Holidays Worldwide

Internet gambling is a worldwide industry that touches just about every corner of the globe. Marketing to a diverse, worldwide, audience has its advantages but there are pitfalls, too.
All those billions of potential customers are all operating on different holiday schedules and that’s something gaming affiliates need to keep in mind. After all, marketing cricket wagering to Indians during Diwali or football wagers to Turks during Ramadan is a poor use of resources.
Here are a few of the worldwide holidays to keep in mind when marketing to international audiences.
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year, sometimes called Lunar New Year, starts with the first new moon of the new year and goes on for about 15 days. For Chinese people, no matter where they live, this is a huge event that’s equivalent to Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day all rolled into one.
Land-based casinos are increasingly marketing to Asian players through Lunar year promotions and celebrations and gambling affiliates should be getting in on that action, too.
Ramadan
Ramadan takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is 30-day event that ends with the sighting of the crescent moon. During this time, most Muslims engage in some form of fasting during daylight hours.
The festival is also a time for increased giving to charities and personal reflection. Suffice to say, if you’re promoting sports betting or poker to heavily Islamic demographics, you’ll probably notice a big slump during Ramadan.
This year Ramadan goes from, approximately, July 8-August 7.
Diwali
Diwali is a huge, five-day Hindu festival that’s celebrated in India, Nepal, Fiji, Malaysia and just about anywhere else you’ll find large groups of Hindus. This is a family focused holiday and covers a number of important events in the Hindu religion.
Diwali takes place during the fall and shuts down much of India (so take note cricket affiliates.)
This year Diwali gets going on Sunday, November 15.
Christmas, Boxing Day, Three Kings Day, Feast of the Epiphany
For western facing affiliates, the weeks leading up to Christmas are a tough sell for casino games (though US football is still huge during the holidays.) There’s definitely not much happening on December 25, but that’s not the only part of the Christmas season worth watching.
In almost every British Commonwealth country, or former colony (with the exception of the United States) Boxing Day is a big event. Celebrated the day after Christmas, this holiday has turned into something of shopping holiday and is marked with lots of sales and shopping. With so many people on the move, it’s not the day when most people are hunkered down behind the computer screen.
The Feast of the Epiphany is celebrated 12 days after Christmas and marks the revelation that Jesus was a man. It’s still a big event in many Eastern European countries, though it doesn’t get as much play in Central Europe as it once did. In Spanish speaking countries, it’s referred to as Three Kings Day and is still a pretty big deal.
Taking the time to learn the holidays of the market you’re targeting can help you make the most of your promotion efforts.

Are there any other holidays that you plan your operations around? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.