Gambling Insider March/April 2023

Mar/Apr 2023

Gambling Insider explores how a simple repositioning can become an effective industry tool for gaming companies WINNERS REVEALED We celebrate the Global Gaming Awards London 2023 BIG QUESTION Industry experts discuss where slots can innovate from here ROUNDTABLE Executives discuss the key features of the Latin American market

IN ONE PLAC PLAC ACEE

EDITOR’S LETTER COO, EDITOR IN CHIEF Julian Perry EDITOR Tim Poole Tim.Poole@gamblinginsider.com STAFF WRITERS Peter Lynch Peter.Lynch@gamblinginsider.com Matthew Nicholson Matthew.Nicholson@gamblinginsider.com Louis Thompsett Louis.Thompsett@gamblinginsider.com LEAD DESIGNER Brendan Morrell

E

Julian Perry, COO, Editor-in-Chief

Tim Poole, Editor

very March/April issue of Gambling Insider magazine fills me with pride as Editor, because we get to report on the winners at the Global Gaming Awards London. This year's ceremony, once again taking place at the Hippodrome Casino, saw regular winners bet365, Kambi, LeoVegas and Trustly triumph once again.

But there were new winners, too: Pragmatic Play and BetConstruct were delighted with their Online Casino of the year and Platform Provider of the year Awards respectively (while Pragmatic Play also won Online Slot of the year). Being voted for by their industry peers, everyone who took an Award home from our West End venue knew they truly deserved it. From page 28 onward, we have a full section dedicated to these winners, while our Product Reviews from page 72 showcase some of the Awards' winning products.

Once again, I'd like to extend my personal thanks to all of our sponsors, not least Lead Partner BetConstruct. But also to Mariya Savova, our Marketing & Events Manager, who makes the Awards what they are with her tireless work ethic and who hosted the Awards so wonderfully well on the day.

We have two more Global Gaming Awards ceremonies coming up in 2023: Las Vegas and Asia, the latter of which we preview on page 44.

Beyond the Awards, our cover feature this issue centres on a theme I can't help but notice is becoming more and more prevalent within gambling: the rebrand. Whether it's a slight repositioning, like that of Grosvenor Casinos, or a full rebrand like that of Flutter and Entain in recent years, a change in name, marketing or messaging can have a massive impact on customers, employees and investors alike. I explore more, using a number of case studies, on page 46.

Elsewhere in our March/April issue, we speak exclusively to Evolution Group's Europe CEO Gionata La Torre on page 52, which is the executive's first interview since taking on his new role at the company. Our Big Question feature, meanwhile, provides some meaty responses (page 56) on a key question: how can slots innovate from here?

In our Roundtable, we bring you five pages on the increasingly hot topic of Latin American betting markets (page 62), while Gustaf Hoffstedt provides his brand of thought-provoking analysis to our Final Word feature (page 82) on Swedish gambling advertising.

Finally, we have just released a new app that combines all our digital and print publications in one place. Search for Gambling Insider on the App Store & Google Play.

TP, Editor

FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE

DESIGNERS Olesya Adamska, Christian Quiling DESIGN ASSISTANTS Radostina Mihaylova, Svetlana Stoyanova, Gabriela Baleva MARKETING & EVENTS MANAGER Mariya Savova PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Sophie Blocksidge FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT Julia Olivan IT MANAGER Tom Powling COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Deepak Malkani Deepak.Malkani@gamblinginsider.com Tel: +44 (0)20 7729 6279 SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER Michael Juqula Michael.Juqula@gamblinginsider.com Tel: +44 (0)20 3487 0498 SENIOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER - U.S. Aaron Harvey Aaron.Harvey@playerspublishing.com Tel: +1 702 425 7818 ADVERTISING SALES EXECUTIVE - U.S. Ariel Greenberg Ariel.Greenberg@playerspublishing.com Tel: +1.702 833 9581 ACCOUNT MANAGERS William Aderele William.Aderele@gamblinginsider.com Tel: +44 (0)20 7739 2062 Irina Litvinova Irina.Litvinova@gamblinginsider.com Tel: +44 207 613 5863 Maya Lakhenpaul maya.Lakhenpaul@gamblinginsider.com Tel: + 44 207 739 9918 Martin O'Shea Martin.Oshea@gamblinginsider.com Tel: +44 (0) 207 729 0643 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Michelle Pugh Michelle@GlobalGamingAwards.com Tel: +44 (0)20 7739 5768 CREDIT MANAGER Rachel Voit WITH THANKS TO: Fantini Research, GBGC, Johan Tjärnberg, Sarah Sculpher, Siobhan Lane, Gionata La Torre, Simon Hammon, Erkki Nikunen, Victoria Vashukevich, Stuart McCarthy, Michael Caselli, Jodie Thind, Emilie Zamponi, Jose Martí Garcia del Valle, Vladimir Malakchi, Bobby Longhurst, Alex Lorimer, Andrea Boratto, Jose’ Micallef, Arcangelo Lonoce, Gustaf Hoffstedt Gambling Insider magazine ISSN 2043-9466 Produced and published

by Players Publishing Ltd

SARAH SCULPHER

Marketing Director, Grosvenor Casinos

GIONATA LA TORRE

Europe CEO, Evolution Group

All material is strictly copyrighted and all rights reserved.

Reproduction without permission is forbidden. Every care is taken in compiling the contents of Gambling Insider but we assume no responsibility for the effects arising therefrom. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher.

CONT E 24

56

62

JOHAN TJÄRNBERG

VICTORIA VASHUKEVICH

EMILIE ZAMPONI

ISSUES

HUDDLE

08 Facing facts

26 Trusting the market

Gambling Insider takes a closer look at various facts and figures from the fourth quarter of 2022

14 In numbers

In partnership with Gambling Insider, Fantini Research provides US data

18 GBGC: Global focus

GBGC, the global gaming data expert, provides exclusive statistical data to Gambling Insider from markets around the globe

22 Taking stock

We track operator and supplier stock prices across a six-month period

Trustly CEO Johan Tjärnberg joins Gambling Insider Editor Tim Poole at our GI Huddle booth during ICE London 2023

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS LONDON 28 Review: Global Gaming Awards London 2023

We celebrate the winners at the Global Gaming Awards London, which took place at the Hippodrome Casino

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS ASIA 44 Global Gaming Awards Asia Gambling Insider looks ahead to the Global Gaming Awards Asia 2023 on 29 May, while also looking back at the Awards' inaugural ceremony in 2022

COVER FEATURE 46 The power of the rebrand

With help from industry experts, Gambling Insider Editor Tim Poole evaluates the process of changing a gambling company’s corporate identity

ENTS 69

71

82

ANDREA BORATTO

ARCANGELO LONOCE

GUSTAF HOFFSTEDT

FEATURES

INSIDERS

52 Evolution: The Italian job

68 Alex Lorimer

Gionata La Torre, Evolution Group’s Europe CEO, sits down with Gambling Insider to talk about his new role

56 Big Question

How do slots innovate from here? Relax Gaming, Yggdrasil, Air Dice and 3 Oaks Gaming executives discuss...

60 Fire & Ice 2023 review

Fire & Ice returned for its 20th and final year during ICE London 2023

62 Roundtable: Latin America Industry experts from Play’n Go, PayRetailers, Evoplay and Sportingtech discuss all things Latin America

Gaming Corps

69 Andrea Boratto WorldMatch

70 Jose’ Micallef Bombay Live

71 Arcangelo Lonoce Habanero

PRODUCT REVIEWS 72 The winning products from the Global Gaming Awards London 2023

Gambling Insider takes at look at the top three rated land-based and online products, as awarded at the Global Gaming Awards London 2023

FINAL WORD 82 Gustaf Hoffstedt

Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling (BOS)

Revenue ($ million)

300

Revenue ($ million)

600

272 201

200 FEATURES

400

236.3

NUMBER CRUNCHING

140

200

139 93

100

240.9

62.4

53.4

75

FACING FACTS 67

51 0

Las Vegas Locals

0

The Venetian Macao

The Londoner Macao

The Parisian Macao

The Plaza Macao and Four Seasons Macao

25

17 Downtown Las Vegas 7 6

Sands Macao

Midwest & South

Ferry Operators & Other

Gambling Insider takes a closer look at various facts and figures from the fourth quarter of 2022, with results to finish off the year Penn Entertainment Q4 2021 and Q4 2022 revenue per segment ($ million) 3 companies posting mixed

2

Boyd Gaming Q4 2021 and Q4 2022 revenue by segment ($ million) 800

800

Boyd Gaming Q4 2021 and Q4 2022 revenue by segment ($ million)

667.1

656.6

619.6

600 Revenue ($ million)

Revenue ($m)

Revenue ($ million)

600

400

2021

590.1 400

339.9

304.4

287.5 282

208 157.6 138.7 130.7Source: Boyd Gaming • Total Q4 2022 revenue was $922.9m • This represents a 5% increase from the 3.8 3.9 prior-year period its LasInteractive Vegas Locals segment, West • Boyd highlighted Midwest Other in particular, which posted record fourth-quarter revenue and EBITDAR; driven by destination business, non-gaming operations and continued strength in play from core customers

200

236.3

240.9

200

0

South

Norteast

62.4

53.4 0 Las Vegas Locals

Downtown Las Vegas

4

2022

Midwest & South

Kindred Group harmful gambling revenue from Q1 2022 to Q4 2022

100

Kindred Group harmful gambling revenue from Q1 to Q4Penn 2022 Entertainment Q4 2021 and Q4 2022 revenue per segment ($ 84.7million) 83.1

