Ambitious start-up JNS Gaming recently launched LynxBet, its metaverse-inspired immersive online casino and sportsbook, which has been well received in its tier-one markets. Gaming Americas caught up with CEO Jeremy Taylor on how the project came about, its potential within the crypto space and where he expects it all to go next.
Congratulations on the launch of LynxBet – can you provide us with an insight into how the site has performed since going live?
We are very pleased with how our brand has been received, especially in our target markets of Canada, and South America where a great deal of players have already immersed themselves in the Land of LynxBet. Japan and other parts of Asia will be next to launch. It’s gratifying to see that customers are resonating with our unique front-end design. A great number of igaming sites look incredibly two-dimensional and white label-esque, but users have been quick to appreciate that we’re offering them an alternative experience thanks to an intuitive design inspired by the metaverse.
From the outset, we wanted to avoid a copy and paste approach that so many new brands adopt. Instead, we opted to go a step further and offer players their favourite games in a more immersive environment. This sense of escapism we’ve created is very appealing to casual players and has ultimately led to an influx of new customers signing up. But, of course, there is always room for improvement and we have phase two on the roadmap in a few months.
How exactly did you come up with the use of a lynx and the creation of a lucky mascot?
Creating a space where players could experience true escapism was one of our main priorities. That was the thinking behind the retro feel that informs the site’s design and it was also the inspiration behind the Lucky Lynx. There is something other-worldly about the animal, so we used that aesthetic to help players feel as though they are leaving the humdrum of their everyday lives behind for the excitement of the Land of LynxBet.
We’ve really leaned into this mythical take on the Lynx. The character will seem like a wizard or mage to the site’s visitors, vanishing and appearing randomly at different moments, offering tips and advice to help them across their journey. We believe a brand mascot helps with brand identity, personality and engagement and provides a great vehicle through which we can communicate with our customers. We also know that many customers are superstitious and the Lucky Cat is very popular in parts of Asia so we have played on that theme given a Lynx is a cat at the end of the day.
What was the thinking behind creating a brand inspired by the metaverse?
The metaverse is a major focus right now within the digital world and we felt its intuitive environment could have a positive impact within the igaming industry and offer players a unique experience. It’s such an innovative and forward-thinking concept that has grown exponentially in a very short space of time. It’s the kind of creative field that inspires me, so I pulled on that thread. We also have our sister brand Freebitco.in, which has 49 million customers across the world to whom we can cross sell to LynxBet. They are predominantly crypto players so the Metaverse allows us to relate to them and find that sweet spot between the growth of Crypto and igaming.
Effectively, we’ve started to create our own small metaverse, in which customers can come and play these different products in one place. Quite frankly, the majority of gambling websites these days have the same games with the same housing, just with different colours and a different name.
We didn’t want to do that, we wanted to build our own front end to tap into this opportunity and offer an exciting and differentiated customer experience. is the LynxBet journey is memorable and engaging, which we hope will lead to long-term customer retention.
Talk us through the main offering, how does it differ to other online casino and sportsbooks that are already live in the marketplace?
As a first-time visitor, you enter a fantastical world with a moon in the background at night, which changes to a sun in the daytime. This day to night mode setting is dynamically based on the specific users’ time zone but is also customisable via a toggle.
Players are met with four floating islands that represent the current products we offer – casino, sportsbook, bingo and lottery. Each island has its own creative theme that runs through the product verticals across the website, emails and advertising.
From a customer support and relevance perspective, we’ve invested heavily in delivering a localised site, payment, casino and sports experience specific to each main target market as well as a customer service that is available in local languages via email and live chat. By putting together regional teams in place, we can offer a more personal experience for players and ensure our branding and marketing campaigns are very relevant.
LynxBet incorporates crypto payment methods, is this a sign that digital currencies are growing in popularity amongst players in the markets you’re targeting?
Crypto payment is growing in popularity everywhere. For that reason, it made a lot of sense to invest in a crypto-friendly offering. But yes, the markets we are targeting are those in which we are seeing particularly high uptake. Brazil, a huge market for us, has embraced crypto enormously and we can only see it becoming more popular with time. This also goes Japan, where we will be launching in the near future.
It’s certainly an intrinsic part of our JNS Gaming’s DNA. Our investors created our sister company, FreeBitco.in – a free-to-play casino that gives away tiny amounts of Bitcoin and has attracted 49 million players. That sets the stage for some extremely effective cross-selling campaigns. They are 80 per cent crypto and 20 per cent igaming, while we are roughly the reverse, so we will complement each other perfectly in this way.
What plans do you have to take the brand forward and acquire new customers?
We are targeting casual, mid-tier, responsible gamers that are interested in a high-end, friendly gaming experience. There is a huge demographic that wants a less aggressive, more easy-going but fun gambling experience. Effectively catering to this substantial demographic explains why onboarding initial customers has been so straightforward.
To boost this further, we have established regional teams to create a more personal player experience, enabled by significant marketing investment and local brand ambassadors, who we will be announcing in near future.
On taking the brand forward, it clearly lends itself to the Metaverse, which is where it could end up going, but let’s take one step at a time!
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