Martyn Hannah discusses how Comparasino’s ITVX debut is branding the search process itself to set a new benchmark for trust and player-matching technology in the 40 per cent RGD era.
Comparasino has just made its TV debut on ITVX. In an era where many affiliates are scaling back due to regulatory pressure and tax hikes, why are you doubling down on high-profile brand awareness now?
The UK online casino market has splintered into two factions: the regulated and the unregulated. A growing issue for the industry is that players, often overwhelmed by choice, don’t always know whether they’re engaging with a licensed site or an unlicensed one.
We believe the vast majority of UK players favour safety, security and guaranteed payouts over inflated bonuses and unlimited spin stakes. This is the core reason behind our ITVX launch.
We want to engage with players on a platform they already trust. ITVX has incredibly high compliance standards, and our ad successfully navigating the Clearcast green-light process is a significant milestone. By being present in this space, we’re signalling to both players and operators that Comparasino is reputable, trustworthy and strictly compliant.
Especially now, with the 40 per cent Remote Gaming Duty (RGD) hike placing immense pressure on the regulated sector, it’s more important than ever to advocate for the licensed market. We aren’t just an online casino comparison site, we’re a bridge to a safer environment in which players can discover new online casinos and sign up with confidence.
Through this ITVX ad campaign, we plan to become the primary channel through which discerning players find the UKGC-licensed casinos that truly match their preferences.
The ad emphasises your “Recommendation Engine”. How does this technology address the specific pain points of the UK player in 2026?
Players are fundamentally fatigued. The traditional journey of using a search engine often leaves them in a choice paralysis loop, unsure if the brands being pushed at them are licensed, trustworthy or even offer what they actually want.
This complexity has peaked. Between the 10x wagering cap, tiered stake limits (£2/£5) and the rollout of frictionless affordability checks, the regulatory landscape is a lot for a casual player to navigate. The Comparasino Recommendation Engine is the antidote to that spin.
By sharing simple preferences – bonus type, preferred payment method, minimum deposit, withdrawal speed, etc – players receive an instant, personalised list of matching online casinos.
They can sign up confident that every brand not only offers exactly what they’re looking for, but that it’s also been manually vetted by our team and is 100 per cent compliant with the latest UKGC standards. We’ve turned a confusing, high-friction process into a 30-second match-making experience.
We’ve just entered the 40 per cent RGD era. How does Comparasino help operators who are now dealing with significantly thinner margins on their GGR?
The reality of the 40 per cent tax rate is that the spray and pray model of customer acquisition is dead. Operators simply can’t afford the cost of bonus hunters who deposit once and churn. In this high-tax environment, every marketing pound spent must deliver a player with high Lifetime Value.
Our Recommendation Engine is built for this exact margin-squeeze era. Because we pre-qualify players based on their specific needs before they click, the traffic we send to operators is high-intent.
If a player specifically filters for a £5 minimum deposit or bonuses with no wagering requirements and we recommend a casino brand that offers both, they’re significantly more likely to convert and, more importantly, stay for the long term.
We aren’t just sending clicks, we’re sending matched customers who fit the operator’s specific product ecosystem. In a 40 per cent RGD world, efficiency is the only way to remain profitable.
You’ve spoken recently about the Comparasino Member Zone as a CRM tool. How does this bring stability to your business during these “taxing” times?
Most affiliates are focused purely on the front-end of acquisition, but that creates a “click once and done” business model. With acquisition costs at an all-time high, for us as a comparison site and for operators facing 40 per cent RGD, that model is no longer sustainable. It’s too expensive to treat every user as a one-time visitor.
The Comparasino Member Zone allows us to own our audience and drive significantly higher Lifetime Value. Our proprietary technology allows us to update a member’s list of matching brands in real-time as we onboard new partners that fit their specific “locked-in” preferences.
Crucially, this moves us away from a total reliance on search engines. We’ve seen the SERPs in a state of near-constant meltdown recently following the Q1 algorithm updates. By building a direct, authentic relationship with our users, we insulate ourselves from that volatility.
The goal is to foster the UK’s largest community of informed players who no longer have to search for an online casino. Instead, they simply sit tight and wait for the perfect match to land in their Comparasino Member Zone. It’s about moving from a search-led experience to a discovery-led one.
With your background at EGR, years of consulting and previous comparison sites you’ve successfully exited, you’ve seen many “pivotal” moments in the UK. Where does the current climate rank, and how is Comparasino positioned for the next 12 months?
I’ve seen the industry weather many storms, but the current climate is unique. The 40 per cent RGD hike is the “great filter”. We’re entering a phase where the businesses that survive won’t just be the ones with the biggest budgets, but the ones that embrace transparency, fairness and proprietary tech.
Operators are essentially working to a survival mandate right now. In that environment, the focus has to shift away from raw traffic volume toward the acquisition of high-intent, high-quality players who stay loyal.
At Comparasino, we’ve already proven that we can deliver high-value, low-churn players at scale. We do this by actually understanding consumer preferences and personalising the journey of discovery, rather than just selling a position on a list.
The launch of our ITVX campaign is the catalyst for our next phase. It’s designed to expedite our growth, build brand awareness at an unprecedented level and solidify Comparasino as the definitive go-to platform for UK players who want a smarter, safer way to play.
Over the next 12 months, while the market recalibrates, we’ll be doubling down on our tech and branding to ensure we remain the most efficient partner for regulated operators and, more importantly, that we help even more players discover online casinos that hit their jackpot.
The post Prime-Time Personalisation: Why Comparasino is Taking its “Smarter Search” Mission to ITVX appeared first on G3 Newswire.
Martyn Hannah discusses how Comparasino’s ITVX debut is branding the search process itself to set a new benchmark for trust and player-matching technology in the 40 per cent RGD era. Comparasino has just made its TV debut on ITVX. In an era where many affiliates are scaling back due to regulatory pressure and tax hikes,…
The post Prime-Time Personalisation: Why Comparasino is Taking its “Smarter Search” Mission to ITVX appeared first on G3 Newswire.