Slots of the month featured on casino home pages
What we consider "presence on the main"
We take into account only the first screen (desktop/mobile) and the "quasi-first" when auto-scrolling:
- Hero banners (H1/H2/H3).
- Top Ribbon/Featured Strip (first 6-8 tiles).
- Featured Grid: line 1 (up to 8 tiles) and line 2, columns 1-4 on mobile.
- Below - is not considered "main." Positions receive weights (see PosW).
Period and coverage
Period: current calendar month (AU).
Coverage: operators/skins aggregated by unique backends; duplicates of "white labels" are consolidated.
Traffic shares: the weight of the casino is proportional to AU traffic (mobile/desktop - 70/30).
Anti-cheating and data cleaning
We note PromoFlag: paid pins, exclusives, sponsorship rotations.
We exclude "event" banners without a direct click in the slot (reg lands, tournament lands).
Dedup by titles/series (Mega/Megaways/XL versions) - count game families.
AU slice: locale, currency, timezone; bots/internal viewings - out.
Key metrics
Exposure:
- SOV\_ home (Share of Voice,%): the share of AU traffic where the title was present on the main ≥1 day of the month (weighted by casino traffic and device).
- Time\_ on\_ home (% days): fraction of days of the month when the title was "on main." PosW (Position Weight, 0-1): average position weight:
- H1=1. 00, H2=0. 85, H3=0. 70, TopRibbon 1–4=0. 65, 5–8=0. 55, Grid R1=0. 50, Grid R2 C1–4=0. 40.
- CTR\_ home→game (%): Clicks from the main slot lobby.
- F2S (First-to-Spin,%): the proportion of transitions who made ≥1 spin.
- MSL\_ home (min): The median session time of traffic from the master.
- RR7\_ home (%): return to title in 7 days from the "home" audience.
- Decay (κ): CTR/F2S drop rate by rotation days (exposure stability).
- σ\_ loss100 (bet ×): variance of net result per 100 spins in the "home" audience.
- HR/BEF/CBC: base frequencies (hit rate, bonus entry, "price" of natural input) - to separate "beautiful banners" from real mathematics.
- HPI = 0. 40·SOV\_home + 0. 25·PosW + 0. 20·Time\_on\_home + 0. 10·CTR\_home→game + 0. 05·(1−PromoShare)
- where PromoShare is the share of promo pins in the total exposure (we fine for the "purchased" showcase).
- PCE = 0. 35·F2S + 0. 25·MSL\_home + 0. 20·RR7\_home + 0. 10·(−Decay) + 0. 10·BS
- where BS is the "bankroll smoothness" (invert σ\_ loss100).
- HPI (percentile of the month) and PCE.
- SOV\_ home/PosW/Time\_ on\_ home/CTR/ F2S/Decay - short tags.
- PromoFlag: "yes/no," PromoShare (%).
- Mechanics profile: H & W/cascades/cluster/mega; HR/BEF/CBC.
- Recomend. bankroll (× rates) and volatility (icon).
- Why on the main: 2-3 factors (conversion, topic, campaign).
- Mobile note: Checkup crop banner/tile (important for AU-mobile).
- 1. HPI: the real share and quality of presence on the first screen at the AU casino.
- 2. PCE: what happens after clicking (F2S, MSL\_ home, RR7\_ home, Decay).
Post-click behavior:
Risk and quality control:
Composite indices
1) Main presence index (HPI, 0-100):
2) Post-click engagement (PCE, 0-100):
TOP threshold: HPI ≥ 65 and PCE ≥ 60 for at least 14 consecutive days per month.
Why do these slots end up on the main
New releases with understandable features (Hold & Win, cascades + multi).
Evergreens with high conversion from main (stable F2S).
Seasonal themes (Egypt/Asia/Ireland/Outback) under campaigns.
VIP-oriented (high cap, managed variance).
The casino leaves the title in the first screen if the CTR/F2S does not "pour" and there are no complaints.
Archetypes of the "main" and their profiles
1. Hero hit: H1/H2 with high SOV\_ home; need F2S ≥ 55%, Decay low.
2. TopRibbon-aquisitor: cheap rate, frequent mini-events; draws a new audience.
3. Evergreen: average volatility, stable at MSL\_ home and RR7\_ home.
4. High-roller showcase: high cap, buy-centric; show dosed (control σ\_ loss100).
5. Theme campaign: Outback/season/brand collab; good CTR but keeping an eye on Decay.
Section Display Checklist (Editorial)
Title card in "Hottest Pokies of the Month":
Section filters: mechanics, Promo = off, bet, mobile/desktop, VIP focus. Sort by HPI (default) or PCE.
Quick Player Recommendations (AU)
If you want short sessions: look for cards with F2S ≥ 55%, MSL\_ home 6-10 minutes, moderate volatility.
If the "movement" and feature are important: see BEF ≥ medians, CBC ≤ medians, Decay low (slot "does not burn out" in 2-3 days).
Risk sensitive: Avoid high σ titles\_ loss100 and PromoShare> 50% (often "flash" without hold).
Jackpot hunter: choose titles with an honest buy≤CBC and a smooth base mark - otherwise you will get tired to feature.
The practice of rotations (how casinos keep the "main" effective)
Test window 72 hours: if CTR↓> 30% and F2S↓> 20%, the slot goes below the fold.
A/B creatives: at least 2 banner options (mobile crop is required).
Dedup rule: no more than 1 slot of one family in the first screen.
Genre quotas: 40% - new items, 40% - evergreens, 20% - campaigns/VIP.
Typical distortions and how to extinguish them
Purchased showcase: penalty through (1 − PromoShare) in HPI.
One-day bursts: 14 days of stability required.
Duplicate skins: combine into one backend.
"Beautiful banner," empty math: PCE cuts false start.
Desktop only: AU mobile dominates → 70% weight.
Mini-glossary
SOV\_ home is the proportion of AU traffic where the slot was on the main.
PosW: weighted average weight of the position (Hero> Ribbon> Grid).
F2S: "click from home → first spin" conversion.
MSL\_ home: median session time for the "home" audience.
Decay: Reduce metrics in rotation (lower is better).
HPI/PCE: exposure and engagement indices after click.
Conclusion
Top "Slots of the Month on the Main" is not a list of banners, but the intersection of two planes:
Only titles that are visible and hold - fall into the "Hottest Pokies of the Month (AU)" without marketing noise.
