Whether you’re someone who has barely begun dipping their toes into the casino streaming industry or an amateur who wants to start streaming themselves playing at the best UK casino online there’s not a lot of information to help you out.
If you want to start right, you gotta learn from the best. In this article, we will cover all the essentials of casino streaming, as taught by the streamers at Mr. Gamble.
Basic setup
For all of you streaming hopefuls out there, good news! The threshold for starting your streaming career has never been lower.
All you need is a Twitch or YouTube Live channel, a good microphone, a video camera, and video capture software (OBS Studio is a popular choice).
If you’d like to upload highlights from your streams to your social media, you may also want to get editing tools.
Some of the more advanced options include restreaming services that allow you to stream to both Twitch and YouTube at the same time. Also, you need to have a dedicated corner for streaming, preferably with a green screen and a good audio setup.
Research the industry
Before starting a career in casino streaming, it is important to research the industry and understand what it takes to be successful. Familiarize yourself with the different types of games, the different platforms, and the different strategies used by experienced streamers.
Show your face
One of the common roadblocks for streaming beginners is that they are not willing to show their faces on the screen. We are a self-conscious species by nature but if you want to make it big in the streaming world, anonymity is not worth keeping.
Viewers tend to connect better when they see an actual human being on the other end of the screen. As you get more popular on the scene, people will start tuning in for your personality rather than the games you play.
If you’re still not ready to show your face to the world, you may take advantage of the VTuber trend. VTubers are a category of streamers who create virtual avatars generated using 3D graphics. They essentially get to keep their faces hidden behind an animated character and often even modulate their voice using special software.
VTubers and casino streaming mix surprisingly well, so it’s a great choice if you’re still on the fence about showing your face.
Communicate with viewers
However you appear on the screen, there’s no getting around the fact that you need to keep your viewers engaged. This means, at the very least, that you need to appear energetic and enthusiastic.
When something interesting happens on the screen, viewers are expecting a reaction out of you. Don’t be afraid to let yourself loose and show your sense of humour.
Also, don’t ignore the donation alerts and messages that you receive. Be quick to respond to questions and foster a sense of community which would give viewers a feeling that they are part of something bigger and that their contributions are valued. It also encourages viewers to interact with each other, which can help create a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
Whatever you do, stay positive and ignore negative comments. Feedback is the lifeblood of streaming but you don’t need to react to every criticism thrown your way, especially when it’s not well-meaning.
One of the best ways to engage your audience is to let them participate in polls (say, “Will I hit the jackpot in the next few rounds?”). Win or lose, you’re bound to have a lot of people staying to watch your stream and see whether their prediction comes true.
Have a call to action
Since it’s not your first day on the Internet, we assume you’ve probably heard the phrase “Smash that like button!” It may sound silly – or heck, even cliche at this point – but it does work to bring more eyeballs to your stream.
Leaving a like or a few comments on your stream is something that doesn’t cost your viewers anything but does lead to more impressions and engagement.
The thing is, viewers tend to live in the moment and may simply forget that these functions even exist. How many YouTube videos or streams do you leave a like on? Probably not a lot. Not because the videos you watch are terrible – some of them you may even enjoy – but because there was no call to action.
Variety of casino games
Sticking to only one game type will get boring quite fast. Variety is the spice of life. Put yourself in your viewers’ shoes: wouldn’t getting the same type of content day in and day out feel stale?
Just like with communication, the key is to keep things natural. Keep your eyes on the viewers and whenever you feel like entertainment is running dry, time to switch to another game.
When you’re just starting out, keep your eye on other streamers to see what they’ve been up to.
Seek out sponsorships
In casino streaming, sponsorship usually comes in the form of affiliate partnerships — say, with real money online casinos or crypto betting sites.
While you may come across deals that sound lucrative, never sign up for them at the expense of your integrity. If your stream is sponsored by a company, be sure to always inform your viewers about this fact.
If they’re truly fans of your content, they would be more than willing to help support your channel.
Collaborate with other streamers
Another often-overlooked part of streaming is networking. Creating relationships with other streamers is an arduous task at first but it brings positive results in the long run.
You can collaborate on streams, join each other’s streams, or even host a joint stream. This will help you get more exposure, find and expand your audience, and get inspired.
Promote your stream
There are tons of existing streamers who are doing the same thing as you do. To make yourself stand apart from the competition, you need to learn how to best market yourself. Create social media channels on different platforms, upload the best stream highlights, engage with your followers, and host takeaways.
As your brand grows, you may start looking into hiring a dedicated editor who will curate and upload the highlights for you.