The rise of social media and digital entertainment has led players to carry their online habits into the iGaming realm. This shift is evidenced by the proliferation of social feeds, creator channels, mobile games, and sports communities, which engage both digital-native and older players with interactive experiences that keep them returning.
According to Deloitte’s 2025 Digital Media Trends report, the diversion of entertainment time among younger audiences to streaming, social platforms, gaming, and other digital media has fostered an expectation for progress-oriented experiences.
As these expectations evolve, operators face a transformation in their retention strategies. Yoel Zuckerberg, chief product officer at Soft2Bet, suggests that traditional tiered VIP programs may no longer align with the behavior of younger online players. Instead, the user experience surrounding betting must offer feedback and a sense of progress to encourage repeat visits.
Soft2Bet’s MEGA (Motivational Engineering Gaming Application) portfolio emerges as a solution, providing casino and sportsbook brands with customizable gamification features. Launched in early 2026, the latest addition to this portfolio, MEGA11, introduces a football manager game where players can build squads and engage in competitive gameplay, fostering ongoing interest between betting opportunities.
Through MEGA11, players earn points from qualifying bets, which advance their experience in the football manager game. This platform operates on a free-to-play model with soft currencies, aiming for long-term engagement across various markets.
Rising acquisition costs in the iGaming sector have elevated the need for effective customer retention. Zuckerberg emphasizes that when acquiring new players incurs significant costs, the operator's success relies on repeat visits, session length, deposit frequency, and overall gaming revenue.
Customer acquisition costs (CACs) can range from $280 to $1,400 per first-time depositor, influenced by market dynamics, channels, and product offerings. Operators often aim for a player lifetime value (LTV) at least three times higher than CAC.
Soft2Bet's analysis elucidates a systematic approach to handle both CAC and LTV metrics. "CAC incorporates all expenses relative to acquiring one qualified depositing player, while LTV reflects the net gaming revenue derived from a player group after deducting costs," Zuckerberg states. This data allows for a clearer assessment of MEGA's ROI for leadership teams.
The impact of MEGA is significant, with Soft2Bet reporting an average 65% increase in net gaming revenue, a 45% increase in average revenue per user, a quadrupling of screen time, a 50% rise in deposit amounts, and a 30% increase in deposit frequency.
As player activity spikes around fixtures and key events, maintaining engagement during downtimes becomes crucial. MEGA11 delivers entertainment opportunities, ensuring fans remain active even when major matches aren’t occurring. "MEGA11 is designed to keep football enthusiasts engaged by merging real betting with social gameplay," explains Zuckerberg. This integration creates a continuity that encourages player retention well beyond singular events.
Zuckerberg outlines that engagement strategies begin with tailoring user experiences based on player intent. Each player's journey should vary between newly verified bettors and seasoned sports gamblers, maximizing relevance and interaction.
MEGA enables operators to customize reward structures, game difficulty, and user segmentation, ensuring personalized experiences tailored to diverse player needs. Additionally, operators can integrate missions and tournaments seamlessly without compromising platform performance through MEGA’s API setup.
To further enhance engagement, operators can utilize live campaign optimizations. MEGA11 dashboards track critical metrics such as player activity, deposit behaviors, and reward responses in real time, allowing teams to refine engagement strategies proactively.
With a focus on integrating gamification into the existing framework, MEGA’s API provides tools to enhance the customer experience in casino and sportsbook settings. "For product and retention teams, MEGA offers methods to test player journeys, refine rewards, and assess which engagement strategies resonate most effectively with different player segments," Zuckerberg notes.
By embedding MEGA11 into sportsbook interactions, players are encouraged to remain active outside of standard betting activity, fostering a more involved and longer-term player journey. As Zuckerberg puts it, "Attention costs more to acquire," underscoring the importance of weaving retention into product design. The MEGA11 framework seeks to maintain player engagement throughout their entire betting journey, reinforcing the ongoing appeal of football in the iGaming space.
