With the meteoric rise of crash games like Aviator, David Natroshvili, CEO of Spribe, believes the vertical will overtake slots as online casino’s darling.
To answer the question in the headline in a word, yes.
You only need to look at the meteoric rise of crash games since Aviator first hit the market back in 2019 to see the tremendous potential the vertical has.
It is also highlighted by the extent that Spribe is having to defend the IP held for Aviator in markets across the world.
In just a short amount of time, crash has become a game category in its own right with millions of players across the world enjoying the edge-of-the-seat experience the format provides.
Aviator alone has more than 42 million players per month with up to 350,000 bets per minute being placed at the 5,000 casinos offering it – no other game gets close to those kinds of numbers.
And of course, that doesn’t include the many Aviator-inspired crash titles that have flooded the market in recent months and years.
But we are still a way off crash games dominating online casino lobbies in the way that slots do and for that to happen, suppliers and operators are going to have to work together to push the format.
Before discussing how this can be done, let me quickly explain why I think crash games have been such a hit with players.
What makes crash games so popular?
The crash format provides a very different experience to playing online slots, which is often solitary and without any real player involvement. You simply hit “spin” and wait to see if you win or not.
Crash games are different in that the player has control over the outcome of the game – they choose when to cash out, with many devising their strategies for maximising wins.
As we like to say with Aviator – you’re the pilot and you’re in control.
This control over the outcome makes for a highly engaging and intense experience, but it’s an experience that can be shared with others thanks to the social interaction offered by crash games.
Most games are multiplayer – with Aviator, players can track their scores on the real-time leaderboard and also do things like share bets and wins – and come with a chat function.
This allows players to interact with each other during their session and ultimately helps to form a community around the game and the wider crash format.
Crash games have mass market appeal
We took inspiration for Aviator from the exciting world of crypto casinos where we could see games like mines and hi-lo becoming increasingly popular.
Because of this, you might think crash only appeals to next-gen players – Millennials and Gen Z-ers in particular – but our data shows it has a much wider audience than that.
Operators that have effectively marketed Aviator (and other crash games) to their existing player base have found that traditional slot and table game players enjoy the format, too.
This means crash can be used as both an acquisition (for reaching new player audiences) and retention tool (for existing players), with session times that are off the charts.
But how exactly should operators market crash games to players?
How to get the most out of crash games
Crash is still a relatively new game format so there’s an element of player education that still needs to take place.
For me, the best way to educate players as to how crash games work is to have them try Aviator and other titles for the first time.
Of course, players are often reluctant to use their own funds to try and learn new games and that’s why we have created a promotional toolbox that comes with Aviator.
A part of this is free bets, with operators able to offer players a set number of free rounds on Aviator.
Given just how innovative the game is, only a small number of free games are required for them to get up to speed with how the format works and the thrills it provides.
We also give players the option to make it “rain” free bets in the chat, adding to the social interaction of Aviator.
Lobby positioning is also important for driving awareness of crash games – most of our operators run banners in prominent positions pushing Aviator and any promotions running around the game, too.
For operators that do give the game good positioning and run promo campaigns, a 10% uplift in GGR from Aviator alone can be achieved.
Spribe is doing its part
We are also doing our part to drive awareness of Aviator and have signed major marketing deals with the likes of the UFC and Inter Milan.
These first-of-its-kind deals have helped catapult Aviator into the mainstream, introducing the game to millions of new players across the world.
These deals have also allowed us to work with iconic athletes such as Alex Pereira and Merab Dvalishvili plus superstar streamers like Jully Poca.
This is helping to drive awareness of Aviator and the crash game format in global markets.
Of course, it will take time for crash games to take the throne from slot games, but if you look at how quickly the format has grown and what it is generating in terms of numbers in just a handful of years, it really won’t be long before they take the top slots in the game lobby.
