SafeCharge Launches Index of Payments in Gaming 2016

LONDON, February 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research shows key focus of gaming merchants in 2016 is increased conversions 

ICE totally Gaming - SafeCharge (AIM: SCH), a leader in advanced payment technologies, today announces the launch of the annual Index of Payments in Gaming 2016, which is an industry sentiment survey of payments issues polling C-level leaders in key Gaming Companies. The survey was designed to give an indication of key priorities and concerns around payments and to examine where the industry pendulum sits between maximum payment flexibility/player conversions and concerns around compliance and fraud.

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Headline Results 

• Gaming Companies are keen to maximise conversions globally. 100% of survey respondents say they strongly agree that offering players multiple payment channels is important and 76% say that offering local payment methods is essential.
• Increasing ease and flexibility for players is key - familiar branded payment pages and instant are desirable payouts. 85% strongly agree (and 15% agree) that offering localisation capabilities can expand global business and 85% of respondents agree branded payment pages are important as is offering instant payouts. 
• Fraud and compliance are ongoing issues for gaming company leaders. 77% of respondents say it's possible to detect fraudulent player behaviour in real-time without damaging approval ratios. There is confidence in current solutions and risk solutions continue to remain important.
• 53% of the sample employ PCI descoping. Merchants recognise the importance of descoping players' sensitive credit card data to PCI experts. The merchant is able to shift the responsibility of protecting payment data and is no longer a target for potential attacks.

"Merchants need to increase conversions by offering simple, secure payment solutions to their global players. Within the gaming industry competition is fierce and margins lower, with merchants fighting for every player." comments Shemer Katz, Chief Marketing Officer, SafeCharge.  "This research confirms that our commitment to maximise increased conversions for our gaming merchants is in sync with top industry sentiment. We will achieve this by offering multiple payment channels, alternative payment methods to enable global expansion and branded payment pages. Although merchants feel that conversions are currently the overriding concern we cannot downgrade our focus on risk and still need to stress its importance."

Index and survey key facts  

• Initial survey of 13 C-level leaders in Gaming 
• A series of multi choice questions with weighted answers plus two open questions on the future of the industry

 About SafeCharge   

SafeCharge International Group Limited is a global provider of payments services, risk management and IT solutions for online businesses. The SafeCharge group has a diversified, blue chip client base and is a trusted payment partner for customers from various e-commerce verticals. SafeCharge has been Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard ("PCI-DSS") Level 1 certified since 2007 and is listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM market (LSE: SCH). The Company's wholly owned subsidiary, SafeCharge Limited, is an authorized Electronic Money Institution regulated by the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC), and a principal member of MasterCard Europe and Visa Europe. The SafeCharge group has operations in the UK, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Israel, Germany, Austria and Ireland. http://www.safecharge.com

SafeCharge International Group Limited
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Tim Mickley
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