Speaking to CasinoBeats, Bangert discusses the Ukrainian gaming platform’s ‘daring’ marketing strategies, its focus for the future, and the ways in which PokerMatch International is driving engagement among poker players.

CasinoBeats: Can you just tell us about the marketing principles for PokerMatch? 

RB: Our marketing principles are always focused on the current needs of the audience and current requests for new game products from users. We understand that in today’s highly competitive environment, innovations give a clear advantage. I am convinced that in our industry, it is not enough to just make advertising efforts to attract the audience. It’s important to provide the user with a brand new level of product that can capture attention and achieve engagement.

How do you fight for traffic? Yes, it’s not easy! It seems to me that it’s possible to draw attention to yourself with an original presentation or some crazy promotion format. Therefore, I would call PokerMatch’s marketing strategy daring. We are able to respond immediately to the wishes of the target audience, and this approach brings results. 

You surely know how repetitive the events in our business are; a poker room earns money only when it creates an event itself, attracts players and then tries to profit from it. This exclusivity, I think, is our main advantage.

CasinoBeats: You said in a recent article that PokerMatch marketing has always been guided by the needs of the players; where do you think poker players have been underserved in the past, both in terms of both product and promotions?

RB: It’s not really about the past, it’s about the present. The level of development of modern technology, service and comfort in all areas of industry and life has reached enormous heights, so now the demands and requirements of modern users are off the charts. The online poker market is no exception. That’s why it’s more important at this stage to offer innovative game mechanics, service and product innovations than to advertise them. 

CasinoBeats: In April, you were able to skew the market, reaching number one on PokerScout through huge interest in your unusual Miner’s Jackpot cash tables; given that this is an all-in automated game without strategy, why was it such a hit?

RB: Again, modern consumer expectations have played a role here. The audience craves new combinations of services and types of entertainment. With the launch of our unusual Miner’s Jackpot tables, we disproved the long-held myth that poker players don’t like slots. Moreover, the success of this promotion showed how high the poker players’ response can be to integrating slot mechanics into poker disciplines.

Another important point, in my opinion. Our breakthrough promo would be impossible without the maximum loyalty of the room’s audience. Miner’s Jackpot was designed for a certain part of the audience. Let’s say, not the richest audience. But at the same time, these users were very loyal to the company, and as a result, the promo was a success.

CasinoBeats: How does your perception of poker’s intersect with other gambling verticals influence your approach to marketing and launching new products? Did, for example, the success of the all-in game prove the connection between poker and slot players?

RB: Absolutely, yes! And this greatly impacts our plans and vision of what direction to take with our product promotions for players. The game world is changing, and players’ perception is changing as well. 

The success of Miners Jackpot showed that PokerMatch understands and guesses the audience’s mood. In the future, we’re going to continue with a marketing strategy focused on the final consumer and new ways to get them involved in the game. 

CasinoBeats: And once interest in a new product naturally subsides, how do you pique interest in your player base again? What’s the next big thing for PokerMatch? How do you go about climbing back to the top of the PokerScout rating?

RB: We understand, of course, that we can’t expect a constant high level of interest in promotions and game mechanics. Our April promo gave us a good boost in the growth of the player base, and the number of users who stayed on our platform after the promo is quite high. We’re not planning to stop there and we will present our new promotions to the world very soon. 

Regarding the return to the top of the PokerScout rankings, we can say that in the future we will focus on gradual and stable growth in the rankings, without situational fluctuations. We’ve tested our strength with these explosive mechanics and are now ready for a confident climb. 

I can reassure the competitors, PokerMatch has no intention of disturbing their positions (smiles). Our goal is to improve our product every day. To do this, we need unique offers, high speed of decision-making, variety of promotions, limitless imagination, humanity and much more. And I’m sure we can do it!

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The new igaming company, which has been described as an “improved successor to the well-known poker platform PokerMatch”, aims to combine both competition and entertainment across its network.

Ruslan Bangert, CEO of Pokerbet, said: “The creation of Pokerbet is, first of all, a long-awaited event for us. This is a new brand that, in my opinion, embodies the best qualities and characteristics of a strong and competitive gaming platform.” 

Players will be able to access a variety of different tournaments and cash games via the Pokerbet app, including Hold’em, OFC and various types of Omaha as well as a range of fast Windfall tournaments. 

The Pokerbet Casino website will feature a range of different slot titles as well as a range of jackpots, fast games and virtual casino products that Pokerbet is confident will help create an added entertainment experience for bettors. Meanwhile the company’s sports betting site is in the process of being developed.