3

Share of gross winnings revenue from high-risk players

600

Source: Kindred Group Kindred's ultimate goal is to generate 0% of total revenue from harmful gambling. However, as the 2022 data shows, the current level has 400 not dropped and, in fact, went up for Q3 339.9

Percent (%)

Percent (%)

Improvement effect 667.1 656.6 after intervenions

50

25

304.4

3.3 0 138.7

200

287.5 282

3.8

3.3 157.6

130.7 Q1 2022

3.3

208

Q2 2022

Q3 2022

3.8 8

0

82.1

75

800

Revenue ($ million)

82.6

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM Norteast

South

5

West

Midwest

Interactive

Q4 2022

3.9

Other

MGM Resorts International Q4 2021 and Q4 2022 revenue per segment ($ billion)

Revenue ($ mi

0.17

400

339.9

0.0

304.4

287.5 282

208 157.6 MGM China

Las Vegas Strip Regional Operations 138.7 130.7 Resorts

200

0.13

0.04

Managment & Other

FEATURES

3.9 NUMBER CRUNCHING

3.8 0

South

Norteast

West

Midwest

Interactive

Other

Betsson Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 2022 revenue per region (€ million)

6

Q2 2022 Q4 2022 Betsson Q1 2022, Q2 2022, Q3 2022 andQ3 Q42022 2022 revenue per region (€ million)

Q1 2021

4

Kindred Group harmful gambling revenue from Q1 2022 to Q4 2022

100

85.4 78.8 100 75

84.7

Percent (%)

75

Revenue (€m)

Revenue (€ million)

83.1 54.1

51.2

82.6

53.8 53.1

82.1 61.1 53.4

52.3 45.7

50

38.8

36.8

50

22.2

25

24.8 25 25.8

25

3.3 0

0

3.8

3.3

Q1 2022

Nordics

Q2 2022

Latin America

3.7

3.3

Q3 2022

Western Europe

Central & Eastern

Q3 2022 EU and Central

4

3.5 3.8

Rest of the world

Asia

Source: Betsson • Total Q4 2022 revenue was €220.6m ($237.2m) • This led to a 40% year-on-year increase • Casino revenue rose 27%, with sportsbook revenue up 76%

5

MGM Resorts International Q4 2021 and Q4 2022 revenue per segment ($ billion)

7

LeoVegas Q4 2021 and Q4 2022 revenue, adjusted EBITDA and gross profit (€ million) MGM Resorts Q4 2021 and Q4 2022 revenue per segment ($ billion)

2.5

2.3

98.2

Revenue ($bn)

(€ million)

Revenue ($ million)

2.0 100

99.5

Q4 2021

Q4 2022

1.5

1.8

75 1.0

0.5

0.9

MGM Resorts International 65.8 65.3 Source: • Q4 2022 revenue amounted to$3.6bn,

0.99

0.31

50

0.17

0.04

0.13

0.0

Las Vegas Strip Resorts

Regional Operations

Managment & Other

MGM China

up 18% year-on-year • Q4 2022 benefitted from the inclusion of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (acquired in May 2022), partially offset by the disposition of The Mirage in December 2022 • Moreover, results improved due to an increase in business volume and travel activity, primarily at the Las Vegas Strip Resorts and Regional Operations

25 GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

11.6 3.7

6

0

Betsson Q1 2022, Q2 2022, Q3 2022 and Q4 2022 revenue per region (€ million)

9

Reve

93

100

67

0

The Venetian Macao

1

The Londoner Macao

75

51

25

The Parisian Macao

The Plaza Macao and Four Seasons Macao

17

6

Sands Macao

7

Ferry Operators & Other

Las Vegas Sands (LVS) Macao Operations Q4 2021 and Q4 2022 revenue ($ million)

Las Vegas Sands (LVS) Macao Operations Q4 2021 and Q4 2022 revenue ($ million)

2

2022 ($ million) Boyd Gaming Q4 2021 andQ4 Q42021 2022 revenue Q4 by segment

300

272 201

Revenue ($m) Revenue ($ million)

Revenue ($ million)

800

619.6

200

590.1

600

100

93

400

67 236.3

0

140

139

75

51

25

240.9

17

6

200

The Venetian Macao

62.4Parisian The Londoner 53.4 The Macao Macao

The Plaza Macao and Four Seasons Macao Midwest & South

0 Las Vegas Locals

Downtown Las Vegas

Sands Macao

Ferry Operators & Other

Source: Las Vegas Sands • Macao Operations Q4 2022 revenue fell 32% year-on-year to $444m • Total LVS Q4 2022 revenue was up 11% to $1.12bn • LVS Chairman and CEO Robert G. Goldstein stated “travel restrictions and reduced visitation continued to impact” Q4 performance

2

Boyd Gaming Q4 2021 and Q4 2022 revenue by segment ($ million)

3

Penn Entertainment Q4 2021 and Q4 2022 revenue per segment ($ million) Penn Entertainment Q4 2021 and Q4 2022 revenue per segment ($ million)

800

2021

2022

619.6

800

Revenue ($m)

Revenue ($ million) Revenue ($ million)

600

656.6

590.1

667.1

600

400

400 339.9

236.3

200

304.4

0 Norteast

4 GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

10

157.6

138.7 130.7

200

0

287.5 282

240.9

South

West

53.4

208

3.8

62.4 Midwest

Source: Penn Entertainment • Q4 2022 revenue was $1.6bn This was a 0.8% year-on-year Las Vegas •Locals Downtown increase Las Vegas • Penn noted that its omnichannel engagement helped it achieve stable results for Q4 2022

Interactive

3.9

Other

Midwest & South

Kindred Group harmful gambling revenue from Q1 2022 to Q4 2022

7

2.5

2.3

Revenue ($ million)

2.0

8

1.5

1.8 1.0

0.99

0.9

DraftKings Q4 2021 and Q4 2022 adjustedadjusted EBITDA and loss and fromgross operations LeoVegas Q4 2021 and Q4revenue, 2022 revenue, EBITDA profit ($ (€ million) million) Q4 2021

Q4 2022

0.5

0.31 0.17

1000

855.1

0.13

0.04

0.0

Las Vegas Strip Resorts

Regional Operations

Managment & Other

MGM China

473.3 ($ million)

Total ($m)

500

6

Betsson Q1 2022, Q2 2022, Q3 2022 and Q4 2022 revenue per region (€ million)

100

0

85.4 78.8

Revenue (€ million)

75

-500

Revenue

-49.9

-127.9 54.1

51.2

-232.2

53.8 53.1

52.3

-368.7

45.7

50

Adjusted EBITDA 36.8

38.8

Loss from operations 22.2

25

24.8 25 25.8

Source: DraftKings • Revenue climbed 81% year-on-year to $855.1m • The increase was driven primarily by continued customer retention and monetisation in existing states, launches of sportsbook and iGaming products in additional jurisdictions 0 Latin America Western Europe and structural sportsbook hold improvement Nordics • DraftKings CEO and Co-Founder Jason Robins: “I am very pleased with how we concluded 2022, with continued top-line growth and strong focus on expense management”

7

100

(€ million) Total (€m)

12

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

98.2

3.5 3.8

Rest of the world

Central & Eastern EU and Central Asia

99.5

75

Q4 2022

Source: LeoVegas • Q4 2022 revenue was €99.5m ($105.9m), a 1% year-on-year increase • NGR was up 9% and 4% year-on-year in Nordic countries and Rest of Europe respectively • NGR is down 15% year-on-year in Rest of World

3.7

LeoVegas Q4 2021 and Q4 2022 revenue, adjusted EBITDA and gross profit (€ million)

LeoVegas Q4 2021 and Q4 2022 revenue, adjusted EBITDA and gross profit (€ million) Q4 2021

61.1

53.4

65.3

65.8

50

25

11.6 3.7 0

Revenue

Adjusted EBITDA

Gross profit

4

FEATURES

NUMBER CRUNCHING

IN NUMBERS In partnership with Gambling Insider, Fantini Research provides data from around the US. In this issue, we analyse January revenue for Colorado and February revenue from Maryland COLORADO: The Black Hawk municipality continued to shine as Colorado’s main hub for gambling, generating $51.9m for January 2023. This represented a 7% rise year-on-year. Black Hawk’s dominance of revenue generation is attributable to its strong performance in table games, in which it generated $12.7m. Away from retail sources, Colorado reported $35.4m in total revenue from sports betting, a 2% rise year-on-year.

COLORADO

14

ALL-SOURCES

JANUARY REVENUE (M)

CHANGE (%) YEAR-ON-YEAR

Black Hawk

$64.677

+9.36

Central City

$6.734

+8.88

Cripple Creek

$11.921

+4.66

Total

$83.332

+8.63

SLOTS

JANUARY REVENUE (M)

CHANGE (%) YEAR-ON-YEAR

Central City

$6.526

+7.53

Black Hawk

$51.943

+6.84

Cripple Creek

$10.826

+0.53

Total Slots

$69.295

+5.87

TABLE GAMES

JANUARY REVENUE (M)

CHANGE (%) YEAR-ON-YEAR

Central City

$0.209

+78.71

Cripple Creek

$1.094

+76.07

Black Hawk

$12.734

+21.03

Total Table Games

$14.038

+24.67

SPORTS BETTING

JANUARY REVENUE (M)

CHANGE (%) YEAR-ON-YEAR

Online

$35.376

+3.43

Retail

$0.107

-75.61

Total Sports Betting

$35.483

+2.43

Total Handle

$547.189

-4.62

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

FEATURES

NUMBER CRUNCHING

MARYLAND: Maryland’s results for February marked a slight dip in performance year-on-year, with the $157.1m in revenue generated for the month representing a 4% drop on the prior-year period. MGM’s National Harbor, despite generating the most of any other land-based source, saw no change in its performance with $65.6m made for the month. The most significant losses were felt by Caesars’ Horseshoe Baltimore, which saw revenue drop 8% year-on-year. National Harbor made the most from both table games and slots, although its statewide lead for revenue from table games was just ahead of Cordish’s Live! casino. Across the board, revenue from slots saw no change year-on-year, while revenue from table games dropped by 10%.

