New twists on old games and campaign-mechanics-refreshes drive much of the innovation in iGaming—and rightly so.
But a more basic question often gets overlooked in the rush to ship new features: does the game work?
Can a player sign up, deposit, play, and withdraw without bugs, lag, or a full-on crash?
Does the experience hold up against other entertainment options like Netflix or TikTok?
Is it consistent from country to country?
In April, TESTA launched a series of tests to explore these questions in its own backyard: the Asia Pacific region.
The TESTA Qrowd Community was activated to test key processes in the Philippines and gameplay performance across the region.
Read on for the key insights—or fill out the form below to get the extended data report, including every table and detail from TESTA’s latest crowdsourced testing initiative in APAC.
Get all the data
Fill out the form to get all the key processes and gameplay performance data
What to test?
Key processes testing (registration, deposit, withdrawal and KYC) and gameplay performance testing are the two the main QA pillars for iGaming customer journeys—ones that both operators and game providers have a stake in.
Key processes are important to get right because iGaming falls into the YMYL category of online activity—a sensitive one where churn is much more likely if things aren’t right. A half-loaded (or even slow loading) deposit page, for example, isn’t a trustworthy place to put your money.
Key processes testing was done on six operators in The Philippines, a bellwether market where swift regulatory changes from PAGCOR could be a sign of what’s to come in greater APAC.
Performance testing, on the other hand, is done during gameplay and can cover lag, A/V sync and more. For this report, the gameplay performance testing focused on page load times for slots and live dealer games from top providers in the region on the sportsbet.io platform.
Importance of load times
Slow load times can lead to player frustration and churn.
A 2022 study by Portent on e-commerce sites found that a page loading in 1 second has a conversion rate 2.5 times higher than one loading in 5 seconds, a critical insight for the B2C iGaming market, where developers have the power to make a real difference to UX—and the bottom line.
Summary
Results varied across the diverse Asia Pacific region, but the testing data reveals a few takeaways for iGaming.
- For key processes testing in fledgling white markets like the Philippines, operators with robust KYC implementation—such as standout PIGO operator, Casino Plus—delivered the smoothest and most trustworthy experiences.
- For gameplay performance, top revenue-generating providers led with the fastest load times (Pragmatic Play led in both slot and live dealer), despite the region’s varied device and connectivity landscape.
- SE Asia is the mobile-only generation. They skipped the desktop computer and expect everything at TikTok like speeds.
These insights highlight the importance of seamless UX, from registration to gameplay—and show where to reduce churn and unlock APAC’s iGaming potential for both operators and providers.
Test method
Key processes testing
To benchmark core customer journey steps, TESTA conducted key process testing across six online casino operators active in the Philippines.
Testers and process:
Local testers with valid IDs and active bank accounts completed the following actions on each site: registration, deposit, withdrawal, KYC
Throughout these steps, testers documented:
- Number of required input fields
- Number of page clicks
- Verification arrival time, where applicable
- Number of KYC attempts (e.g. ID upload, facial recognition, etc.)
KYC verification, where required, was observed during the withdrawal process.
Scoring method for operator comparison:
TESTA’s test managers reviewed the submitted data and applied a standardized scoring scale to evaluate UX performance across each process. This scoring was based on defined thresholds for speed, effort, and verification difficulty.
These results contributed to the TESTA score, a broader benchmarking system designed to help operators compare their customer journey UX against market competitors.
Gameplay performance testing
In each APAC country, testers selected the top 10 slot games and top 5 live dealer games based on the most popular titles displayed in the Sportsbet.io game lobbies for their region.
Devices and recording:
Testers used devices reflecting local market preferences. All sessions were video recorded, and both the footage and the collected data were submitted to TESTA for analysis.
Testers were instructed to do the following:
- Navigate to sportsbet.io
- Use your local ID to sign up for a valid player account
- Identify the top 10 slot and top 5 live dealer games
- Measure game load time for each title using a stopwatch:
- Slot game load time – from click to playable state
- Live dealer game load time – from click to fully loaded live stream
Philippines market overview: regulation, demographics, devices and preferences
REGULATION-WISE, the offshore POGO ban gave way to reforms favoring licensed domestic growth. PAGCOR reduced operator fees and tightened affiliate accreditation, helping regulated iGaming reach 51.4% of total GGR by Q1 2025. The shift created a more stable, trustworthy environment for both operators and players, with strong projections for continued growth.
DEMOGRAPHICALLY, the market is young, with a median age 26.1; the majority of players aged 18–34. This signals a highly mobile-native audience, likely to be sensitive to onboarding friction, load speeds, and payment flow clarity.