Bangert added: “We are ready to move forward, surprise our players every minute and be unpredictable, all while changing the way the world of igaming is perceived. Pokerbet will become the best friend for those who constantly strive to be winners.”

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The poker unit of the PokerMatch brand has been operating on the iPoker Network for almost 3 months now. At the beginning of our cooperation, I clearly understood that it would be very difficult for me to make the first assessments of this strategic decision, because the situation in the business is significantly affected by the war in Ukraine and the general unsettling situation in the world.

However, if we just give up and do nothing, we will certainly not get better from this. Therefore, we try as hard as we can to conduct our business as diligently as possible. So all decisions are always evaluated in a timely manner, and the company’s strategy is regularly adapted based on the changing state of the market.

Of course, we at PokerMatch are very happy to have one of the best software in the world for our poker product. And we are very encouraged by our partners’ interest in our success. I feel their support every day and am immensely grateful for their prompt response to our initiatives. And I have no doubt at all that this was the right strategic decision. Even in spite of the terribly strict contracts at Playtech… Just kidding!

What about our players? How are they reacting? Are they happy? I’d be lying to you if I said that 100 per cent of our active base is thrilled with our decision and transition to the new software. Of course, that’s not true. 

Firstly, because people don’t like changes. And poker players, by the way, are pretty conservative. Despite all the attempts by poker operators to invent crazy new types of poker, only the most exceptional developments take root. And even that is very rare. In general, just as Texas Hold’em was once invented, it remains the king of poker.

So when you tell a poker player that we’re going to change everything here, don’t expect them to be too happy. Before joining the ipoker network, we were rebuilding our business model. This period just coincided well with the planning for next year, because we had the transition in October-November 2022. In our new poker business model, we clearly understood (based on deep analytics of course) that the losses among active players would be no less than 30 per cent.

First of all, any move of a player somewhere is always a loss. Because you have to download new software, and some people are simply too lazy to do that. Add to that the consequent figuring out the new interface… For these reasons, we’ve lost a certain number of our players. Also there is a difference in the range of games offered between our old software and the new software from iPoker. 

Things that were quite popular on our old platform are simply not available in the current version of the software. I’m talking about Omaha six, which our players loved to play, including the VIP segment. And the pros know why—it’s quite a fun version of Omaha.

At this point, three months later, the drawdown in active player traffic is roughly within the predicted limits. In fact, in spite of losing Omaha six from our game library, we have gained significant improvements in other areas. For example, thanks to the iPoker Network, our tournaments have become much more attractive, and our guaranteed prize pools have become much larger than what we offered our players in the past. 

There has also been a significant increase in player traffic in hyper-fast tournaments, which is quite expected and well in line with today’s demands among a large group of online poker players. 

And this is just a small part of the basic analytics that I have already formed for myself after 3 months of working with iPoker partners. However, what is 3 months for big strategic decisions? It’s a very small distance. And in online poker, everything is measured by long distance. 

The most important thing for me is working with a reliable partner while having confidence in their support when planning our strategy for the coming years. Being confident in our partner allows us to start preparing to enter another big market, where we are going to present our vision of quality service for players and unique view on poker products marketing combined with the sports component of our favorite game. Because poker is a sport. 

I would like to thank our partners for giving us the opportunity to develop our poker product and opening up more and more markets for us. When all parties are so genuinely interested in success, it is always quick to follow.

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The cooperation agreement, which PokerMatch CEO Ruslan Bangert noted was “undoubtedly one of the most important achievements” in the company’s six year history, will help drive the Eastern European poker room’s expansion into regulated markets across the world.

Bangert added: “We at PokerMatch are very inspired and excited by this iconic moment. A partnership with such a gaming industry giant as Playtech is an event that will be remembered for a lifetime and will undoubtedly become one of the most important achievements for our company.

“PokerMatch is only six years old and we are happy to have been able to build our processes in such a short time and in such a way that large international corporations seriously consider cooperating with us. The credit goes to the whole team. I wish success to our new alliance and thank our colleagues at Playtech for easy, fast and professional communication!”

Upon announcing the new deal, PokerMatch explained that joining the iPoker Network will provide players with “new and exciting opportunities”. This will include increased guarantees in tournaments and series, promotions, upgraded software as well as a global player base to compete against.

