Casino PPC Strategy Lowers CPA, Increases Spend

Coral is a leading high-street bookmaker in the UK and as part of the Gala Coral group forms part of one of the pre-eminent integrated betting and gaming companies in Europe.

"With the guidance and support of our search partner TMI, Coral have managed to double our PPC budget and retain CPA rates across multi- platforms on mobile and desktop, leading to a 500% return on investment within 12 months. Their 24 hour support and meticulous account management make them the perfect agency for an ever-evolving industry like gaming."

Alexis Zamboglou Director of Marketing, Ladbrokes Coral Group

Objective(s) & Budget

The goal was to scale spend while reducing CPA, despite a target 27% below the industry standard. This became even more challenging amid rising CPCs in the Casino vertical, where some terms soared beyond £150 per click over the past 18 months.

Target Audience & Strategy

Operating within a limited budget, the focus was on making every click count. The approach prioritised increasing conversion rate, minimising CPCs by targeting long-tail terms to avoid the most expensive auctions, and maximising Quality Score.

DoubleClick Search Bid Rules

We launched with 13,120 long-tail keywords and implemented DoubleClick Search Positional Bid Rules, allowing up to two bid changes per hour. This enabled continuous optimisation, revealing that higher ad positions consistently delivered stronger conversion rates. Through rigorous testing, we identified the position that offered the best balance between CPC and conversion performance.

Landing Page Development

Working closely with the client, we rolled out customised landing pages for individual games—such as roulette, blackjack, and slots. This granular approach improved both Quality Score and conversion rates by aligning page content with user intent.

Custom Ad Copy

To maximise CTR, enhance Quality Score, and reduce CPC, we wrote 2,800 highly relevant ads across 3,000 active ad groups. Each ad was tailored to match long-tail queries, improving click volume and user engagement at scale.