split between the sexes, indicating that these apps have largely broad appeal.
North America, though the region where these apps have found the most success, also sees the highest cost-per-install (CPI), averaging $10.37 per app. CPI has been dropping on Android platforms as it increases on iOS, a fact which goes toward explaining Android’s increasing market share.
Ultimately, such growth figures can only be reassuring for the online gaming industry.
Said Joel Julkunen, head of game analytics at GameRefinery: “As we examine the effects the pandemic has had on gaming, it’s no surprise casino apps are soaring in popularity around the globe. Since we are seeing more movement in this market, it’s vital for mobile marketers and developers in this vertical to use these insights to inform long-term strategies.”
