Appcharge Payment Links gave MGM Slots Live a fast, low-friction path to direct player revenue, with a conversion rate that kept climbing.
At a Glance
Partnership Details
MGM Slots Live is one of the leading studios in Playstudios, a mobile casino game with a loyal base of high-value players.
To grow their direct-to-consumer revenue, they partnered with Appcharge to launch Payment Links: an alternative billing solution that lets US players purchase in-game items directly within the game flow, outside of iOS and Android billing, with added incentives and a fully integrated checkout backed by Appcharge’s merchant of record stack.
The Opportunity
MGM Slots Live already had a DTC strategy in motion. They operate “myVIP” web store, built in-house, that collectively account for a meaningful share of player spend. What they were missing was a lighter, faster route to capture purchase intent at the moment it happens, inside the game itself.
Payment Links offered exactly that. Rather than directing players to a separate storefront, it lets MGM Slots Live present an alternative purchase option at the point of transaction, with extra value built in to make the choice obvious.
The challenge wasn’t technical complexity. It was speed. MGM Slots Live needed a partner who could move at their pace, not one that would add weeks of back-and-forth to the timeline.
The Solution
The Appcharge team worked directly alongside MGM Slots Live to configure Payment Links smoothly, connect it to their existing infrastructure, and go live – with no extended scoping or bottlenecks.
What Appcharge delivered:
- Payment Links: an alternative billing option presented to US players at the point of purchase, directly within the game flow, with incentives to drive DTC adoption.
- Integrated checkout: hundreds of payment method options, fast-loading, and built to convert from the first transaction.
- Full merchant of record stack: sales tax, refunds, disputes, and all compliance handled by Appcharge.
The Results
39% DTC Revenue Share from Payment Links alone
Within weeks of going live, Payment Links accounted for 39% of total MGM Slots Live revenue. That’s not 39% of DTC spend. It’s 39% of the game’s entire revenue base, captured through a channel that didn’t exist before the partnership.
Combined with MGM Slots Live’s existing myVIP web stores, their total DTC revenue share now sits at 60%.
Conversion rate climbing to 80%
MGM Slots Live’s checkout conversion rate started at around 47% in the first days after launch and climbed steadily to a peak of 80% over the following five weeks.
Our teams worked together to improve performance continuously until full launch, planning how to sharpen the value of purchasing through Payment Links was communicated, reducing friction in the checkout flow, and making the experience feel native to the game rather than bolted on.
60%+ repeat purchase rate
More than 60% of players who purchased through Payment Links came back to buy again. That’s the metric that matters most for long-term DTC value. It signals that the first purchase wasn’t a one-off, but the start of a habit.
Repeat buyers encounter a faster, lower-friction checkout, with payment details pre-filled and the process familiar from their first purchase. The extra value of buying direct is clearly communicated from the start, making the economics obvious to players.
And all of this was supported by MGM Slots Live’s game economy system, which makes sure players get the most relevant offers at the right times.
Why It Worked
Launch-ready from day one
Before a single player saw the checkout, MGM Slots Live’s team ran the product hard. They stress-tested the full business flow, pressure-checked the technical infrastructure for reliability and stability, and worked closely with Appcharge to benchmark performance against industry best practices.
When they were confident it was ready, they soft-launched across all in-game purchase points simultaneously, with no announcement. In every place a player could buy items, they saw the same checkout flow, woven seamlessly into the game economy. No rough edges or UX surprises.
A checkout experience players trust
Players who click a Payment Link have already decided to spend. The checkout’s job isn’t to persuade – it’s not to lose them. A customized, branded checkout that supports hundreds of payment method options, fast load times, and a clear value summary remove the last points of hesitation between intent and purchase. Get it right, and the second purchase follows naturally.
DTC that complements, not competes
MGM Slots Live already had web stores. But Payment Links didn’t cannibalize that DTC revenue. As the chart above shows, Payment Links revealed DTC headroom they hadn’t captured, with web store revenue remaining stable. A lighter, more direct purchase channel, presented at the exact moment a player decides to spend, can unlock a meaningful share of revenue that web stores alone don’t reach.
The compounding value of repeat buyers
A 60%+ repeat rate signals something more valuable than volume: players are coming back by choice. The first purchase built enough trust that the second didn’t need much selling. That’s the foundation of a DTC channel that grows without growing its acquisition costs proportionally.
What’s Next
The Payment Links launch is the beginning of a broader DTC expansion for MGM Slots Live. They’re now integrating all five of their myVIP web stores with Appcharge, bringing their in-house stores and Payment Links under a single infrastructure. Together, we’re building a more connected, more scalable direct-to-consumer operation across their full game portfolio.
Want to grow your studio’s direct-to-consumer revenue? Get in touch with the Appcharge team.