MARYLAND ALL-SOURCES

FEBRUARY REVENUE (M)

CHANGE (%) YEAR-ON-YEAR

Ocean Downs (CHDN)

$6.837

+3.71

National Harbor (MGM)

$65.597

-0.36

Rocky Gap (GDEN)

$5.331

-3.30

Live! (Cordish)

$55.698

-6.29

Hollywood Casino (PENN)

$7.302

-7.18

Horseshoe Baltimore (CZR)

$16.291

-8.06

Total

$157.056

-3.63

SLOTS

FEBRUARY REVENUE (M)

CHANGE (%) YEAR-ON-YEAR

Ocean Downs (CHDN)

$6.304

+5.40

National Harbor (MGM)

$39.607

+4.65

Horseshoe Baltimore (CZR)

$11.169

+2.99

Rocky Gap (GDEN)

$4.769

-4.16

Live! (Cordish)

$39.255

-4.95

Hollywood Casino (PENN)

$6.255

-6.34

Total Slots

$107.359

-0.25

TABLE GAMES

FEBRUARY REVENUE (M)

CHANGE (%) YEAR-ON-YEAR

Rocky Gap (GDEN)

$0.563

+4.74

National Harbor (MGM)

$25.990

-7.14

Live! (Cordish)

$16.443

-9.34

Hollywood Casino (PENN)

$1.047

-11.89

Ocean Downs (CHDN)

$0.533

-12.83

Horseshoe Baltimore (CZR)

$5.121

-25.49

Total Table Games

$49.697

-10.19

www.FantiniResearch.com

MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR MORNING COFFEE

16

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

FEATURES

2014

7 261

13 409

2015

6 844

13 576

2016

6 673

13 198

2017 NUMBER CRUNCHING 2018

6 901

14 060

6 770

13 639

2019

6 183

13 542

2020

1 004

12 605

2021

881

14 522

GBGC: GLOBAL FOCUS Global Betting & Gaminng Consultants (GBGC), the global gaming data expert, provides exclusive statistical data to markets from around the globe; visit www.gbgc.com 14 000

3 500 3 000 2 500 2 000 1 500 1 000 500

0

The graph shows lottery sales in Greece in millions of Euros, for the period 2010-2021.

3 781 12 000 • Lotteries in Greece are organised by OPAP and Hellenic State Lotteries Sales (€m) OPAP Sales6 085 (€m) the Hellenic State Lotteries. Both companies 3 684 10 000 used to be (partially) state owned.

5 279 • Pressed by the 2008 economic crisis, 2 968 the Government decided to sell its 33% share of 2 877 8 000 3 759 OPAP to Emma Delta Holdings (now Allwyn).

2 098 • The sale was finalised in 2013. Allwyn currently 6 0002 451 2 283 2 299 2 202 2 219 holds over 48% of OPAP and is the largest 2 193 2 181 2 096 2 084 1 597 shareholder.

1 437 1 425 4 000 1 336 • The Hellenic State Lotteries are operated by an 36 1 913 OPAP-led consortium: OPAP, Lottomatica, 701 1 312 2 000 627 Intralot and Scientific Games.

61 39 0 • The JV won a 12-year concession to manage 0 the lottery from May 2014.

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020• OPAP 2021 sales, although much larger than the 480 459 450 454 444 442 348 ones of the Hellenic State Lotteries, are falling 300 264 257 238 199 since the privatisation (-4.2% on average a year Poland Machine Sales (2010 - 2021) (PLN m) for the period 2013 - 2021).

• The Hellenic State Lotteries' sales are growing, 6.4% on average during the same period.

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

Greece Lottery Sales (2010 - 2021) (€m) 7 654

Greece Lotteries' Sales (2010 - 2021) (€ m)

Native American GGY (2004 - 2021) (US$m)

45,0

39,0

40,0 35,0 30,0 25,0 20,0 6 000

26,1

26,7

26,5

2 572 2 275

2 438 2 180

2 462 2 323

2 658 2 344

10,0

4 000

26,5

27,2

27,9

2 374 2 133

2 413 2 181

2 468 2 238

28,0

2 640 2 394

2 564 2 306

29,9

31,2

27,8

2 690 2 418 2 277 1 831

5,0

2 706

2 733 0,0

2 553 2004

2 000

32,4

34,6

19,5

15,0

5 000

3 000

22,6

24,9

28,5

33,7

1 511 1 082

2 376 2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

The graph shows gross gambling yield (GGY) for the US NativeNative American gambling industry, in billions of US Dollars, for the period 2004 - 2021.

American GGY (2004 - 2021) (US$ m) •1 000 Native American gambling consists of Class I games – traditional Indian games that might be part of tribal ceremonies. Class II games – bingo, pull tabs, punch boards, tip jars, instant bingo. Class III games, which includes all forms of gambling which are not Class I or Class II (including slot machines and 0 games usually found in casinos). table 2012 2013 2015 a 2016 2017the period 2018 2019 2021 2008 gambling 2009 2010 • The US 2006 Native2007 American industry2011 was growing 4.7%2014 on average year for 2005 2020 to 2021.

• In 2021, Native American gambling surpassed US commercial casinos for the first time – commercial casino GGY stood at US$38.3bn, or US$692m less France Casino GGY (2006 - 2021) (€ m) than Native American GGY.

18

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM 25 000

2 000 1 000

South Korea Hong Kong horse racing horseracing handle (US$ m) handle (US$ m)

0 2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

France Casino GGY (2006 - 2021) (€ m)

2018

2010

2019

2011

7 025

South Korea vs Hong Kong Horseracing Handle (2010 - 2021)2012 (US$m) Hong Kong horseracing handle 2013(US$m)

South Korea horse racing handle (US$m)

2014

25 000

2016 2017

15 000

2018

10 000

2019 5 000

2020

3 5000

2021

2 877 2011 2010 3 000 2 451

2 500

2012 2 299

2013 2 181

2014 2 193

2015 2 219

2016

2 283

2017

2018

2019

FEATURES

10 523

829 6 959The graph 10 shows horseracing handle in South Korea (blue) and Hong Kong

166 of US dollars, 6 957(orange) in12millions for the period 2010 -2021.

the Covid-19 pandemic, 13 409 7 261• Even before

2015 20 000

2020 2021 NUMBER 9 209 6 554 CRUNCHING

2020

racing in South Korea was slowly losing popularity – the average handle was 13 576 6 844 itsdown 0.5% per year for the period 2011 to 2019.

13 198 6 673• When taking the pandemic into account, the average handle is down 9.2% per 060 2011 to 2021).

6 901 year (for14 the period • Racing in Hong Kong continues to thrive, Covid-19 pandemic.

13 the 639 6 770 even despite From 2011 to 2021, the average was 4.5% per year.

6 183• growth 13 542 Of total handle in 2010, Hong Kong took a 58% share, while South Korea 605Hong Kong racing 1 004 42%. By12 2021, handle took up 94% of the total handle, 14 522 881 while South Korean racing handle accounted for only 6%.

2021

2 202

096 m) South Korea vs Hong Kong Horseracing Handle (20102 084 - 2021) 2(US$

1 437 1 336 Machine Sales (2010 - 2021) (PLNm) The graph shows slot machine and amusement with Poland 2 000 prizes machine (AWP) sales in Poland, in millions of Polish zloty, for the period 2010 to 2021.

AWP sales (PLNm) Slot machine sales (PLNm) 1 500 • Until 2016, the Polish machine market 14 000 consisted of private operators of slot 1 000 South Korea 7 654 Hong Kong machines in slot halls and amusement 3 781 horseracing horse 480 000 459 450 12racing 454 444 442 locations 348 with prize machines (AWPs) that 300 264 257 238 6 085 500 were placed in numerous establishments. handle (US$ m) handle (US$ m)199 3 684 10 000 • The AWP machines were popular, as their 5 279 0 took up 67% of the total machine sales sales 2 968 in 2010.2010 However, 2011 AWP 2012machines 2013 had 2014to 2015 82016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 000 3 759 be phased out in 2015, while slots had gone 2 098 by the end of 2016. The last gaming arcade 000 - 2021) (€ m) Greece Lotteries' Sales6(2010 closed on 7 June 2016.

1 597 • Then in 2017, the Government proposed a 1 425 4 000 new law which allowed for slot machines to 36 be placed in specialised slot halls once again.

701 1 312 • However, all slot machines are operated 2 000 627 by state owned Totalizator Sportowy, the 61 39 0 national lottery operator, and there are no 0 more AWP machines.

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

2010

6 554

9 209

2011

7 025

10 523

2012

6 959

10 829

2013

6 957

12 166

2014

7 261

13 409

576 844 - 2021)13 2015 France Casino GGY6(2006 (€m) 2016

6 000

2 462

2 572

2018

4 000

2 706

2 733

2 553

2 000

2006

2007

2008

2019

2 468

2 564

2010

881 25,0 2013

20,0

2014

15,0 10,0

25 000

5,0

14 24,9 522

26,1

26,7

26,5

26,5

2016

2018

2019

2020

2021

22,6 2015

19,5

France Casino GGY (2006 - 2021) (€ m)

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

1 511 1 082

12 605

130,0 004 2012

2 277 1 831

13 542

35,0

2011

Online poker GGY (€m)

2 690 2 418

13 639

6 183

2 376

2009

2 413

40,0

2021

0

2 438

645,0 770

2020

1 000

20

Land-based casino GGY (€m)

2 344 2 374 2 275 62 901 2017 2 238 060 2 306 2 323 180 2 181 14 2 133

5 000

3 000

2 658

2 640 2 394

2017

2021

Poland Machine Sales (2010 - 2021) (PLN m)

13 198

6 673

1 913

The graph shows French casino gross gambling yield (GGY) in millions of Euros, for the period 2006 – 2021.

