Chavdar Dimitrov of Betty: Tailoring Gaming for Your Audience and Never Losing Customer Focus

In this episode of CMO Weekly, host Hayley Clover interviews Chavdar Dimitrov, CEO of Betty, an AI gaming company designed for players in Ontario.

Key discussion points include:

Chavdar's Background: Chavdar shares his journey from software engineer to CEO of Betty Canada, including nearly ten years leading engineering at a major gaming tech company. He discusses his long-standing passion for the gaming industry, particularly card games and traditional casino games.

Betty Canada's Marketing Strategy: Dimitrov explains that Betty's success is largely due to its in-house acquisition capabilities and efficient marketing spending. Betty is now focusing more on brand marketing to increase brand awareness, aiming to become the number one gaming brand in Ontario. He highlights successful campaigns like "Find Betty" stickers around Toronto.

Target Audience and Product Features: Betty Canada was created specifically for Ontario players. The company aims to appeal to casual players and has a unique focus on female players, with over 50% of their users being female. Betty focuses on slots-only content, which differentiates it from competitors offering both sports betting and slots. Key features include a minimal deposit of one dollar, no withdrawal limits, instant withdrawals for most transactions, and no wagering requirements on bonuses, all designed to cater to recreational players. Betty also offers a virtual currency for playing slots without a deposit, extending gameplay.

Partnership Strategy: Chavdar discusses Betty's major sponsorships with the Toronto Raptors and the Maple Leafs, emphasizing that these partnerships are about connecting with the community and the shared passion for the teams, rather than just eyeballs.

Measuring Success: Beyond performance-based metrics, Betty tracks its Trustpilot score (currently 4.4, likely the highest in Ontario) and customer feedback from various platforms and its 60-person customer service team.

Future Growth and Industry Outlook: Betty plans to expand its offerings, including a forthcoming bingo product, which aligns with their demographic and values of entertaining and casual gaming. Chavdar foresees more Canadian provinces following Ontario's lead in regulating online gaming, making it safer and more responsible.

Advice for Newcomers: Chavdar advises those entering the AI gaming space to "always adapt" and "focus on the customer," believing that what is good for the customer will be good for the business.

Responsible Gaming and Charity: The conversation touches on responsible gaming and Betty's commitment to it. Chavdar also mentions that 1.5% of revenue generated from online bingo will go to charities.

Rapid Fire Questions: Chavdar shares personal insights, including his favorite city (New York) , his passion for car racing , his hobby of oil painting , his essential app (Revolut) , and his admiration for Ryanair's marketing. He also reveals his drink of choice for mornings is black coffee. If not in gaming, he'd be working with cars.