DEVICE USAGE is dominated by low- and mid-range Android models, primarily from Vivo, Infinix, Oppo, and Realme. For iGaming operators, this requires a focus on performance across non-premium hardware.
CONNECTIVITY remains modest at 35.24 Mbps average mobile internet speed. While sufficient for most basic gameplay and transactions, it can present challenges for heavier assets like live dealer streams or KYC video uploads—especially on lower-end devices.
PAYMENT PREFERENCES lean heavily toward digital wallets, used by 60% of users. Bank transfers and card payments trail far behind. This wallet-first trend aligns with mobile-first behavior and should guide UX testing of payment flows, verification steps, and withdrawal clarity.
Philippines operator key processes comparison
To evaluate how well operators in the Philippines deliver on basic customer expectations, TESTA conducted key processes testing across six online casinos: Casino Plus, Desk Game, FBM E.Motion, Bet88, PlayTime, and CrazyWin. Local testers registered, deposited, and withdrew funds using real devices, bank accounts, and identification documents. The goal was to measure effort, speed, and friction at each stage of the journey.
Testers recorded metrics such as number of required fields, number of page clicks, number of attempts and the total duration for registration, deposit, withdrawal and KYC.
The TESTA score
Test managers then reviewed the raw data supplied by the local testers and applied standardized scoring to each operator across four key categories: Registration (30 pts), Deposit (30 pts), Withdrawal (30 pts), and KYC (10 pts). The total, out of 100, is known as the TESTA Score.
To learn more about the scale used for scoring, download the full data report via the form below.
While most operators performed similarly on registration, deposit, and withdrawal, the key differentiator in overall score was KYC. Only four of the six operators tested had a working KYC flow at the time of withdrawal—those that lacked KYC verification received a zero in that category, significantly impacting their total score.
Casino Plus leads the pack
Among the six operators tested, Casino Plus achieved the highest TESTA Score with a total of 97/100.
It received perfect scores in registration, withdrawal, and KYC, with only a minor deduction in the deposit category due to a single extra page click. Notably, the KYC process was completed instantly with only one verification attempt required.
Curious about how the other operators stacked up? You can see the results live on casinocompare.ph or download the full TESTA report for the deep dive on each operator’s score.
See the full results
The complete breakdown for all six operators including scores for each step and KYC performance are in a report entitled “Test data and insights from full customer journeys in The Philippines and APAC”.
Download the full data report using the form below.
APAC demographics and internet connectivity
Across Asia Pacific, significant differences in wealth, age demographics, and mobile connectivity shape the digital behaviors of iGaming users. Markets like South Korea and Japan are wealthier and older, with median ages above 45 and strong mobile infrastructure. In contrast, Southeast Asia and India present younger populations, lower GDP per capita, and greater variability in internet speed.
While South Korea leads in mobile download speed at 148 MB/s, even emerging markets like India and Vietnam now report high averages—suggesting broadening access to stable mobile gameplay. These metrics are key when testing user onboarding, live game streaming, and payment verification flows under real network conditions.
APAC device preferences
Smartphone ecosystems in APAC vary widely, with direct implications for compatibility and performance testing. Samsung dominates in Korea, while Apple is the clear leader in Japan. In Southeast Asia and India, the market is fragmented—dominated by Android brands like Vivo, Xiaomi, Realme, and Oppo, with Apple often absent or in the minority.
This fragmented device landscape makes it essential for iGaming platforms to test across both high-end and low-to-mid-range Android devices. Device type directly affects rendering speeds, payment UI responsiveness, and game load times—factors that can shape retention in competitive markets.
APAC gameplay performance testing
For all the creativity in iGaming—from bonus mechanics to game design—the core experience still hinges on performance. If games take too long to load or live streams stutter, players won’t stick around. That’s why TESTA benchmarked the real-world load times of slot and live dealer games across eight APAC countries, testing top titles in each market with local devices and live conditions.
Slot game load times by country
Top performers in APAC were determined by testing in-market with real people on real devices and calculating average slots page load times. The chart below shows the average load time for slot games across eight APAC markets, highlighting the best-performing and underperforming countries relative to the regional average of 20.68 seconds.
- Best performer: Vietnam, with an average slot load time of 13.67s
- Needs optimization: Philippines, with an average slot load time of 31.54s
- Faster-than-average markets: Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, and India
Live dealer game load time benchmarks by country
Page load times for live dealer are also a critical part of the customer journey, with many operators and providers requesting up to date benchmarks. Live dealer games are more data-heavy experiences that tend to be sensitive to connection speed and device memory. The following load times were measured across Asia, again, on sportbet.io.
