Brian Christopher is the leading influencer in the gaming industry, having appeared today at the Canadian Gaming Summit (CGS) in Toronto to talk about the impact of influencer partnerships, alongside Oliver Bartlett, Vice President of Gaming, Product & Content at BetMGM. 

50 Million Video Views Each Month 

BC Ventures is Christopher's casino gaming content enterprise, featuring brands like BCSlots.com, BCBets, BCSpins, FlipTheSwitch.com, and BCSlots Cruises, attracting more than 2 million subscribers and 50 million video views each month. 

BC Ventures engages 8 million individuals each month through social media platforms, events, and programming. 

BetMGM Representative 

During last year's CGS, Christopher and BetMGM revealed their partnership, with Christopher serving as the Official Ambassador for the igaming company. 

Christopher hails from Canada, making CGS a perfect chance to return to familiar ground and discuss his most recent projects. Last year, he met with Canadian Gaming President and CEO Paul Burns during a CGS panel

discussion. 

After his discussion on Stage 2 at CGS, taking place this week at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Christopher headed to Casino Rama in Orillia, Ont., to debut his new branded slot machine. 

Brian Christopher and husband Marco Bianchi, SVP, Operations, BC Ventures, at the Canadian Gaming Summit going on in Toronto. Image/Mark Keast.

14 Initial Subscribers 

Christopher mentioned that it was nine years prior when he uploaded his initial slot video on his YouTube Channel, which he indicated started with 14 subscribers. Each week he is organizing a gaming event in various locations globally, featuring numerous in-person gatherings or live streams. His business currently employs a dozen workers. 

What Defines an Effective Slot Streamer? 

Christopher believes that a great slot streamer can be summed up in one word: Authenticity.

"You have to really have a good connection with the audience,” he said. “And that was something that I went for on Day 1. Many people online won’t show their own face. They’ll show the slot play, which is exciting. But what I’ve learned is that people don’t watch YouTube videos for the video. They’re watching for the person.”

It invites the audience into his life, drawing in viewers (50-50 male/female, covering all age groups) and making it personal and relatable. That’s what sets it apart. 

Famous Lifestyle 

For Christopher, the reality of celebrity life and its accompanying demands hits harder when he enters a casino.

"When I meet a fan, they literally treat me like I’m a humongous celebrity,” he said. “It’s the biggest thing in their life to meet me. They’re shaking. Some of them cry. They’ll like, throw gifts at me. But I’m the best kind of celebrity there is, because in public, I’m no one, right? I can walk down the street, I can have a normal life. Everything’s great. As soon as I step into a casino, it’s a totally different thing. So I love it. I think it’s great.”

An essential element of being genuine with his audience involves using his own funds. This entails losing money. Christopher states it’s the largest cost for his business, and his business cannot deduct gambling losses. Many YouTubers choose to use fake money instead. 

What Makes a Good Slot Game?

“It has to be real play. We’re supposed to be influencing people’s choices, and the reason that we are able to influence their choices is because we’re doing it in a natural situation,” Christopher said.  “This is not an advertisement. This is not me saying these are the reasons you should play this game. It’s living it. It’s breathing it, and it’s 100% natural. You know, I’m not acting up there. This is me having fun and enjoying it.”

Christopher often mentioned that he isn't playing a game from one of his sponsors. He simply desires to engage in various games. His list of "favorites" is constantly changing, a fact that his fans engage with. 

What elements make up an excellent slot game? 

“I’m just like anybody else,” he said. “I get attracted by a big jackpot number at the top of the screen, or just the theme, if the theme speaks to me.

Million Dollar Inquiry 

He stated that people desire the reward. 

“There’s got to be a goal, something that they’re trying to achieve,” said Christopher. “And I think that’s why the triple pot games are everywhere now, and they’re exploding. People can see them growing, getting bigger, and they’re like, this is gonna be really good bonus. You know there’s going to be a payoff in the end.

"There’s other games that just are relatable, whether it’s a theme or a movie or something that you’ve seen before, that’s going to make you go for it. I love feature heavy games. We call them shaky shakies. The industry calls them features. Something’s about to happen. You always want to see what the payoff is going to be. So something that keeps you interested, and keeps you playing.

“I tell my fans all the time, the moment that the fun goes away, so do I. I’m done. If I no longer get excited about my play, I have to go.”

Influencing Ability 

Christopher mentioned that he assists his audience in navigating the multitude of choices they encounter upon entering a casino, and that’s something they value. 

“When you walk through a casino, you’re going see demos going off, and they always hit the jackpot, right?,” he said. “It’s not really believable. But that’s why people love watching our videos. Because they will watch my video, they’ll see me playing a game they’ve never seen before. And then when they go to the casino, next time, they’re going to see that game, they know how it plays. They know what the bonus looks like. So that’s really exciting, because otherwise, you go to a casino, there’s hundreds of games. But if they watched a video where I got a bonus, they want to give that game a shot.”