“We are really excited to welcome PokerMatch to the iPoker network”, added Marat Koss, VP of Interactive Gaming at Playtech. “In just six short years, PokerMatch has significantly developed and expanded its business to become a major player in Eastern Europe – a potentially key growth region for the wider industry. 

“We look forward to a long and successful partnership with PokerMatch as it continues to grow and break new records.”

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In an article entitled ‘How does an online poker room function during the war and how our activities can be useful,’ Bangert touches upon a distinct alteration of focus from that date in late February.

“Ukraine is a crucial market for the PokerMatch brand. In the first days of the war there was a 73 per cent loss of revenue” he continues, with chat rooms in player support services suspended, communication with players moved to email and measures taken to ensure employee safety.

This latter point included a package of actions being introduced, such as moving to a safer region, relocating some individuals to other countries and organising financial aid.

“For the first two weeks of the war, the business was in fact running on its own,” Bangert explains. “All the processes in the company had originally been organised in a way that enabled it to go on for a long time without active participation of people, if the situation required it. 

“And it did. At the same time, it is impossible not to note the resilience of the team, which continued to perform its duties. 

“Meetings were simply cancelled, and the business went into survival mode from the usual development mode. 

“The support staff tried to help players in between sheltering in bomb shelters, and some important conversations were held to the sound of air-raid sirens.

“After two weeks, the number of active players began to increase. This is primarily thanks to the fact that many have moved to safer regions and have started to return to their usual way of life. At the moment, most of the daily active unique players have returned to the game. 

“All global promotions have been stopped and major tournament series have been cancelled. The company has focused on humanitarian aid for Ukraine and private offers to those players who have actively returned to the game.

“…we are certainly not talking about new regions and expansion”

“In terms of developing new features, firstly, we’ve added the option to transfer money for humanitarian aid to the country directly from the player’s personal profile on the website. 

“In other words, every PokerMatch player can now use the Cashier to cash out directly to help their country.”

Furthermore, Bangert, who stated that the three to four week mark saw the company “gradually” return to long-term planning and the release of new technical developments, also touched upon the necessity of ensuring support for the economy and its people.

“There’s also an interesting point about working during a war,” he adds. “I have come across many discussions about the idea that all men should take up weapons and go fight in wartime. I don’t agree with that.”

PokerMatch, which raised funds for the Ukraine humanitarian effort by hosting a special charity poker tournament, notes that “despite enormous financial support from many countries” there are still “large local needs from small groups of people in Ukraine” that this global support does not reach.

Taking a brief look forward, Bangert touches upon the challenges of setting long-term goals in place amid the struggles that have been, and continued to be, encountered. 

“As for the PokerMatch brand’s long-term planning and business goals, we are certainly not talking about new regions and expansion at the moment,” he concludes.

“On the contrary, the brand has stopped serving player accounts from Russia and has frozen plans to enter the Indian market. 

“This strategy is also highly dependent on how global events unfold. But one thing is certain: even during a wartime, an individual adapts to the new conditions in three to four weeks, and they begin to strive to return, at least a little bit, to the way of life from which they were ruthlessly yanked out.

“In the near future, PokerMatch will bring back online chats for its players and will slightly increase the guarantees in tournaments. 

“Also, a major new release has already been introduced in the casino section – now there are missions for players, which they can activate, complete, and get rewards.

“It’s worth noting that one very global strategic process has been resumed by the company, but it’s too early to tell. In general, the work goes on.”

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Poker has long been a strong-hold in a casino operator’s product portfolio, and in recent years some have called for the game to be adapted to attract more gen Z / millennial players. But for Ruslan Bangert, CEO of PokerMatch International, he is “fine with the current style of poker”.

Speaking to CasinoBeats, Bangert dives into the social potential for poker games, explaining his views on why the game is great for cross-selling into all the major verticals in our industry.

CasinoBeats: How would you define the nature of ‘entertainment’ at this point in the online gaming industry – what’s changed in terms of what players are looking for? 

RB: Players are looking for personal challenges and lucrative bonuses. While bonuses have always been what players are looking for, the passion for personal challenges is evolving more and more. People used to devote more time to poker, and they were ready to compete with each other. 

But now there’s almost no time left for poker; other entertainment and life’s turmoil have pushed the game out of the players’ schedules. So when they have time to play, they want the ultimate drive right here, right now, and preferably on their own. This is the main vector of changes.

CasinoBeats: Poker can often be quite an ‘individual-focused’ game. What can companies do to make this much more ‘social’?