• France legalised online sports betting, horseracing and poker games in 2010.

• Already in its first year, online poker GGY surpassed land-based casino GGY, 33,7 with 51% of the total GGY coming from 31,2 32,4 29,9 online poker.

28,5 poker GGY took 28,0 online 27,92021, 27,2• By up 58% of total casino GGY.

39,0 34,6

27,8

FEATURES

NUMBER CRUNCHING

TAKING STOCK Gambling Insider tracks operator and supplier stock prices across a six-month period (September 2022 to February 2023). The stock price is taken from the first day of each month

TORS OPERATORS LIERS ATORS SUPPLIERS OPERATORS PLIERS MELCO RESORTS & ENTERTAINMENT SUPPLIERSMELCO RESORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

OPERATORS CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT

MELCO RESORTS & ENTERTAINMENT MELCO RESORTS & ENTERTAINMENT MELCO RESORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT

US$ US$

US$

15 15

60

10 10

40

5

20

US$ 60

40

5

20

er ber ber r ry y Novem 0 Decembber Januar er Februa ber Octobe m er Octob mry December January February e e t v p r r o e 0 e e N S b b r y b m Decbeemr Novem Janurar Octobe Febrbuear er ry y Decemb Novem Januar Octobe Septem Februa

US$

75

20.00 20.00

50

10.00 10.00

25

50 25

• Six-month high - 41.91 (Feb) • Six-month low - 30.61 (Oct) • Market capital - US$16.51bn

22

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

20 20

WYNN RESORTS WYNN RESORTS

100 75

er r ember Decemberr January February eptemb Nov0.00 Octobe be ber r ber January February r 0.00 e b ber Sepetceemmrber Oactnoubaery Neobvreumary Decem r e m Dembe Novem Jober Octob Fember Septe r e ry y b m t e v c t p De No Januar Oc Februa Se

40 40

WYNN RESORTS

125 100

30.00 30.00

60 60

• Six-month high - 53.44 (Feb) • Six-month low - 34.15 (Oct) • Market capital - US$11.32bn

125US$

40.00 40.00

CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT

ember October November0 December January February 0 Sept er er er y 0ber Septceemmbber Octnoubaerry Nobvreumabry Decemb Januar Fe ber r e ber Dem Novem Joaber Octobe Septem Feember r e y b r m a t e u v c t p n c o e D N Ja O Se Febru

MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL

US$ US$ 50.00 50.00

US$ US$

0

• Six-month high - 13.67 (Feb) • Six-month low - 5.37 (Sep) • Market capital - US$5.59bn MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL

CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT

0 0

WYNN RESORTS WYNN RESORTS

US$ US$ 125 125 100 100 75 75 50 50 25 25

er ber ber r ry y Decembber Januar er Februa ber Novem 0 Octobe Septem r y m m b e e t o v t p r r c o ecembe e 0 r e e e N Januar O Feb S b b r neurary Febmrbuearry D ber ecbeemrb a D Novem J Octobe Septem y r m m b a e e Dece Nov Janu Octo Februa Sept • Six-month high - 104.32 (Feb) • Six-month low - 59.18 (Sep) • Market capital - US$12.35bn

FEATURES

NUMBER CRUNCHING

SUPPLIERS SUPPLIERS INSPIRED ENTERTAINMENT

INSPIRED ENTERTAINMENT

SPORTRADAR

INSPIRED ENTERTAINMENT

US$

US$

XXXXX

SPORTRADAR

SUPPLIERS

US$

XXXXX

15

20

SUPPLIERS

15

XX$

15

10

INSPIRED ENTERTAINMENT

10

40

5 30

5 15

205

r

Octobe

No

20 er er ry y er DeceSmebptembJanuarOctobFeerbruaNovemb

er

Decemb

Januar

y

ry

Februa

0

April

5

May

• Six-month high - 15.01 (Feb) • Six-month low - 9.40 (Oct) • MarketAugust capital - US$413.8bn July

June

PLAYTECH

0

GBp

ber

Septem

10

10

arch

r ptembe

Se

r

Octobe

No

March

Novem

r ecembe

• Six-month high - 12.80 (Feb) 5 • Six-month low - 8.76 (Oct) • April Market capital May - US$3.71bn June July

D

Januar

y

0

bruary

Fe

600

GBp

arch

10

0 er er r ber ry y DeceSmebptembJanuarOctobFeerbruaNovembe Novem 400

er Decemb

y Januar

ry Februa

0

XXXXX 30

0

40

April

May

r

Octobe July

ber Novem August

er

Decemb

Januar

y

• Six-month high - 562.50 (Dec) • Six-month low - 434.20 (Sep) • Market capital - GB£1.82bn (US$2.19bn)

24

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

ry

Februa

ber

Septem

r

Octobe

ber

Novem

er

Decemb

Janua

ARISTOCRAT LEISURE LIMITED

10 40

30 ber

Septem

r

Octobe

0 ber 30 ecembetrembearnuary obeerbruaryvember D Sep J No Oct F

er

Janua

ber ber November December JuneSeptemJuly OctoAugust

Janu

Novem

Decemb

20

10 tember SepJune

ARISTOCRAT LEISURE LIMITED

20 AU$

20 200

August

40

20 AU$

200 600

Januar

ARISTOCRAT

30

PLAYTECH

er

Decemb

AU$

40

PLAYTECH

XXXXX 400

0 10 betrembernuary oberbruary ember Decem Ja Oct Fe Nov Sep

ARISTOCRAT LEISURE LIMITED

PLAYTECH

r vembe

0

ber

r

Octobe

AU$

r Octobe

SPORTRADAR

US$

10 US$

150 r vembe

SPORTRADAR

10

0 March

April

May

0

• Six-month high - 37.72 (Nov) • Six-month low - 30.62 (Jan) • Market capital - AU$23.47bn (US$16.20bn)

FEATURES

THE HUDDLE

TRUSTING THE MARKET Trustly CEO Johan Tjärnberg joins Gambling Insider Editor Tim Poole at our GI Huddle booth during ICE London 2023, discussing the launch of Pay N Play within the UK market – and gaming’s importance to the payments company

"I'M EXTREMELY

FORTUNATE

TO BE ABLE TO RUN

A BUSINESS IN

ONE OF THE MOST

EXCITING SPACES WITHIN PAYMENTS"

At ICE London, Gambling Insider turned its N1 stand into a live studio, where some of the industry’s biggest and most influential CEOs, executives and consultants took part in GI Huddle video interviews. Tjärnberg joined us representing the ever-intertwining worlds of gaming and payments...

Johan, thanks for joining us. You recently completed your first full year as Trustly CEO. How do you reflect on that 12-month period?

It’s been great. I’ve been in the payments industry for almost 20 years now and, as you said, I joined Trustly in the CEO capacity in January of last year.

First of all, we are in the more account-to-account or open banking space. Given my history, I think this is the most exciting area to be in within overall payments today. So I’m extremely fortunate to be able to run a business in one of the most exciting spaces within payments.

in the space. I think there’s a lot of knowledge and experience within the company – so it’s very important for us. We are working with some of the most prominent brands in gaming and I think that makes us better. It’s an important part and I spend a lot of time on it.

You mentioned earlier you’ve been in payments for 20 years. I’m assuming gaming accounts for a far higher percentage now than it would have 10-20 years ago?

If you look at me personally and the other businesses I’ve been leading before, gaming payments would have been a smaller part of the overall business in the past.

Not for the first time, Trustly won Payment Solution of the year at the Global Gaming Awards London. How do you reflect on that victory?

This is more of a credibility statement for us.

It’s testimonial from customers and stakeholders around us that understand and are happy with what we are bringing, in terms of innovation, quality and relationship. It’s not the first time we’ve won this Award – and that also shows consistency in terms of what we are doing, so I’m extremely happy with that.

Watch the full video online

26

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

It’s particularly exciting to have you here on the GI Huddle because, although we deal with a lot of gaming CEOs and executives, you are CEO of Trustly as a whole – so overall payments and not just gaming. That being the case, I’m interested to know how much of a part gaming plays for the business and your day-to-day activity as its CEO? Gaming is one of two core verticals; it’s a very important space for us. We have a history where we have been in this space for a long period of time.

As I said before, I think we have built a number of great relationships with operators and stakeholders

JOHAN TJÄRNBERG CEO, Trustly

THE HUDDLE But I think for Trustly, specifically, gaming has always been a very important and core vertical for us, so that hasn’t really changed from a Trustly perspective.

Pay N Play is a famous Trustly product. Can you tell us a little bit about its launch in the UK? Pay N Play has been a very important product that we took to market several years ago; we have then fine-tuned and improved it. There are several versions of Pay N Play out there; for example, we recently launched it in the Netherlands, and now the UK is coming up for a pilot and launch.

Now, I think it’s going to be a great product for the UK market, where we are combining the identity verification together with payments in a very seamless flow. I think it’s going to be a great experience for the consumers, but also a great experience for the operators.

FEATURES

payments for a very long time and we are coming up with a big launch in May this year that will be a bit of a revolutionary step when it comes to the consumer experience. There will, of course, also be a lot of benefits for the merchants and the operators. So I think this is a little bit of a teaser, but you will see in May. I’m extremely excited for what we have on the roadmap.

