The goal behind every marketing strategy for any given product is to form an unbreakable bond between the product and the consumer. If, even by association, an end-user forms a negative opinion of a brand – be it a razor blade to a car manufacturer – the competition in the market place is so fierce that the likelihood of such a consumer returning to that brand is incredibly small – less than 5%. The Internet revolution has transformed the notion of brand identity and consumer loyalty, and the realm of online casinos is no different.

Research in the early years of the new millennium showed that nearly 80% of players were dissatisfied with the customer service offered by their “favourite” online casino. The general consensus was that the casinos were only too eager to take deposits but when problems arose – be they through withdrawals, game play or confusing terms and conditions – players found it difficult to contact their customer service department and suffered from long delays in correspondence.

Recent studies, however, show that UK casinos have reversed this situation. Recognising the rapid expansion of the online casino industry, the UK government passed the Gambling Act 2005, which in turn brought about the creation of the UK Gambling Commission. Established to regulate all forms of the gambling industry, the Commission boasted powers to suspend, fine or even dissolve gambling operations that did not provide evidence of fairness and transparency. Soon after its creation, the Commission quickly asserted its authority in a number of high profile cases that rapidly inspired the rest of the industry to clean up its act.

Such a well-regulated atmosphere inspired fresher, smaller online casinos to enter the marketplace. With social-networks, blogs and other information services available twenty-four hours a day, such fledgling companies could ill-afford to mistreat their customers, and to gain any market share had to innovate in both products and services, offering casino bonuses that undercut some of the larger firms. This increased competition pushed the larger, established companies to continually improve their own services, to the degree that the dissatisfaction level recorded by UK consumers regarding their regular online gambling haunts has plummeted to around 5% - a figure that reflects the popularity of both the online gambling industry and the customer service that it now provides, with consumer loyalty now at an all-time high.