Gambling is one of the so-called evergreen verticals that remain profitable and attractive for many years. This attracts a large number of advertisers and, of course, arbitrageurs to the niche, leading to high competition and increasing advertising costs. Moreover, in some countries, gambling is socially condemned or prohibited by law.
Therefore, it is often necessary to pretend that one is promoting something less controversial than a casino. What does this "disguise" of gambling campaigns achieve?
To make all of this work, test less frequent and less obvious keywords that are somehow related to casinos. Your audience will understand what you are promoting, but moderators (especially if they are bots) might not immediately recognize the disguised "casino."
Therefore, it is often necessary to pretend that one is promoting something less controversial than a casino. What does this "disguise" of gambling campaigns achieve?
- The opportunity to discover new approaches and reach audience segments that have not been targeted before.
- It is easier to compete and rank higher on less competitive keywords rather than attempting to bid on highly competitive ones like "online casino."
- Major traffic sources, such as Facebook and TikTok, prohibit advertisements for gambling and related content. By employing "workarounds," you can attract significant traffic even from stringent sources.
To make all of this work, test less frequent and less obvious keywords that are somehow related to casinos. Your audience will understand what you are promoting, but moderators (especially if they are bots) might not immediately recognize the disguised "casino."
That which cannot be named
In linguistics, there is a concept called euphemisms. These are words and expressions used to replace something that may sound harsh or inappropriate, potentially offending the interlocutor. In simpler terms, it's a way to soften a statement and sound more polite and neutral (e.g., "economically inactive" instead of "unemployed"). Euphemisms can also be useful for promoting products that might not be highly regarded in certain GEOs or traffic sources.
We have a small selection of keywords that can replace the word "казино" (casino) in campaigns for RU, EN, FR, IT. Users will still understand what is being referred to, but bot moderators might not always catch it.
Several main approaches can be distinguished:
Additionally, you can add the words "live" and "online" to almost every keyword and include the user's location tag.
We have a small selection of keywords that can replace the word "казино" (casino) in campaigns for RU, EN, FR, IT. Users will still understand what is being referred to, but bot moderators might not always catch it.
Several main approaches can be distinguished:
- Names of games, actors, or items related to casinos.
- Euphemisms for the word "казино" (casino).
- Various calls to action, promises of perks, and big winnings.
Additionally, you can add the words "live" and "online" to almost every keyword and include the user's location tag.
Opinions of experts
We also consulted with SEO specialists on the topic of using synonyms and euphemisms, and we learned how challenging it can be to select synonyms and whether it's worth doing at all.
There is no concept of "beneficial" or "unbeneficial" in this case; there is a need for it because of LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing). And if we think without using complex words and definitions, everything is quite simple. Every text has an acceptable keyword density, meaning that a specific keyword should not be included more than once every N characters. It is precisely in this case that synonyms and thematically related words (phrases) help us. And, of course, by doing so, you expand the page's semantics.
However, there is another opinion that suggests creating a separate page for each synonym. To avoid cannibalization in this case, one must handle synonyms with care.
Whatever approach you take, synonyms and thematically related phrases are essential. If you want more organic traffic to your website, it's a must-do. Another advantage of using synonyms, metaphors, jargon, and the like is the opportunity to rank higher for lower-frequency queries. In other words, initially, you may rank well for a synonym, which will improve the PageRank of the page, helping it to move up for a more competitive keyword. It sounds logical, doesn't it
Alex SEO Nomad - owner of SEO Dream Team
One can argue about this topic for a long time, but I believe that the number of synonyms in a text depends on the stage of promotion. If it's the initial launch, then only target keywords should be used. The use of synonyms can be possible to diversify the text when all target keywords are already included. If it's not the launch phase but rather the improvement of the website, then articles can be added and rewritten, and synonyms can be incorporated.
Using keyword variations is crucial, especially for different GEOs with the same language. For example, the UK and India share the same language, but their slang differs. Thus, a page written for India might appear suspicious or spammy to the British audience. To familiarize yourself with the slang used in specific GEOs, you can study top-ranking articles for the main keyword in that location.
You can still get banned with keywords like WIN, play and earn money, tricks, cheat, hack. Generally, the ban arises from the illegality of the topic, which is often the case when promoting illegal themes in GEOs where there is a regulator. However, if we are talking about a shadow ban from Google, it is unlikely. We write content for specific queries, and if such an illegal query is already a significant keyword, it means that it has statistical significance, and the answers to it are needed. So, this ban is improbable.