- Best performer: Vietnam, with an average live dealer load time of 12.58s
- Needs optimization: Philippines, with an average load time of 23.54s
- Faster-than-average markets: Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and South Korea
Live dealer results reflect not just infrastructure but also the ability of streaming platforms to deliver stable performance across varied markets.
Want the full data set?
Get the top 10 provider times in each country, see who dominates APAC.
Fill out the form to receive the full APAC Gameplay Performance Report, with every table and timing from this regional crowdsourced testing initiative.
APAC performance provider comparison
Beyond country-level averages, TESTA also benchmarked individual slot and live dealer game providers to identify the best—and worst—performers when it comes to game load time. This comparison helps spotlight which providers are building for performance across APAC, and which may need to optimize infrastructure, delivery protocol, or device handling for these markets.
Slot game provider benchmarks
A total of 29 slot providers were tested across eight APAC markets. The average load time across all providers was 20.35 seconds, with notable variation between the fastest and slowest performers.
The chart below ranks providers by average slot game load time:
Top performers
Three providers stood out with average load times under 13 seconds:
- Skywind – 11.96s (measured only in Vietnam)
- Pragmatic Play – 12.69s
- Habanero – 12.89s
Other providers performing faster than the average included: AvatarUX, Playson, Push Gaming, Voltent, No Limit City, Peter & Sons, and Spinomenal.
Needs optimization
On the other end, several providers had load times over 30 seconds:
- Smartsoft – 33.13s
- Ela Games – 35.42s
- Endorphina – 41.38s
For players in mobile-first APAC markets, delays of this length often lead to session drop-off and churn.
Live dealer provider benchmarks
For live dealer testing, 9 providers were evaluated based on average game load time across APAC markets. The overall provider average was 19.25 seconds.
Top performers
Leading the category were:
- Pragmatic Play – 14.31s
- Ezugi – 15.40s
- Microgaming – 15.45s
These providers maintained sub-16 second load times across a wide range of countries and network conditions. Also performing better than the regional average were Evolution and Live88.
Needs optimization
Several providers fell short of expectations, with load times exceeding 23 seconds:
- Winfinity – 27.40s
- Playtech – 23.79s
- Asia Gaming – 23.50s
Given the heavier data load for live dealer content, proper edge node setup, efficient streaming protocols, and regional infrastructure focus are critical for improving load speeds in these environments.
How providers can improve load times
Performance isn’t just a matter of where a player is located—it also depends on how well providers have optimized their games and delivery networks. Based on TESTA’s findings, here are the top factors influencing load time across slots and live dealer games:
Primary factors
- Studio location – Games streamed or hosted far from the player’s region see longer delays
- Streaming protocol – Lighter, more modern protocols reduce time to interaction
Additional contributors
- Device-side optimization – Game clients should adjust resolution dynamically to match network quality, preventing freezing or stuttering
- CDN and edge node setup – Ensuring proper distribution infrastructure helps reduce latency
- Regional targeting – Providers that actively optimize infrastructure for APAC markets see better performance
- Bandwidth conditions – Supporting reliable performance even on mid-tier mobile networks is crucial in this region
Live dealer games, in particular, are vulnerable to performance issues—stream lag or frame drops can undermine user trust, especially if delays occur during betting moments.
Conclusion
The TESTA testing initiative across the Asia Pacific region underscores a critical truth for iGaming: a seamless customer journey—spanning registration to gameplay and withdrawal—is as vital as innovative features, especially in a diverse market with varied devices, demographics, and connectivity. Key processes testing revealed that robust KYC implementation, as demonstrated by leaders like Casino Plus, is a standout factor in fledgling markets like the Philippines, while gameplay performance testing highlighted providers like Pragmatic Play delivering top-tier load times, despite regional challenges such as the Philippines’ slower 31.54-second slot load average. Together, these insights offer operators and game providers a roadmap to enhance UX, reduce churn, and capitalize on APAC’s growing iGaming potential.
What's next?
- Asia Pacific markets are large and continue to grow. Some are very young—positioned for a good decade of growth.
- Speed and UX matter. Know what devices are being used. Know what infrastructure looks like.
- SE Asia is a handy geographical term—but it varies wildly. Know your demographics if you’re investing in the region.
For all the data from this report, fill out the form and leave an email.
Read last year’s TESTA slot and LD reports: slot 2024 Q1, slot 2024 Q2, LD 2024 Q1, LD 2024 Q2
Read all of TESTA’s reports: iGaming market research & benchmarking
About the author
Ian McKinnon
TESTA Head of Marketing