RB: Companies should do two basic things. The first is educational programs and online resources. And the second is more live events. Generally speaking, industry leaders are doing that. Educational content on the internet is needed to make it easier to get into poker. It looks complicated, but for a basic game, it’s no more complicated than solitaire, and millions of people can do that! But it’s only for the amateur level, although that’s where it all starts. 

Offline events are needed to show players the faces of the poker industry—company managers and other people involved in this activity. A person is much better at “selling” something than a text on the Internet.

CasinoBeats: And how can this social factor be used to attract more Gen Z / Millennial players?

RB: Do we really need this? I may sound strange, considering my field of work. But, look, I don’t serve only the spirit of commerce and profit. I don’t think poker is a game for the younger generation. I think everyone would be happier if poker were played by mindful people who already have a stable income. The younger generation should rather think about their education and social skills. 

But if I had a different point of view, I would say that for the younger generation, poker should just be fresher visually and more gamified! Badges for progress, lots of achievements, cool unobtrusive merchandise, as well as switching to the language of the new generation in communication. And millennials? Well, I’m a millennial myself, I’m only 34. We’re fine with the current style of poker.

CasinoBeats: In your opinion, is poker uniquely suited to driving betting engagement? If so, how is PokerMatch International helping drive this insight even further?

RB: Poker is great for cross-selling into all the major verticals in our industry, because poker is the most complex type of gambling. If a person can handle poker, they can handle casino and sports betting without much difficulty. But will they be interested? Why not, everyone is watching sports. 

And with a small bet, any sport is more interesting to watch. But the main thing is that all this should be done responsibly and solely for the sake of entertainment.

CasinoBeats: As we get further into 2022, how does PokerMatch International plan to create a truly social, entertaining experience for poker players?

RB: We believe that the best social experience is offline events. And it’s an integral part of our business. Not a month goes by that we don’t gather our players somewhere and hang out with them live. Whether it’s our own major series of live poker tournaments or the opening of sports poker clubs of our partners. 

When it comes to the Internet, our social media communication is always very lively and humane. We perfectly know how to talk to our client so that they would see us as a friendly neighbor and not a clerk. In general, you have to keep it simple.

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Speaking to CasinoBeats, Bangert outlined why PokerMatch has added crypto payment methods, as well as a range of “more expensive games”, before explaining why tutorials, educational content and collaborations with exchanges are key to helping bettors understand the world of digital payments and crypto poker.

CasinoBeats: Cryptocurrency has been making headlines over the last few years. Do you think that the current levels of enthusiasm are here to stay? 

RB: The situation with cryptocurrencies is borderline. Some countries prohibit it, others allow it, and some are still unsure. The development trend of cryptocurrencies will depend on the degree of influence of countries. At the same time, the general population is always slightly in opposition to the government of their country. In other words, the stronger will be the resistance of influential structures, the more interested the cryptocurrency audience should become. 

However, the question is whether this interested audience will be enough to give sufficient impetus to cryptocurrency. So far, in the short term, cryptocurrency is likely to become more and more popular in two to three years. But it should be clear that countries have the tools to suppress it. Everything will depend on where the global pendulum will swing.

CasinoBeats: Can you tell us about the reasons why PokerMatch International chose to add crypto payment methods for players? How did you decide which digital currencies to add?

RB: Here, everything is simpler than it may seem from the outside. And our approach is almost devoid of romance. We look at cryptocurrency solely as a payment instrument. If there were still shells and beads in the world of payments, and you could process them over the Internet, we would add them as well. Cryptocurrency is quite convenient as a payment method now, but it is very niche. 

It’s in demand among high rollers, who want fast and secure transactions of hundreds of thousands with low commissions. Cryptocurrency fully meets this aspiration. That’s why we have added it, as PokerMatch has been gathering more and more expensive games lately. And we did not think long about what currencies to add. 

First, we have a partner, which provides a certain front of work and responsibility in this direction, and secondly, there are popularity ratings. So we have three most popular currencies plus a couple of stablecoins, which are the most demanded by players.

CasinoBeats: For PokerMatch International, are there any other uses for cryptocurrencies outside of the typical deposit and withdrawal processes? 

RB: No, we don’t have any other processes with cryptocurrencies. It is only deposits and cashouts. We do not accumulate cryptocurrency, it is immediately exchanged into fiat money as it comes into our system. And the same way back.

CasinoBeats: And what role can these digital currencies play in promoting security, transparency and an elevated player experience for bettors? 

