If there’s one clear consensus that came out of the G2E expo this year, it’s that player rewards and loyalty programs are changing. They have to. 

We knew this before G2E. We’ve been talking about the evolution of casino loyalty programs for years. 

But this year, it’s never been clearer. 

With the explosion of AI, the proliferation of personalization expectations and the changing demographics of players, loyalty means something different in 2026. 

The changing expectations for player loyalty 

Loyalty has been at the heart of traditional player reward schemes for decades, and over that time, we’ve all seen how well they work. 

They increase footfall. They encourage return visits. They promote higher spending at your property. 

But over the last few years, their effectiveness has begun to wane. Players are bombarded with loyalty schemes everywhere, and they have more choice than ever before as to where they want to play.

More importantly, players are more aware of the value of their loyalty. Players recognise the power of their loyalty, and they have new levels of expectations from player rewards schemes.

They include: 

1. An emotional connection with your brand 

The newest generations of players – Millennials and Gen-Z – value how a brand makes them feel. They don’t just want to spend with a business, they want to interact and engage with you. They want to feel emotionally connected, like they’re part of something. 

Platforms like Gift & Go can help casinos strengthen this connection by sending meaningful, personalized rewards – on birthdays for example – that help players feel valued beyond the gaming floor. 

Increasingly, casinos need to focus on a sense of community and culture for their loyalty programs too, to help players feel understood. 

2. A desire for experiences over transactions 

Because of this expectation of an emotional connection, the next generation of players don’t see loyalty and rewards schemes as transactional. They want it to feel experiential. They want rewards beyond the casino floor.

They don’t just want free play rewards or money off stays. They want rewards that are real and relevant to their preferences – a meal at their favourite restaurant or a kitchen appliance that matches their taste and style. 

And they’d prefer these rewards to feel natural – like a dessert brought to their table to celebrate a special occasion or a birthday gift shipped automatically to their homes. 

The next generation player reward software can do that for casinos.

3. A connected, integrated ecosystem

Living in a mobile-first, inter-connected digital world, the next generation of players expect the same from their loyalty programs. 

Players see no reason why they can’t play on the casino floor and on their mobiles. They want updates and notifications on their phone about upcoming gifting days, and seamless sign in experiences across apps, websites, slot machines and kiosks. 

They expect all their player data – their history and preferences – all available, every time they play, with instant recommendations for the best gift options.

Mobile apps, connected profiles, machine-to-device handoffs – these are essential if you want to meet those changing expectations and drive loyalty. And software like Gift & Go helps marketers maximise their communications and increase multi-channel reach.

4. Personal recognition and recommendations 

Most importantly, players in 2026 are demanding a more personal experience from reward programs. They need to see that your program gets them – that it understands who they are, what they like, what they dislike and why they visit. 

They expect to be remembered every time they check in or log in. They want to see offers and rewards that are highly relevant to them – not generic discounts and incentives that every player gets. 

And they want the freedom to choose and customize their own redemptions – size, colour, style and everything in between. Software like Gift & Go – effortlessly integrated with your existing systems – can do all of this and more. 

How personalization drives engagement 

To create that interconnected, emotionally-driven experience, your loyalty schemes must prioritize personalization – which the Gift & Go platform was built to deliver. 

Personalization at every opportunity – not just token gestures and basic merge fields. Hyper-personalization. 

That means: 

• Collecting and identifying player data from every source, using integrations and APIs to connect to your player reward platform 
• Using AI to learn about player behavior and adapt programs and recommendations based on those findings
• Replacing traditional, static-based redemptions with flexible reward choices that align with player preferences and recommend relevant sizes and styles

Get it right, and hyper-personalization shows your players you truly care about them and their custom. And they’ll reward you with their loyalty, and will be far more likely to recommend your program to friends and family. 

Gift & Go can help. 

Boosting loyalty with Gift & Go 

If you want to reimagine player loyalty and your reward programs, you need software that supports the shift from points and perks to purpose and personalization. 

You need software that can support emotional connections with players, driving a gifting experience that engages again and again.

Software like Gift & Go. 

Software that can use your player behaviour data to hyper-personalize rewards, automatically suggesting the gifts your players will love, every time (and giving the flexibility to customize). 

All without costing you any more than traditional reward programs. 

See for yourself. 

Book a demo today.