Gaming1 Reports Significant Gains from TrafficGuard’s Google Ads Solution

Gaming1 has publicly stated that the deployment of TrafficGuard’s Search solution on Circus-Casino.be immediately reduced invalid paid search traffic and redirected over 11.3% of its annual marketing budget toward genuine new player acquisition. The company also cited an 11.5% improvement in sales conversions, attributing these performance uplifts directly to TrafficGuard's controls on their Google Ads campaigns.

Focus on Reducing Paid Search Waste for Gaming Operators

Gaming1, operating in Belgium with Circus-Casino.be, sought to tackle inefficiency in its digital advertising by targeting invalid traffic and non-incremental clicks generated via Google Ads. The integration began on 1 September in Liège, with objectives anchored on better audience targeting, reducing acquisition cost inflation, and tightening compliance with Belgium’s regulatory environment.

How TrafficGuard’s Solution Targeted Invalid and Non-Incremental Traffic

TrafficGuard’s analytics determined that 97% of Gaming1’s brand clicks came not from potential first-time depositors, but from existing players logging in. This behaviour—repeated clicks on brand keywords by returning users—was driving up paid search costs without new customer growth. To counter this, TrafficGuard implemented click-frequency controls at the individual level, suppressing redundant paid ad triggers for users trying to log in multiple times.

"In high-CPC verticals like sports betting, returning users tend to drive repeat clicks on branded terms to log in, while bots and other invalid traffic concentrate on higher-CPC generic terms. Even small volumes of either can significantly distort acquisition costs and optimisation signals at scale," said Mathew Ratty, CEO at TrafficGuard.

The company claims the technology enables real-time identification of repeat organic users and bots, safeguarding acquisition budgets and focusing spend only where it delivers measurable incremental growth.

Measurable Outcomes: Budget Unlocked and Performance Gains

Gaming1’s internal analysis after the initial reporting period indicated clear cost savings and conversion gains:

• Over 11.3% of the annual marketing budget was "unlocked" by filtering out invalid and non-incremental paid search clicks
• Sales conversions increased by 11.5% following implementation
• Quantifiable paid clicks were identified and reallocated to initiatives targeting new depositing players
• Enhanced accuracy in reporting customer acquisition cost (CAC) and return on ad spend (ROAS)

Simon Wood, Head of Performance Marketing at Gaming1, said, "Paid search is one of our most commercially sensitive channels, and we needed more efficient audience acquisition. TrafficGuard gave us that clarity. Unlocking over 11% of our annual budget and seeing an immediate uplift in conversions confirmed the optimisation opportunity identified through our initial analysis — a significant share of our brand spend simply wasn't driving incremental growth. It's now one of the most impactful optimisation levers we've deployed."

Implications for iGaming Paid Search Strategy

The findings highlight a recurring challenge in sports betting and casino marketing, where a mix of returning customer clicks and invalid automated traffic (including bots) can distort acquisition data and escalate advertising spend. With high cost-per-click (CPC) rates in these verticals, both Gaming1 and TrafficGuard suggest systematic monitoring for non-incremental engagement is necessary if the goal is efficient spend on new player acquisition.

TrafficGuard emphasised that its deployment took account of Google’s advertising policies as well as local compliance demands in Belgium, a regulated market with particularly strict controls around marketing conduct and ad targeting.

Redefining Metrics for Acquisition and Optimisation

Gaming1 reported that redirecting budget and focusing on conversion quality improved not only spend efficiency but also integrity in performance reporting. TrafficGuard’s solution provided visibility into which clicks genuinely contributed to new FTD (first-time depositor) acquisition, separating out the background noise of habitual user logins and automated invalid traffic.

Both companies frame this safeguarding of advertising spend as enabling more responsive Smart Bidding models in Google Ads and higher overall traffic quality into conversion funnels—an increasingly important competitive edge for B2B platform vendors managing client budgets.

Next Steps for Gaming Sector Marketers

Vendors and operators watching this implementation may explore similar fraud prevention and traffic validation tools, especially where high-volume paid search campaigns are a core channel. The case also underlines growing demand for reporting solutions that split true incremental acquisition from habitual behaviour and invalid activity—key for demonstrating advertising ROI in regulated markets and for platform compliance teams managing cross-market spend.

For more updates on digital marketing solutions in the sector, see news and b2b sections.