Slot Gods meets PlayFrank – exclusive interview
Frankly speaking… player-centric slot site in it for the long haul
Honest, straightforward and frank – that was the aim so that’s how the name ‘PlayFrank’ came about.
At iGB in London in February we caught up with some of the key team at PlayFrank, including Nathan Jessop, Head of Operations and Lloyd Slade, Head of Affiliates and Acquisitions. They shared thoughts on many things slots-related and plenty of things PlayFrank-related.
‘We wanted to be fully transparent in what we were doing,’ Nathan Jessop said, explaining the ethos and values behind PlayFrank. ‘We wanted to be up front with players, to be ‘frank’ in how we communicated and operated. Back in the day there were some sites that didn’t look or feel that great – like they’d been put together in a hurry. We wanted to avoid that, it’s not a good long-term strategy. It’s not us.’
The Slot Gods team with PlayFrank at iGB, London 2024
PlayFrank gets straight to the point and wants players to know it
‘Frankly speaking and so on – it’s the transparency that’s important. PlayFrank – it's definitely a memorable name,’ says Jessop, ‘though a bit of a challenge establishing the brand without the word ‘casino’ or ‘slot’ in the name!
‘I’ll give you some background," continued Jessop. ‘We started with a small team about 9 years ago. The market was quite immature and we saw some brands popping up that we thought really weren't that good.’
And like many smart entrepreneurs in many industries, the team that became PlayFrank decided to do it themselves, only better and with a clear focus.
Forward thinking ahead…
‘We wanted to make it fun, because playing a slot should be fun.’ – Nathan Jessop
‘It was more of a technical team than a marketing driven team.’ And this goes a long way to explain the PlayFrank ethos. Jessop, Slade and the wider PlayFrank team are in it for the long term. They’re not after quick wins in the form of one time (or few times) players spending big and disappearing quickly. Having that technical, as opposed to marketing, focus influenced them in building something with longevity firmly in mind – something sustainable in the truest business sense.
‘We didn't want to put up a brand for the short term. We always try to look at the value of things longer term, not how much we can squeeze out of the players or how much we can gain from an affiliate quickly. We’re looking at the long term.
‘That’s why we focused so much on the user experience.’ – Nathan Jessop
‘We wanted players to enjoy themselves at PlayFrank and a big part of that, obviously, is having fun. The interface is important, the layout, the branding… If it’s a good experience, people come back.
‘That’s also what’s behind the daily challenges. The daily challenges are a way of rewarding players a bit more for achieving a challenge. Once they spend a certain amount of time or reach a certain point, whatever the challenge might be, they could get some extra free spins or a cash pay-out if they complete it. It resets with a different challenge every day, so there's always a good reason to come back.’
But while longevity and sustainability are admirable goals for any business they’re unlikely to be realised without a good customer base. PlayFrank honed in on another vital element in building something to last – players enjoying themselves, having fun and coming back. As well as a reliable and attractive slot site, forging long-lasting relationships with players was key.
‘We want to focus on the “regular slot player” – someone who likes playing a slot game, who wants to have some fun and get value for money. We want to provide a platform where you can enjoy playing your slots and get rewarded for your loyalty and stay with us for many years. We wanted to do something unique in the gaming industry, something that was playful, had a light touch. The work we put into the site design, gamification and user interface all illustrate that.’
No shortcuts in building a slick experience
‘We want players to get value for money.’- Lloyd Slade
Behind the player focus and fun side of things though the PlayFrank team is serious about having a professional, optimally functioning slot site. They religiously keep on top of fixing any glitches, ensuring landing pages function properly, that there are clear CTAs and it’s easy to sign-up. Positive player experience is a must in retaining a loyal player base. They are ‘constantly’ fine-tuning elements of the site.
‘Well, we can do more, probably yes, but…’ Slade comes across as a perfectionist, wanting to ensure PlayFrank players have a good time and want to return. But then with a confident smile: ‘Compared to the competition though, I think we’re quite on the ball.’
‘In terms of games selection, we have an in-house casino manager who basically arranges the games in the lobby. We are focusing in the next couple of months on our homepage – to make it more tailored to what our audience wants.’
PlayFrank has a very simple and slick sign-up process – this user-friendly element matches their ethos: straightforward and keep it simple. It’s a big plus for players when you consider sign-up processes with some other sites can sometimes be a bit clunky.
‘We want players to get value for money – a certain playtime for their buck. How many rounds did he or she play? How much fun did they have? Over how much time? We want to know that the player feels they had a good time.
‘We want the player to think, “This was fun. I will come back the next time a new game comes out or the next time they have a new promotion.”’
It’s clear, talking to PlayFrank, that their focus is very much on their players. They want to keep them long-term, and in order to help achieve that they want to ensure their players have a fun time when they visit PlayFrank. They pride themselves on being responsive when a player contacts them with an issue. It’s about building relationships.
And finally…
‘I want people who play at PlayFrank to remember it as a safe place to gamble.’ - Lloyd Slade
‘Every brand has its problems from time to time,’ said Slade, ‘Partners will tell us very quickly if something is wrong, And as long as we’re responsive, which we are, things will get fixed quickly and the player will get the best journey.’
The PlayFrank team keeps a keen collective eye on the wider industry when it comes to the evolution of gaming elements, players seeking change and variation, player safety and regulatory changes.
Despite ending on a serious note, our conversation with PlayFrank has been upbeat and refreshing. They’re player-focused and certainly in it for the long haul. They’re about building long-term relationships with their players through operating a reliable, user-friendly, trustworthy site. They want to be ‘up front’ in terms of what they offer and how they operate. They want to ‘play frank’.