How to Work with ASO in Betting and Gambling: Full Guide for Media Buyers 2025

• AppFollow, AppTweak, SensorTower are top tools for parsing keywords, analyzing volumes, and competitor insights. 
• Google Trends, Keyword Planner help to see what users are searching for right now. 
• Manual Parsing: Input your queries into the store, note top-ranking apps, their titles, and descriptions.

Examples of Effective Low-Frequency Keywords (Real Queries)

• “Casino without deposit”
• “Sport betting without registration” 
• “Real money slots 2025” 
• “Bonus without deposit” 
• “Bookie live result” 
• “Offline slot machines” 
• “Free spins slots 2025”
• “Sports betting analytics”

Analyze the top 10 competitors using your chosen keywords:

• What kind of screenshots do they use?
• How is their description structured?
  
• What words do they commonly use? 
• How frequently do they refresh their content?
  

Pro Tip: In most cases, long-tail keywords convert better and bypass moderation. Instead of writing “online casino” in the title, write “slot machines without registration 2025.”

Using AppFollow, compare frequencies and rankings over 3–6 months. Track what triggers store responses and identify gaps arising after bans.

• Pack top-performing keywords into the title and subtitle (within store policy guidelines).
• iOS: Separate field for keywords.
• Android: Maximize keyword density in the title and short description.

Examples: “Casino Slots 777 — Free Bonuses 2025″ / “Sports Betting — Predictions and Live Results”

• First Line: Present the key offer or uniqueness of the app (“Only today: 100 free spins”).  
• Following Lines: List benefits, seamlessly integrating keywords.  
• Betting and Gambling Descriptions: Often written in a neutral tone. Avoid explicit references to gambling and emphasize “statistics,” “convenience,” “analysis.”

Tip: Insert “native-like” keywords that pass moderation like “simulator,” “forecast,” “stats,” “analysis,” “bookmaker ratings.”

• Icon: In gambling, the trend of “copying the best” (colors, style, interface elements) usually prevails.
• Screenshots: Show actual functionality, bonuses, and UI without overload.
• Video: Keep it concise and focused on benefits and USP.
• AB Testing: Experiment with screenshot order. Swapping the first image often yields a +10–15% increase in CR.

• Rating Below 4: Hardly any chance of reaching top positions.  
• Real reviews containing relevant keywords strengthen positioning. 
• Incentivized reviews can help at the start, but don’t overdo it as Google and Apple detect fraud.

• Appnext, Yeahmobi, Clickadu, Mobvista, AdAction, Billy Mobile, Jampp are well-known CPI networks covering Latin America and Tier 2/3 regions. 
• Local Buyers: Via Telegram and WhatsApp communities (“Brazil CPI Traffic,” “LATAM CPI Networks,” etc.). 
• Easiest entry through “near-gambling” formats (simulators, bookmaker ratings).

• Avoid Mass Installs: Buying too many installs in a short period can trigger a ban.  
• Optimal Approach: Begin with 200–1,000 installs per day, gradually reducing paid traffic volume to let organic traffic take over the initial surge.  
• After Ranking: Stop purchases upon securing 2–3 target low-frequency keywords and monitor performance.

• Use Tools: Monitor selected keywords’ positions via AppFollow or SensorTower.  
• Organic Growth Evaluation: Adjust creatives if positions begin to decline.

• Select 3-5 Local Language Keywords: Use Google Translate + AppFollow.  
• Initiate Minimum Acceleration: Run 50-200 installs per day.  
• Track CR and Positions: If growth occurs, scale up. If not, adjust creatives or keywords.

• Europe: High competition requires “masking” and strong reviews.  
• Latin America: Organic traffic thrives with proper localization; bans are rare.  
• Asia: Local partner or agency is essential; visual localization is mandatory.  
• China: A standalone market with over 400 app stores and unique requirements (registration, licenses, content filtering).  
• CIS: Large user base actively searching for direct app downloads (“casino with withdrawal,” “free sports betting”).

• Installs: Number of app installations.  
• ITR (Install-to-Registration): Percentage of users registering after installing (optimal: 30-50%).  
• R2D/FTD (Registration-to-Deposit/First-Time Deposit Ratio): Users completing target actions (norm: 15-25%).  
• Retention (1/7/30 Days): User retention rate, indicating organic traffic quality.  
• LTV (Lifetime Value): Average revenue per user.  
• ARPU (Average Revenue Per User): Average revenue generated per user.

• Appsflyer, Adjust, Appmetrica, Firebase — event tracking, funnel analysis, source monitoring.
• AppFollow, AppTweak — position monitoring, reviews tracking, competitive analysis.
• SensorTower, AppAnnie — market data collection and niche forecasting.

• Installation Spikes: Potential fraud or ban alert. 
  
• Sharp Drop in ITR: Issues with registration, irrelevant traffic, or app errors.  
• High Retention and LTV: Indicates proper functioning of organic traffic; ready for scaling.  
• Abnormally High Conversion (70%+): Usually indicates fraud.

• Install Fraud: Motivated traffic with no subsequent activity — users or bots downloading but failing to complete registration.  
• Review Fraud: Fake reviews intended to artificially inflate ratings (Google and Apple detect bulk manipulation).  
• Registration Fraud: Automated/motivated registrations contributing no real value.  
• Deposit Fraud: False or incentivized deposits inflating artificial metrics.
  

• Don’t flood the market too quickly: purchases should mimic human behavior, with pauses and spread over time.
• Don’t overstuff with keywords — spamming leads to immediate penalties.
• Frame gambling and betting as “analytics,” “simulations,” or “bookmaker ratings.”
• Manage Reviews Carefully: Motivation is acceptable, but limit it to 1–2% of total reviews. 
• Regularly update your app to avoid stagnation and bans triggered by store algorithm changes.

• Skewing towards “mass acceleration” leads to bans.
• Failure to analyze retention and LTV — focusing solely on installations.
• Using direct keywords and phrases (“online casino,” “money betting”) won’t pass moderation.
• Ignoring Localization: Texts translated through Google Translate without considering cultural nuances.  
• Ignoring reviews and reputation misses a crucial factor influencing rankings.
  

• Collected over 120 keywords, fully localized into Spanish and Portuguese.
  
• Acceleration: Purchased 4,500 installs via Appnext, Clickadu, and local Telegram buyers.
  
• Three weeks post-release, 60% of installs were organic, ITR was 44%, Day 7 retention was 16%.
  
• Organic LTV was 35% higher than incentivized traffic.
• Takeaway: Localization and copying top-ranked screenshots/icons proved a winning strategy.

• Two App Versions: One with direct keywords (“sports betting,” “bookmaker”); the other with gray-area phrasing (“sports analytics,” “bookmaker ratings”).
  
• Direct version failed moderation, while gray-version entered top-15 for relevant low-frequency keywords.
  
• Acceleration: Used Yeahmobi and incentivized traffic (400 installs/day for 5 days), followed by purely organic traffic.
  
• Over 4 weeks, recorded 5,700 installs, 90% organic, R2D (registration-to-deposit ratio) at 21%, Day 7 retention at 23%.
• Takeaway: In Europe, it’s crucial to mask gambling under analytics or “gameplay” labels; otherwise, bans are imminent.