Well, we are looking forward to that announcement but for now, Johan, thanks very much for your time and good luck for everything in 2023.

Generally, how big is the UK market for Trustly? Obviously, in gaming overall, it’s a very mature and ultra-competitive market.

It’s our third-largest market in Europe today. If I look forward, let’s say three to four years from now, I think the UK market has all the merits to become our largest market. We have had great growth and a tailwind over the last year. We’ve also invested heavily into the UK market; we acquired a business called Ecospend a few months ago. We closed this just a few weeks ago, so we are also adding power in the UK market, in terms of capabilities and so on. One of the features we are launching, together with Pay N Play, is also a new affordability product tailored for the gaming industry.

Affordability is naturally going to become a key word in the UK market. It already is – but will become even more so – and that’s a good segue into my next question. We sit at ICE London in February, early into 2023; as the year progresses in gaming payments generally, what are the main trends you’re seeing sector-wide?

You probably hear it from the operators: competition is increasing in many markets across the world. So it’s a slightly different situation today in the big markets compared to five or 10 years ago. Operators need to find a way to differentiate themselves and I think that’s also where we want to play a role to help our customers, too, to differentiate with our products.

Then, of course, you have everything that happens around regulation in general, with plenty of new legislation coming into force in different markets across Europe, and then you have the different state legislation in the US as well. We talked about affordability before, and I think it’s our responsibility as a provider to the gaming industry to find ways where we can merge these requirements into great products. We really want to find the synergies between the requirements and a great interface for the payment process itself.

So, given the Pay N Play launch in the UK and everything else we’ve discussed so far, a final question from me takes us back to Trustly as a company in 2023. What are your main goals with new and existing products going forward?

Thank you for asking – this is probably the most exciting thing for me. As I said, I’ve been in

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

27

FEATURES

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS - LONDON 2023

REVIEW: GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS LONDON 2023 We celebrate the winners at the Global Gaming Awards London 2023, which, as ever, took place at the Hippodrome Casino in Central London

On 6 February 2023, the winners of the Global Gaming Awards London 2023 were revealed at an invite-only event at London’s iconic Hippodrome Casino. The Global Gaming Awards are the most reputable and prestigious Awards in the gaming industry, mainly due to the strict nomination and voting processes. Each company and individual is always nominated for a specific reason, which is released in the public domain in the official Shortlist magazine. The London Awards event recognises companies and individuals with outstanding performance outside of the Americas over the past 12 months. “Huge congratulations to all those who took an

28

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

Award home today,” said Julian Perry, Editor-in-Chief of Gambling Insider and Gaming America. “Let’s also remember that today was about celebrating all Shortlisted companies, so to all those who were nominated but didn’t win – you should still be very proud,” he added. The winners were chosen by a panel of 50 C-level industry executives, including Daniela Johansson, Deputy CEO of Paf, Jordan Levin, CEO of OpenBet, Pascal Camia, COO of Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, Pieter Boers Vice President Gaming & Services at Holland Casino, Tiina Siltanen, General Manager at Casino Helsinki & Tampere, Daniela Vella, COO of ComeOn Group and more. KPMG

in the Crown Dependencies independently adjudicated the voting process to ensure full fairness and transparency. The Global Gaming Awards are powered by Gambling Insider and BetConstruct is the event’s Lead Partner. From all of us at Gambling Insider, we would like to express our thanks to Micky Swindale and the rest of the KPMG team involved in the Awards, Simon Thomas and the amazing team at The Hippodrome Casino for hosting the event, and all the event sponsors – Upgaming, Wazdan, Bragg Gaming, Amusnet Interactive, Digitain, Sof2Bet, Galaxsys, Evoplay, EGT, Light & Wonder, SOFTSWISS, Gamomat and BetConstruct.

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS - LONDON 2023

FEATURES

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

29

FEATURES

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS - LONDON 2023

It's very pleasing, just the recognition that the team has put in so much over the past year WINNER RETAIL OPERATOR OF THE YEAR

RIAN HADDOW HEAD OF RETAIL SPORTSBOOK, PADDY POWER

TOM WYSE COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR RETAIL, PADDY POWER

RETAIL OPERATOR SPONSORED BY:

Elated. I'm very, very happy to be receiving this Award on behalf of the company WINNER X2 ONLINE SLOT (SUGAR RUSH) & ONLINE CASINO SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR

JERIEL BACANI HEAD OF BRAND & COMMUNICATIONS, PRAGMATIC PLAY 30

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

ONLINE CASINO SUPPLIER SPONSORED BY:

FEATURES

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS - LONDON 2023

We are very, very proud to win Platform Provider of the year. It's a serious Award, so thank you very much WINNER PLATFORM PROVIDER OF THE YEAR

PLATFORM PROVIDER SPONSORED BY:

ARMAND PINARBASI CEO, SOFTCONSTRUCT

A huge congratulations on another victory in this category for the hugely successful bet365” – Julian Perry, Editor-in-Chief, Gambling Insider WINNER ONLINE SPORTS BETTING OPERATOR OF THE YEAR

ONLINE SPORTS BETTING OPERATOR SPONSORED BY:

BET365 32

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

D R O O P M H T E P F Y EAR ISINO O 20 E HA 2 3

C

HIPPODROMECASINO.COM

FEATURES

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS - LONDON 2023

Truly exciting, very humbled and, of course, we pride ourselves on our products and services WINNER CASINO SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR

CASINO SUPPLIER SPONSORED BY:

MARK MACCOMBIE SVP, EMEA, IGT

This Award means a lot to us each year and we strive to keep improving the programme WINNER AFFILIATE PROGRAM OF THE YEAR

NEIL FAIRWEATHER CHIEF MARKETING OPERATIONS OFFICER, BET365 PARTNERS AFFILIATE PROGRAM SPONSORED BY:

34

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS - LONDON 2023

FEATURES

This feels very good, we are always happy to be here picking up an Award WINNER ONLINE SPORTS BETTING SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR

KRISTIAN NYLÉN CEO, KAMBI GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

35

FEATURES

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS - LONDON 2023

Thank you, it's fantastic. A real Award for my team.

Trying to win is so hard and sets a real challenge for us each year WINNER CASINO OF THE YEAR

SIMON THOMAS EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, THE HIPPODROME CASINO CASINO

SPONSORED BY:

It’s fantastic. It’s great to be recognised by the industry and the Judging Panel and for us it’s a testimony to the great product teams we have WINNER RETAIL SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR

JON LANCASTER VICE PRESIDENT, EMEA, LIGHT & WONDER 38

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

FEATURES

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS - LONDON 2023

It feels great and we have been doing this for many years; it is a testament to our work WINNER SERVICES PROVIDER OF THE YEAR

SERVICES PROVIDER SPONSORED BY:

MIKAEL HANSSON CEO, ENTERACTIVE

PEDRAM PADIDAR COO, ENTERACTIVE

It's the most important feeling and it's a really great product WINNER PRODUCT LAUNCH (DREAM DROP JACKPOTS) OF THE YEAR

NADIYA ATTARD CCO, RELAX GAMING 40

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

PRODUCT LAUNCH SPONSORED BY:

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS - LONDON 2023

FEATURES

It's just amazing to be the winner again and I'm particularly proud WINNER ONLINE CASINO OF THE YEAR

ONLINE CASINO SPONSORED BY:

GUSTAF HAGMAN CEO, LEOVEGAS GROUP

It's a really integral part of what we do and the only way for us to have a sustainable business in this industry WINNER SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THE YEAR

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SPONSORED BY:

NILS ANDÉN CCO, KINDRED GROUP GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

41

FEATURES

GLOBAL GAMING AWARDS - LONDON 2023

We've been Shortlisted for the last five or six years and have won the last four years a in row, so it has been great WINNER PAYMENT SOLUTION OF THE YEAR

JOHN MALLIA DIRECTOR OF GAMING, TRUSTLY

EMIL NORDSTRÖM CAMPAIGN MANAGER, TRUSTLY

Thank you very much, I feel very humbled. I'm surprised to win – it's a great group of Judges WINNER EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

JESPER SVENSSON CEO, BETSSON GROUP 42

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

EXECUTIVE SPONSORED BY:

FEATURES

ASIA 2023

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2023 Gambling Insider looks ahead to the Global Gaming Awards Asia 2023 on 29 May, while also looking back at the Awards' inaugural ceremony in 2022 The Global Gaming Awards Asia will return this May for its second iteration. This follows the inaugural Awards for companies active in the Asia-Pacific region in 2022, a virtual event, which included nine categories.

The most prestigious Awards in the gaming industry, the Global Gaming Awards are the most reputable due to their strict nomination and voting processes. Each company and individual is always nominated for a specific reason, which is released in the public domain.

Furthermore, winners are chosen by a panel of C-level industry executives, with the judging process adjudicated

by KPMG in the Crown Dependencies.

This adjudication process is to ensure full fairness and transparency.

As always, the Global Gaming Awards will be powered by Gambling Insider.

The categories for last year’s Global Gaming Awards Asia will be the same this year, and they include:

44

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

• Casino Operator of the year • Casino Supplier of the year • Integrated Resort of the year • Casino Product of the year • Table Game of the year • Corporate Social Responsibility of the year • Digital Operator of the year • Digital Supplier of the year • Executive of the year All members of the Judging Panel for the Global Gaming Awards Asia 2023 will be specialists in the Asian market, as they were for the inaugural year. Judges for the Global Gaming Awards Asia 2022 included the likes of Light & Wonder’s Asia Managing Director, Ken Jolly; Interblock’s President of Asia Pacific, Michael Hu; Galaxy Entertainment Group’s SVP of Table Games, Jason Barry and Sportradar’s Managing Director of Asia Pacific, Oscar Brodkin, among other high-profile Judges.