RB: Traditional bank cards are still secure, and 98 per cent of the audience still use them. If the role of digital currencies will grow significantly, then security will increase accordingly. However, they should strive to be easier to understand among casual players. It’s very difficult for a simple guy from a factory to understand how to handle it all. And without the influence of the masses, the tectonic plates of payments will not move from their traditional points.

CasinoBeats: In your opinion, how can poker companies – or the wider casino industry – make the most of the opportunities presented by crypto?

RB: Cryptocurrency processing is now set up in such a way that it is quite difficult to scale. Only by growing a new audience, because technically it is already very modern and technologically advanced. So it is possible to increase the usage rate by popularising cryptocurrency payments among casual players. This means tutorials, educational content, collaborations with exchanges. 

I also believe in whole blockchain based poker rooms and casinos, and I think there are already some examples of this. But all of this is still very niche.

CasinoBeats: Does PokerMatch International have any crypto-related plans for the next 12 months?

RB: We are satisfied with the processing of the most popular cryptocurrencies, and we are not looking at scaling this process yet. It is also difficult to plan something globally, when any country in your operating region can change the status of these payments at any time. Everything is still quite shaky.

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The PokerMatch Residence, which was officially opened on 9 October, has been designed to create a space for players to play poker in addition to a variety of social activities. 

“The offline poker room residence is definitely something new and very interesting,” says Ruslan Bangert, CEO of PokerMatch International. 

“I am sure that there should be a synergy between online and offline, as these are inseparable. PokerMatch is planning to build closer relationships with players offline, so we can meet in person and discuss relevant niche issues. And also just play in tournaments and participate in promotions. 

“I’m very glad that we have such a great location with an unbelievable atmosphere. I’m looking forward to seeing the first residents! This location will become the main venue for our regular tournaments and parties, and I’m sure we’ll be able to surprise everyone.”

The PokerMatch Residence opening was attended by Eugene Katchalov, a PokerMatch ambassador and revered poker player, as well as Ukrainian showman Vadim Michkovsky, who recently became the media ambassador of the poker room.

PokerMatch used the opening to also introduce its newest brand ambassador, Mykhailo Gutiy, who is a member of the Ukrainian national sports poker team, the world champion in match poker and the best player of the Nations Cup 2020.

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With a seven-day average of 7,800 players, the Ukrainian platform has jumped from fourth to first in just 10 days, now ranking ahead of long-term leaders PokerStars (7,200), IDNPoker (5,600) and GGPoker (5,400). The 24-hour peak for PokerMatch was 10,028 players, second only to PokerStars with 12,515.

This top-spot listing on the highly respected PokerScout rating is further proof, said PokerMatch, that “innovations give advantages” in today’s highly competitive environment. It added that PokerMatch marketing has always been guided by the needs of the players.

Clear interaction with the audience and speed of reaction was also cited as key to the company’s breakthrough. For a recent promotion, PokerMatch launched the unusual Miner’s Jackpot cash tables, where the game is played in auto-all-in mode. 

With a minimum limit of 0.01 UAH (0.000036 USD), players can win large prizes by winning the bad beat jackpot, as well as additional gifts.

Special attention should be paid to PokerMatch’s approach to choosing these gifts, such as free spins in slot titles at PokerMatch Casino. The interest in this as a crossover prize, said the company, dispels the myth that the audiences of poker and slots do not intersect.

New tables instantly became a hit and now more than 7,000 people play there simultaneously. The company also reported that total traffic on PokerMatch almost tripled as a result of the promotion. 

Reacting to reaching fourth place 10 days ago, PokerMatch International CEO Ruslan Bangert had said: “Ukraine is not a rich country and people here don’t have high incomes. The Miner’s Jackpot tables are a thank-you to our loyal audience who can’t afford to play at expensive stakes at the moment.”

On hitting the top spot, he now added: “This promotion was originally designed for a specific part of the audience of the room who are not rich but loyal, and as a result, it has allowed the company to make an unprecedented breakthrough in the rankings. We are grateful to all the players who supported our idea. Together we’ve made history!”

Bangert reiterated his belief that poker should not stand in one place in these difficult times. He concluded: “At PokerMatch, we’re constantly trying to invent something new and attract attention. We believe that our company is an industry leader in this area.”

PokerMatch has become only the fourth incumbent of the number one ranking in the last 15 years after PartyPoker (2006), PokerStars (2007-2021) and IDNPoker for just a few weeks in 2020.

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