Slots influencer Brian Christopher talks Flip the Switch and BetMGM partnership
Fliptheswitch.com is the first “player portal” for the whole of gaming, according to its founder Brian Christopher.
“[Fliptheswitch.com is] where all players can come together and learn everything factual about playing in casinos, online and sports betting,” Christopher told Jessica Welman, editor of Canadian Gaming Business, at the recent Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto. “There’s so much misinformation out there on how casinos work, so we’re there to demystify everything, put people at ease, and answer all their questions.”
Last month, BetMGM announced that it had entered an exclusive partnership making Christopher a brand ambassador. He will appear in content across the firm’s livestreams on its social media channels and feature in future marketing campaigns.
“I get to join the ranks of some of the biggest stars out there who really speak for and in my case get to play for BetMGM. I’m going to be promoting them, their casino, their sportsbook, and just having a lot of fun showing my fans how to play all those different games they have,” he said.
He added that he believes iGaming will “explode” in the coming years as more states legalize online casino and as a result, he now has the opportunity to “put everyone at ease” by walking people through the steps on how to play online slots.
Christopher is the face of Brian Christopher Slots and runs three YouTube channels showcasing him playing different slots and casino games as well as going live three times a week, both in casinos and playing online.
“What I’ve found is a lot of our fans that watch us, they’re not necessarily slot players. A lot of them are just poker players, or maybe they’re not gamblers at all or maybe they don’t have the money to gamble so they want to watch me,” he said.
“We literally cover everybody and they’re not just tuning in for the gambling side, it’s for a community they are coming out for too and they love the conversation. That’s why I love the love livestreams too because you can have a conversation with people. And from the manufacturer’s side too they can get immediate feedback on how people are liking and reacting to their games in the chat.”
Whenever people produce gambling content it sparks a debate surrounding responsible gambling and the ethics of promoting slots to an audience. On the topic, Christopher emphasized that since the start he has been transparent about his wins and losses.
“From day one of me starting this I would put at the end of my videos my profit or loss, I don’t hide anything,” Christopher explained. “You’ll never catch me in a casino filming something and then discarding the video. I show everything, all my wins and especially all my losses, and we lose a lot more than we win. I can go five days in a row of videos where it’s just lose, lose, lose. I have to show that because I want people to know that I’m not special and I lose like everybody else. I do not want to be responsible for people just watching winning videos thinking they can do the same thing so we try to be very smart about that.”
Christopher has also been a vocal supporter of anti-smoking campaigns and has provided testimony in New Jersey on the topic. He chastised companies like Caesars, Bally’s and Boyd which have all recently chosen not to investigate whether consumers want a smoke-free environment in casinos.
“I’m like you won’t even research to find out what your people want, shame on you. I’m so against that. People want smoke-free gaming, and I’m even hearing that from smokers. People don’t smoke in their own houses, they don’t want to breathe it in non-stop. It makes no sense that 100% should have to breathe it in when only 11% smokes,” added Christopher.
He advocates for casinos to provide smoking patios outside for smokers which he says will have the added benefit of allowing players to take a break which can have positive responsible gambling implications.
Watch the full SBC Media interview with Brian Christopher above.