Last year’s winners included the likes

of Solaire Resort & Casino, which had the honour of being named Integrated Resort of the year, Bloomberry Resorts, which won Casino Operator of the year and Sportsbet, which won Digital Operator of the year.

Other winners included: • Light & Wonder – Casino Supplier of the year, and Casino Product of the year (for its MDX Shuffler) • Novomatic – Table Game of the year (for its Novo Line Novo Unity II) • Melco Resorts & Entertainment – Corporate Social Responsibility of the year • Evolution – Digital Supplier of the year • Enrique K. Razon Jr., Chairman and CEO of Bloomberry Resorts – Executive of the year The Global Gaming Awards Asia 2023 will once again be held virtually on 29 May, as the region continues its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.The full nominations and shortlist will be available soon, both on the Global Gaming Awards and Gambling Insider websites.

FEATURES

COVER FEATURE

THE POWER OF THE REBRAND With the help of industry experts, Gambling Insider Editor Tim Poole evaluates the process of changing a gambling company’s corporate identity, whether via a subtle brand repositioning or full-scale transformation Industry veterans, ask yourself this: if a new starter entered the gambling sector today, would they even know who GVC Holdings, Scientific Games and Paddy Power Betfair were in their pomp? These erstwhile names were companies that led the market, with GVC boasting the best of the UK high

46

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

street and harbouring hopes of US dominance alongside MGM Resorts. Paddy Power Betfair displayed the other side of the same coin, showing off further UK strength and the foresight to acquire FanDuel across the Atlantic Ocean. Once upon a time, Scientific Games was not just a lottery brand but an omni-channel casino supplier working with most major operators.

Today, these three companies still very much exist – and still very much lead from the front. But their identities, even their very names, are totally different.

Indeed, while the GVC, Paddy Power Betfair and Scientific Games names bring with them a rich history, they have been consigned to exactly that: history. GVC is now Entain, Paddy Power Betfair is Flutter Entertainment and Scientific Games (still the name of the divested lottery brand) has become Light & Wonder for all other verticals. These names roll off the tongue and are designed to emphasise the light-hearted entertainment aspect of our sector.

Though simple, these brand

names are effective and engaging. And they have, of course, been backed up by genuine organisational change behind the scenes.

If an organisation is able to demonstrate to both investors and customers a new way of conducting business – adaptable, fresh and modern, reshaping your brand can become a powerful tool. It is a tool many gambling companies have chosen to utilise – to varying degrees. Further to the most high-profile examples above, transformations have been undergone at GR8 Tech (formerly Parimatch Tech), Pavilion Payments (formerly Global Payments), several big players within the Bulgarian market and many more.

Other firms have chosen to reposition their brand more subtly, realigning and making tweaks in key areas. One such brand is UK-based Grosvenor Casinos, which – alongside Flutter, Entain and Light & Wonder – will form one of this piece’s core case studies.

An answer I’ve heard repeatedly during my years at Gambling Insider is that there is only one constant in our industry: change.

Indeed, so much is changing around us, so often, from the M&A rearranging the sector’s landscape, to the people that lead these newly structured organisations – to the technology that provides the beating heart of the industry’s very foundations.

Within that world of change, where the concept of brand itself has become an ever-evolving entity, executives and investors alike might often ask a simple question: should their gambling company change, too? There is upfront cost; there is initial shock; but long-term, does the value it produces ensure those factors end up well and truly in the rear-view mirror?

COVER FEATURE

GROSVENOR: BRAND EQUITY A land-based casino subsidiary of Rank Group, Grosvenor Casinos recently underwent a brand repositioning, something Marketing Director Sarah Sculpher spoke to Gambling Insider about in greater detail.

How much needs to change in terms of culture and operations to ensure a rebrand isn’t just a facelift at surface level?

All brands should be monitoring their brand perception and saliency in line with changes in the market, customer behaviour and to ensure the brand is fit to meet the growth aspirations for the business. At Grosvenor Casinos, we continually track how the brand is performing across a range of metrics both with existing customers and with the marketplace. In 2021, we undertook a further deep dive to explore changes in customer expectations from leisure experiences and what the unmet needs were; both with our customers today and with people in the marketplace who would consider visiting a casino, but who hadn’t for whatever reason been motivated to visit.

That research uncovered that we get a lot of things right; casinos are still appealing and seen as fun and exciting; but to grow with new customers, casinos also need to feel more accessible, welcoming, open and premium, but very much still be casinos at their core. That led to the repositioning which looks to re-frame Grosvenor Casinos as somewhere that anyone can be entertained, shake off the dark and mysterious perceptions and not just appeal to the seasoned few.

We didn’t change our name, like some of the examples you highlight, as there is far too much positivity around Grosvenor Casinos to do that.

Grosvenor Casinos is the market leader in landbased casinos, highly trusted and has by far and away the strongest prompted and unprompted brand awareness of any other operator – a lot of brand equity has been established, but we have modernised it. There can be strong reasons for changing a name if the case for doing so outweighs the equity and I am sure all the businesses you have mentioned have answered that question before acting.

FEATURES

It’s been one of the more exciting projects of my career, as many companies view ‘brand’ as only the logo above the door and the supporting communications.

Although that has been given significant focus, it is about driving commitment throughout the organisation to look at all customer touchpoints and ensure we are delivering our brand promises through every aspect. For a brand to re-frame itself and realign its core purpose, every aspect of the organisation needs to be aligned to the vision and you need to measure how you are performing against it – just telling customers you want to be different won’t work for sustainable growth – they have to see it, experience it and feel it.

That doesn’t happen overnight, you start with a vision and then the hard work of aligning properties, product, people and processes against it begins – in casinos, being highly regulated and process-driven, there are some hardened ways of working to unpick. We are really only at the beginning of the journey, we have launched a new communications approach, identity, customer service proposition, property blueprint, product strategy and people vision – which we brought alive in our Merchant City property in Glasgow, alongside a £3.5m ($4.2m) refurbishment.

How much can investors be swayed by a successful rebrand?

Investors want to feel reassured that a business is adapting and developing in line with the needs of the customer.

Investor confidence is driven through creating visibility of the strategies that are going to drive future relevance with customers. Our project was grounded in sensible customer and market insight, tested with the marketplace; and is driving a step change in our Net Promoter Scores and financial metrics where we have invested in property improvements alongside it.

“Emperor’s new clothes” A rebrand delivered without addressing the core purpose can be a case of Emperor’s new clothes, but consumers quickly see through it. Hermes becoming Evri was greeted with a huge amount of cynicism because it was felt to gloss over the real issues. The repositioning work to date has set the scene for Grosvenor Casinos where we can grow a culture, product proposition and communications strategy that aligns with a more entertainment-led purpose.

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

47

FEATURES

COVER FEATURE

"A rebrand delivered without addressing the core purpose can be a case of Emperor’s new clothes, but consumers quickly see through it.

Hermes becoming Evri was greeted with a huge amount of cynicism because it was felt to gloss over the real issues" – Sarah Sculpher

48

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

COVER FEATURE

FEATURES

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

49

FEATURES

COVER FEATURE

" At the end of the day, what is so critically important to build a brand and make a name successful is you have to make real change. We used this analogy as we were going through the naming process – and the name is just an empty vessel" – Siobhan Lane LIGHT & WONDER: REAL CHANGE going through the naming process – and Siobhan Lane, Light & Wonder Gaming CEO, spoke to the GI Huddle about the company’s rebrand and transformation at ICE London.

We’re very happy with it; I know it was a bit of a shock to the industry. When we announced the name, it was a shock to many of our creators as well. But really, a name is just a name. At the end of the day, what is so critically important to build a brand and make a name successful is you have to make real change. We used this analogy as we were

FLUTTER AND ENTAIN: INVESTOR CONFIDENCE A company’s share price can be affected by numerous factors – chief among them for gambling companies being regulatory announcements. With that in mind, Flutter’s gradually ascending share price in recent years can’t be solely attributed to its rebrand. But it is worth noting that, since rebranding in March 2019, Flutter’s value has not dipped below its value that month (£53-£58 per share). Instead, at press time, it sits at almost three times that value (£140), having peaked at almost £170 in March 2021. Investor confidence is generally high in the B2C giant, which chose to marry the concept behind its overall parent company name to that of its shining star, FanDuel, a name that, again, connotes friendly competition.

To its credit, the organisation’s leading brands have indeed put safer gambling first. Sky Bet has, on occasion, taken

50

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

the name is just an empty vessel. You have to really fill that vessel with meaningful things like values, behaviours, leadership, opportunities and development – and really walk the talk, if you will.

I think that’s what we’re most proud of. We knew it was a big opportunity, but because we were changing and transforming in so many ways, the Scientific Games name was born with and naturally belongs with that lottery business. So when we made the decision to divest lottery, we knew the name would go with that business.

It was a real opportunity to go big and, more importantly, make sure we’re following up on filling that vessel with really meaningful things.

Ultimately, we wanted to create a company that would retain our creators, and get them excited and passionate about what we’re doing here; but also attract new creators to our industry or to our organisation. It’s different, it’s fresh, but that was really done with intention. Hopefully the shock has worn off and, like you said, we’re very, very happy with it. We think it’s been a successful rebrand and we’ll just continue to fill that vessel with amazing things.

revenue hits attributed in Flutter’s quarterly reports to responsible gambling measures. The emphasis on casual bettors – sustainable in the long run – who fancy a ‘flutter’ is clear. The globalisation of the brand, meanwhile, from Adjarabet in Georgia to Junglee Games in India, meant leading with ‘Paddy Power’ and ‘Betfair’ as its brand leaders no longer made sense.

