In this episode of The Future of Consumer Marketing, host Andres Figueira interviews Nancy MacIntyre, CEO of WorldWinner, a 25-year-old skill gaming platform that has paid out over $2 billion in prizes. WorldWinner operates in the rapidly growing real money gaming space, offering head-to-head and multiplayer tournaments across 30+ games including Wheel of Fortune, Scrabble, and Bingo. Through their proprietary fair matching system and strategic partnerships with companies like FanDuel, WorldWinner is expanding beyond traditional “soccer mom” demographics to capture younger, male gamers while maintaining their core value proposition of skill-based competition and guaranteed fairness.

Topics Discussed:

• Transitioning from free-to-play marketing to deposit-focused acquisition strategies

• Building proprietary fair matching systems for skill-based tournaments

• Leveraging AI for creative development and customer relationship management

• Expanding demographic reach through strategic partnerships (FanDuel Face Off)

• Using player behavior metrics (games per player) to evaluate game success

• Creating seamless onboarding experiences that convert free players to paying customers

Lessons For Consumer Marketers:

Pivot Marketing Strategy Based on Customer Psychology, Not Industry Conventions

WorldWinner discovered that marketing their skill games like free-to-play mobile games was ineffective. Their most engaged customers wanted to understand upfront that real money was involved. By shifting to deposit-focused messaging similar to sportsbooks and casinos, they better aligned with customer expectations and improved conversion rates.

Use Behavioral Metrics Over Vanity Metrics to Evaluate Product Success

Rather than focusing on downloads or user acquisition, WorldWinner tracks “games per player” as their primary success metric for new game launches. A game played 10 times per day versus 3 times per day clearly indicates engagement levels and helps them identify which products resonate with different customer segments.

Design Products for Short Engagement Bursts in Competitive Markets

WorldWinner focuses on games that can be completed in 3-5 minutes, understanding that players want quick satisfaction cycles (“I played Scrabble, won $5, let me play again”). This design philosophy creates addictive gameplay loops that work better for monetization than longer-form gaming experiences.

Leverage Employee Product Usage for Authentic Customer Understanding

Every WorldWinner employee has a player account and actively uses the platform. Nancy herself has played over 18,000 games in the past year. This company-wide product immersion ensures all team members understand the customer experience from onboarding through withdrawal, leading to more informed product and marketing decisions.

Target Adjacent Customer Behaviors Rather Than Demographics

WorldWinner recognized that over 70% of gamers have gambled in the last year, whether through lottery tickets, daily fantasy sports, or casinos. Instead of competing solely within skill gaming, they positioned themselves within the broader real money gaming ecosystem, leading to partnerships and expansion opportunities.

Balance Fun and Monetization as Equally Critical Success Factors

Nancy emphasizes that successful games require both exceptional fun factor and clear monetization strategy. Games that are only fun but can’t monetize fail as businesses, while over-monetized games drive away players. The key is creating monetization that feels organic to the gameplay experience.