Galina Bakusheva is the author of the channel "SEOshnitsa"
Keywords for the Russian language
Related terms
- baccarat
- blackjack
- game
- deposit
- cards
- keno
- deck
- poker
- slots
- spins
- sports lottery
Euphemisms
- gambling games
- slot machine hall
- big wins (in a gambling context)
- casino
- gaming establishment
- casino (colloquial term)
- roulette
Calls to action and incentives
- without wagering (no minimum number of bets)
- no playthrough (no specific conditions for bonus withdrawal)
- free spins
- big win
- VIP games
- win big money
- jackpot
- millionaire
- beat the odds
- catch a bonus
- get a bonus
- bet on luck
- hit the jackpot
- win a fortune
- free spins
Keywords for the English language
Related terms
- active players
- baccarat
- boost balance
- cards
- craps table
- dealer/live dealer
- funny money (a game of "candy wrappers")
- jackpot
- keno/keno games
- machines/slot machines
- parlay bet
- punto banco
- reels
- roulette
- sabong
- slots/slots game/slots online
- spins
- wheel of fortune
- pokies
You can use the names of any games, pay special attention to the games popular in the target GEO (for example, the Japanese will perfectly understand the key pachinko, which refers to the hall with slots).
Euphemisms
- azino(redirects to casino)
- earning app
- looking for players
- rolete online/game (redirects to roulette)
- table games
Calls to action and incentives
- big win
- bonus/get bonus
- fortune
- free chips
- free spins
- millionaire/road to a millionaire
- try your luck
- win
Keywords for the French language
For campaigns in French and many other languages, keywords with game names in English also work well.
Related terms
- aviator (popular game)
- banque (=bank)
- boule (= roulette)
- cashback
- flambeur (high roller)
- football studio (popular game)
- gamble
- jetons («wrappers»)
- live dealer
- parier (= place bets)
- rouleaux (= drums)
- roulette/roulette de table
- tours (= backs)
- wager (= bet)
Euphemisms
- jeux de table (= gambling)
- jeux en ligne (=online games)
- jouer safe
- mode fan/mode gratuit (=the game of "candy wrappers")
Calls to action and incentives
- aucun dépôt requis (= no deposit required)
- bonus
- bonus de bienvenue (= welcome bonus)
- bonus gratuit (= bonus as a gift)
- bonus sans dépôt (= no deposit bonus)
- boost balance
- créer un compte (=create an account)
- gagner (= win)
- jackpot
- martingale (martingale, a betting management strategy)
- max bet
- tours gratis/gratuits (=free spins)
Keywords for the Italian language
Interestingly, in the case of Italian, the word "casino" primarily means "a small house" or "cottage," and only then "gambling establishment." So, using "casino" directly in the text is more acceptable than in other languages.
Related terms
- account di gioco (= player account)
- allibratore (gambling provider)
- bankroll
- bet
- bobine (= drums)
- briscola (card game)
- buio (= blind bid)
- carousel (variety of slots)
- chips
- croupier
- dealer
- deposito (=deposit)
- fiches (= chips)
- gioca (=play)
- giocare (= play)
- giocatori (= players)
- giro (=spin)
- licenza/licenzione (= license)
- linea (= line)
- ricarica (= deposit)
- roulette
- rulli (= drums)
- slot
- slot meccaniche (traditional slots)
Euphemisms
- casa da gioco (= gambling house)
- Come Quando Fuori Piove (as if when it's raining outside: cuori —"if" ♥, quadri — "when" ♦, fiori — "it's raining outside" ♣, picche —"as" ♠)
- giochi online (=online games)
Calls to action and incentives
- bacio della fortuna (kiss of fortune)
- bonus
- bonus di benvenuto (=welcome bonus)
- free roll
- free spin
- giri gratis (= free spins)
- grande vincita (= big win)
- martingala (martingale, betting management strategy)
- prelievo (= payment, withdrawal of funds)
Conclusion
In the language, there are more than enough words to describe the same phenomenon differently. Moreover, users are willing to see hints and, if necessary, even rack their brains to gain access to something "forbidden." Therefore, inventiveness and variety in keywords and approaches are only advantageous. Explore local slang, find less obvious expressions associated with gambling, like "dough" and card suits for Italians.