With hefty market share in key regions like the UK, multiple US states and Australia, Flutter has changed irreversibly.

It is a similar story for Entain. With a share price that sat just below £10 prior to its rebrand, shares have not fallen below that value since – peaking at around £22, which met a three-year target former CEO Kenny Alexander had set in this very

"To its credit, the organisation’s leading brands have indeed put safer gambling first.

Sky Bet has, on occasion, taken revenue hits attributed in Flutter’s quarterly reports to responsible gambling measures"

COVER FEATURE

magazine. Although the ‘Entain’ name may, in my humble opinion, still sound a little silly (it’s not actually a word, unlike the sharper-sounding Flutter), among investors it is representing exactly what it set out to – ‘a socially responsibly future.’ On 17 August 2022, Entain even paid a £17m settlement to the Gambling Commission in the UK for regulatory failings; it was even threatened with the withdrawal of its licence. But its new corporate identity has had such an impact among investors that a message of ‘historical failings’ was quickly accepted, with the wider market perhaps also understanding the regulator’s bark may be worse than its bite on the licence issue.

CHANGING WITH THE TIMES Ultimately, if your gambling company is considering an identity change or a brand repositioning, there are a plethora of positives that can be gleaned – as all of our case studies can attest. Of course, the old mantra of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ still applies.

‘Caesars’ is still such valuable real estate in business terms that it was a no-brainer for Eldorado Resorts to keep the name after the companies’ $17.3bn merger. MGM, Sands and Wynn, equally, remain

revered names after decades. But, even then, each of the above organisations will have made changes to their brands over time – and more than once.

If it is followed through with action at core levels of the business, transformation can provide strength. As Light & Wonder’s Gaming CEO Lane warns, anything less meaningful risks becoming an

FEATURES

“empty vessel,” a message backed up

by Sculpher’s notion of “Emperor’s new clothes.” One’s brand must attract new business and inspire loyalty from existing customers all at once. But, especially in today’s industry, a brand can change.

And, if it changes with the times, being backed up by genuine organisational transformation, a rebrand can turn eyes away from the past and toward the future. It will never be a quick fix and, like anything in business, can never truly guarantee success. But as an organic long-term strategy outside of M&A, there are few options that can match the power of the rebrand.

"An answer I’ve heard repeatedly during my years at Gambling Insider is that there is only one constant in our industry: change"

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

51

FEATURES

GIONATA LA TORRE

EVOLUTION: THE ITALIAN JOB Gionata La Torre, Evolution Group’s new CEO Europe, sits down with Gambling Insider over Zoom to discuss his new role, his goals moving forward and the wise words his grandparents left him with Europe. We also have at least a couple of colleagues in our management team who were former dealers. It’s really all about meritocracy. Even now, as a 17-18,000-person organisation, we must create an environment where we recognise, cultivate and reward talent. If we can do that, people will be happy and our customers will be happy.

It’s as simple as that.

Gionata La Torre As the CEO Europe of Evolution, can you share your experience so far and your goals for the company?

It feels great. I have been at this company since 2011, almost since the inception. As the CEO of Europe, I believe there are two things that are fundamentally important, at least for me. First of all, our people and our customers are closely linked together. If our people are determined and know what they have to do to accomplish our goals in Europe, it means our customers are also happy. Therefore, I think that as a CEO, the most important thing is to continue developing this organisation. We have historically been good at recognising talent and we must not lose that now we are a big corporation. Talent is everywhere within our organisation. For example, many key account managers were former dealers in

52

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

How does the structure work between you as Europe CEO and the Group CEO of Evolution?

Martin Carlesund is the Group CEO, and he has got all the regions and all the fun action that comes with that. And I’m responsible for the P&L of Europe. So it works, like in every organisation that is geographically based. I was here before Martin because Martin, if I’m not mistaken, arrived in 2015.

But it is now 2023 and we have had a fantastic relationship.

We share a lot of things. We are pretty similar, super determined, super focused and we absolutely have good work ethics.

But you know, there are some professional values that are

true in every region, whether it’s Europe, the US or wherever else.

When there is integrity, when you plan in advance for the future, and you can give good direction to the team that surrounds you, there will be long-term evolution.

GIONATA LA TORRE

Tell me, what have the last couple of years been like for you?

This is a very good question. If I think about the last couple of years and we think about the organisation, first of all, we have to talk about numbers.

In 2021 versus 2020, there was an incredible growth of 90%, and in 2022 versus 2021, we are talking about around 36%. So we have become a company with

revenues in excess of €1.4bn ($1.5bn). When it comes to numbers, everyone is proud of what we have accomplished. And on the other side, everyone has to understand that we have not done everything right, even if we are now a €1.4bn-revenue company in Europe. This doesn’t mean the future is just waiting for us or that we can relax. We have to continue to be focused and execute our work; we have a big responsibility. As I said, almost 18,000 people are with us, which to me means they are like family. We have to protect and develop the future of every one of us. It doesn’t mean that because we are a big company now, we can just sit down and relax, or that we become fat and happy.

FEATURES

What about the future, where is Evolution heading?

Besides numbers, it’s all about the product. This is our mission. This is what we are focused on; what we are obsessed with. We have to give the best experience to our players and the best service to our customers. It’s as simple as that.

And I think that, in a way, this is what I kept saying to all my team and also to my peers.

First of all, we are super lucky. Every one of us working in this industry, directly or indirectly, is in an industry which is growing and has the possibility to grow even further. Just think about the possibility of growth that every one of us working in this industry has. Secondly, as long as we keep executing on product and on service, we are fine. And, it’s a fun industry – everyone has to recognise humbly that, first of all, we are lucky. As my grandfather and grandmother used to say, you also have to help your luck. The only possibility you have to help your luck is to work hard.

That’s it. When I think about our products within the last two years, for sure we have continued to focus on our core live casino business, notwithstanding the slots acquisition we have made. All the variations of Baccarat, the Lightning concept, Blackjack variations, Crazy Coin Flip, are continuing on in our game shows, and this is something that is not trivial to me. Usually, when we do a merger or acquisition, we go into another vertical,

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

53

FEATURES

GIONATA LA TORRE

but it’s another space. There was a possibility that we could have lost focus on our core, which didn’t happen at all. We are still obsessed and focused on delivering what we are well known for.

When it comes to slots, if I have to think about the last two years, I remember the

last acquisition we have done in No limit City (NLC). First of all, I can say that it’s always about people. I met every one of our new colleagues and they are great. We clicked. Then they have unique content, which is not trivial again in the slot business.

There is a USP when we talk about Nolimit City and the fact they have this kind of content, which can be considered controversial by some, makes it something new. When you add fantastic graphics to mechanics to feed your feature, I think this is the perfect combination. But we are still not happy with our performance in slots. This doesn’t mean we are not happy at all. First of all, recognising a problem is always the start and, second, we have to be better at content for sure. We need to improve the quality of what we do and the quantity as well.

We have to be more efficient. There is no other possibility. We have to do more slots more frequently, and our content has to be distributed simply. Obviously, there is no possibility for us to go forward without any focus. We have to do better.

Finally, how was ICE London for you this year?

I was there in 2020 when Covid-19 started.

I then missed 2021 but was there this year.

So what we said here was, okay, now we have to make a splash. The message we wanted to convey was about Evolution and being a game factory, an idea and game factory.

If you saw some of our installations and proposals for new games, you would have seen that there is a lot of crossover. Everything is hybrid and fluid. I truly believe we don’t have to work in silos. There is Big Time Gaming, NetEnt, Red Tiger, NLC, etc. We have to ensure one plus one has to equal three, because otherwise, it’s not a successful merger and acquisition. We have to make sure there is a melting pot, and the result of this melting pot should be all four brands performing better together than they would if they were divided.

54

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

FEATURES

BIG QUESTION

Where can slots innovate from here?

Simon Hammon, CEO, Relax Gaming

Simon Hammon

56

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

This is a question I get asked quite often, and it’s always an interesting one to answer due to the ever-shifting landscape!

Slot development changes rapidly yearon-year and there are hundreds of suppliers out there launching an incredible number of games each month. Though it may sound cliché, innovation is the key to surviving the content deluge. To engage and excite, you need to stand out.

Truthfully, the only chance our industry has for survival is for every party to support innovation. This starts with suppliers. Creating something that is truly different with a high engagement rate is not only important but vital. To get started, injecting life and soul into productions is the basic and most fundamental way our industry can move forward. The second obstacle to overcome lies in capturing players’ attention. To do this you need to cover every step of the journey. First, when players are browsing casino lobbies through visuals, then via marketing, the player understands why the game is so great. The simple reality is that we’ve only got one or two days in the shop window before the next slew of skins and cloned games are released. So, we need to make our mark as quickly and effectively as possible.

Of course, it’s important to balance innovation with familiarity – reinventing the wheel every month can push players in the wrong direction. That’s why suppliers need to think smarter. In short, by prioritising quality over quantity. iGaming is more than a numbers game, and a volume of reskins isn’t going to cut it in the long run. This counts for players, suppliers and operators.

Casinos play a crucial role in this cycle as well. Supporting unique content through quality marketing and positioning is

imperative to tipping the scales in the right direction. Operators must promote unique content for the good of their brands and the industry at large.

To achieve what they want, they need to invest time and energy into selecting the right titles to market. Key to that is positioning the most innovative games in a way that gets the players’ eyes on them. This helps to foster further creativity and results in a healthier, more sustainable industry landscape.

By and large, the current climate sees quantity supersede quality and this is what needs to change. Too many times we’re seeing a rapid transition towards a pool of familiarity and stagnation. This is ultimately the beast we must all contend with to shift the algorithm back into equilibrium.

