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The Future of Digital Marketing in iGaming: AI, LLMs and the Death of the Middleman

Toby Oddy  • 

1. Meta’s Full-Funnel AI: The End of Creatives, Bids & Manual Optimisation?

Meta's latest ad product allows advertisers to simply upload a budget and a single image or video. Its AI then handles everything:

  • Ad creative generation
  • Copywriting and audience targeting
  • Real-time bid and budget optimisation

iGaming Implications:

  • Pros: Rapid scaling of creative assets, geo-targeted ads, dynamic budget optimisation across markets.
  • Risks: Lack of transparency and potential compliance breaches if local regulations (e.g. age-gating, market restrictions) aren’t built into the AI ruleset.

For Operators like Bet365, Ladbrokes, MGM:

  • Must embed compliance guardrails and pre-approved creative templates into Meta’s AI tools.
  • Deploy internal AI auditors to regularly assess campaign output for regulatory violations.

2. Google AI Mode: The End of the Middle Funnel?

Google AI Mode transforms the SERP into an answer engine, bypassing traditional website listings. It:

  • Delivers direct responses
  • Recommends products/services inline
  • Enables transactions without website visits

iGaming & Gambling Impact:

  • Affiliate sites lose visibility. AI summarises odds, reviews, and bonuses without sending clicks.
  • Operators must own structured data bonus offers, geolocation rules, age requirements, and odds must be presented in AI-digestible formats.

Actions:

  • Use schema markup (e.g. Offer, SportsEvent)
  • Feed Google structured data via APIs
  • Adapt content for AI “zero-click” environments

3. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) & LLMs.txt: The Future of SEO

What is GEO?

Optimising your site for LLMs like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini by structuring content that AI tools can ingest and quote.

How to Optimise:

  • Publish a llms.txt file listing AI-accessible URLs
  • Use JSON-LD to structure:
  • Odds & betting markets
  • Bonus terms (min deposit, wagering requirements)
  • RTP/game mechanics
  • Prioritise short, factual statements (good for LLM quoting)

For Affiliates:

  • Produce authoritative, well-cited content
  • Target long-tail conversational keywords and questions
  • Focus on citations over SERP ranking

4. NLWeb: Making Sports & Casino Data Readable by LLMs

What is NLWeb?

An emerging standard where structured data (like sportsbook odds or casino RTP) is readable directly by LLMs.

For Sportsbooks:

  • Use live odds feeds via API
  • Provide offer metadata (valid dates, markets, terms)
  • Embed event data with schema.org markup

For Casinos:

  • Tag games by provider, RTP, volatility
  • Structure bonus availability by game and jurisdiction

For Prize Draw Platforms (7daysperformance.com, BOTB, Omaze):

  • Clearly mark entry methods, odds, prize values, and draw dates
  • Use JSON-LD to let AI understand compliance & game mechanics

5. Are Affiliates Dead or Just Evolving?

Dead:

  • Long-form listicles that used to rank in SEO
  • PPC affiliate arbitrage

Alive:

  • Tools & web apps (e.g. chat-based bonus finders, odds calculators)
  • First-party AI tools for users
  • Structured data + dynamic feeds

For Bingo, Crypto Casinos, Sweepstakes:

  • Use bonus APIs and clear compliance tagging
  • Build experiences that LLMs can reference or link

6. Tactical Blueprint for 2025

Operators (Bet365, MGM) - Publish odds & promos in structured data, use llms.txt

Agencies - Reskill teams to guide AI & audit outputs

Affiliates - Launch microtools + AI-native content experiences

Prize Draws - Mark up draws, prizes, and entry rules via schema

Bingo & Slots - Add RTP, volatility, bonus tags to all games

Final Thought

AI isn’t replacing digital marketers, it’s redefining the toolkit. In the iGaming sector, from sportsbook to sweepstakes, we must:

  • Optimise for AI engines
  • Structure our data
  • Own the compliance narrative

Adapt now or risk becoming invisible in an AI-first web.