Here at Relax Gaming, we’re fortunate to have come out with a handful of games that have seen significant success. In my opinion, we’ve been able to achieve this because our games stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons. We dared to be different, and the production quality was high. Of course, we also made the most of strong marketing and positioning. As a result, we were fortunate to have operator buy-in from day one as they trusted in our process.

I don’t believe the landscape is sustainable for suppliers right now unless they dare to push their own boundaries. I am genuinely concerned about the future of those that are churning out the same old content; it’s inevitable that suppliers are going to run themselves into the ground unless they start thinking outside the box.

At the end of the day, you need to get that all -mportant operator buy-in sooner rather than later.

BIG QUESTION

FEATURES

How can slots innovate from here?

Erkki Nikunen, Partner & CBDO at Air Dice In today’s attention economy – where companies are fiercely competing for consumer attention and the cash that follows – operators and suppliers need to provide a compelling entertainment experience to encourage players to their brands and games.

Players today are expecting more active and engaging types of entertainment than are offered by traditional slots. If studios want their slots to be successful, they need to offer players elements of interaction if they are to secure and hold their attention.

Today’s mobile and video games thrive on being high-engagement entertainment where the player has a degree of agency when they play. Be it storylines, graphics or game mechanics: it’s all used to give players the higher level of engagement they expect.

Traditional slots often don’t meet these expectations; aside from setting the price and pressing spin, there’s not much more to offer. Developers seeking slot success today need to learn from these other sectors to increase the decision -making and agency that bettors have while they play.

BRINGING STRATEGY TO SLOTS Integrating more strategy-influenced and choice-based options into slot games allows operators to offer titles that meet these higher engagement expectations.

By offering players opportunities to become more involved in the game – not just hitting spin – you allow them to have greater influence over the outcome of each game round.

It really comes down to giving the player choice as this makes them feel like they have greater input into and control of the game.

With the ability to shift reels and, at times, choose between winning combos to keep the run going, players can build a strategy, feel ownership over their choices and enjoy a much more engaging experience.

Operators aren’t just competing with one another for attention and sign-ups, they’re competing with every other form of online entertainment – be it mobile and video games, streaming services, social media and more. By injecting strategy into slots, studios can help operators better compete for that attention with an innovative new way to play.

Erkki Nikunen DRAWING IN WITH DICE GAMES Responding to the changing tastes and engagement expectations of new players, operators have resorted to stocking their lobbies with non-traditional content like Crash, Minesweeper and Dice games.

The latter is particularly effective, with the more involved game experience exactly what players are seeking.

With Dice games, players are way more involved and have to use their knowledge of the game and skill to help line up the numbers and symbols. With practice, time and experience, the player can feel and see their skills and ability in the game improving. In turn, if the player feels highly capable and empowered by their choices, it’s likely that they’ll play for longer.

Thanks to this increased proficiency, players feel a degree of accomplishment that helps build positive brand affinity and

greater loyalty to the game title they’ve invested time in getting good at. Brand affinity and loyalty are particularly valuable currencies in today’s competitive market, and it helps build for the future.

CATERING FOR FUTURE AUDIENCES Levelled-up, more engaging games that give players choice beyond setting the price and hitting play is going to be the future of slots. This type of content will also help operators tap into the lucrative Millennial and Gen Z audiences while providing existing players with new gambling experiences.

Drawing in new players and building a dedicated player base is already a challenge, and you can only market existing slots in so many ways. If your slots are more innovative and offer players a richer playing experience where they can make impactful choices, you have a pure product advantage that you can then enhance through effective marketing.

This authentic, meaningful engagement is what the next generation of slots needs to deliver – it gives players more interactive, choice-based play. And for operators, it allows them to build for the long term much more effectively: reaching newer Millennial and Gen Z audiences that can replenish and further expand their customer base.

As older audiences who love more traditional slots play age – playing less and for shorter periods – investing in these future generations will keep operators healthy, allowing them to continue innovating and serving their customers with the games they love.

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

57

FEATURES

BIG QUESTION

Victoria Vashukevich

How can slots innovate from here?

Victoria Vashukevich, Head of Account Management at 3 Oaks Gaming Truly groundbreaking concepts are few and far between in the industry. The advent of online gaming broadened the scope for developers to become more flexible and introduce more in-depth games than previously seen, while Big Time Gaming and its Megaways mechanic really pushed the boundaries as to how

58

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

paylines can evolve from being fixed.

The reality is that there is limited big-scale innovation within the slots space. While it is unlikely that we will see a revolutionary product that will take the slots world by storm anytime soon, subtle yet vitally important upgrades to the overall gameplay will continue to dominate a developer’s mindset. This approach has proven valuable in taking the slot sector forward in recent times and attracting new audiences.

A noticeable example of this is the success of games with the Hold and Win mechanic in the online space. Year-on -year, this genre of games is among the best performers on the market. Why? Because a large audience of players are already familiar with the concept, but game distributors are constantly exploring new ways to take the core concept in new directions and maintain its freshness.

For instance, we have introduced more valuable sub mechanics like win multipliers into some of the Bonus Games powered

by Hold and Win functionality. With more variations to follow, the popularity of these

games is unlikely to decrease anytime soon.

Scatter and Cluster Pays games have already shown themselves to be a hugely interesting alternative to other slots that showcase other mechanics. I am also confident that there will be a state-of-the-art update to the Scatter Pays offering, though I doubt this will change too much from what is an already-thriving feature. There is also a rapid climb within the skill games genre, as well as with crash games, which continue to grow in popularity.

Where we are likely to see innovation is the way in which players consume their favourite games. Mobile engagement continues to rise, with players seemingly less keen to experience slots content on a desktop computer. It is now time that game providers need to think a lot more deeply about how their games look and feel on mobile devices.

I like to think that gone are the days where loading slots on devices takes an inordinate amount of time and the gameplay is intermittent. There is scope to further improve the overall standard of mobile play and take into consideration how devices are evolving themselves.

Another key consideration is the hype surrounding the metaverse and the use of cryptocurrencies. Metaverse has the potential to be the next big thing, a fully immersive and virtual gambling experience for players. Live casinos have seen popularity increase steadily over time and these are slowly gaining traction.

However, I can’t see this overtaking slots for a period of time, although there is no denying that the impact of metaverse in iGaming can be ignored.

There is uncertainty surrounding crypto, particularly given recent market crashes; but as we have seen across the industry, these types of payment solutions are on the rise.

I fully expect that to continue across Asia and perhaps certain regions in Europe for the foreseeable future, and it will be interesting to see if it expands globally.

Finally, promotional tools are really adding strength to this corner of the sector and elevating the player experience. Player retention and acquisition is absolutely vital and there is a noticeable increase in activity encompassing this offering.

Looking further into the future, will we need to have a phone to play our favourite slots? The advent of a completely state-ofthe-art invention such as digital lenses and glasses could be an everyday way of living but I expect that to be a long way off still.

Whatever happens, I believe focusing on the key elements of current slots, such as the continued upgrade of features and bonuses, is the way forward.

BIG QUESTION

FEATURES

How can slots innovate from here?

Stuart McCarthy, Head of Product and Programs at Yggdrasil As the repertoire of slots keeps on increasing across the industry, so do methods of innovation and modernisation. Slots have come a long way since their inception and their popularity has skyrocketed, therefore the overarching necessity to create something bigger and better is always at an all-time high. With exponential advances in technology, there is great potential for slots to evolve and innovate in new and exciting ways.

"Innovation has always been core to our culture since our inception 10 years ago and will continue to be the central tenant" Innovating slots can come in many different ways, such as mechanics, virtual reality experiences, as well as elements of live action aspects. Incremental steps and in some cases, giant leaps forward, can be noted in many cases as the industry evolves.

Different game mechanics which are used in slots are a means to build familiarity, repeat play in players as well as to create exciting gameplay. Most slots keep relying on the same basic game mechanics that have been used since the inception of slots in casinos, which involve a player spinning the reels and waiting to match symbols on a winning payline. However, there are many other ways to create exciting gameplay. Behind this is always the drive to deliver consistent

Stuart McCarthy high levels of entertainment where players inherently feel the win potential of a game.

Innovation is all about seeing the potential of the new and successfully delivering, which results in new potential that can be unlocked. As an industry we are already seeing how innovation is evolving the player experience through the blending of live dealer and RNG gameplay experiences, or through more collaborative enterprises. This allows players to compete against each other or work together to achieve a common goal. At the same time, we are seeing the influence of slot play through gamification of traditional betting experiences.

Innovation has always been core to our culture since our inception 10 years ago and will continue to be the central tenant of our thinking into the future.

Advances in technology, such as VR and AI or the availability of AAA 3D game engines, offer new opportunities to be embraced, creating more engaging and mind-blowing gaming experiences.

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

59

FEATURES

FIRE & ICE 2023

FIRE & ICE 2023 REVIEW: THE 20TH AND FINAL SHOW Fire & Ice returned for its 20th year during ICE London 2023, celebrating the history of iGaming since the first bet was placed online in 1994 to the present day to Gambling Insider, Co-Organiser Thind said: “What you know as Fire & Ice is over, and anything we do in the future will be something brand new.”

Although this does mark the end of Fire & Ice as it is known – it is clearly not the end of Caselli and Thind’s hopes of putting on iGaming events around ICE. What’s more, with ICE considering four locations from 2025 (one of which, though, is still London), the new model to replace Fire & Ice may be more adapted to suit different city destinations.

The exact plans Caselli and Thind have for future iGaming events are, of course, unknown for now – but the industry will undoubtedly wait in anticipation for what the pair have in store. And Gambling Insider will be sure to keep you posted.

The event, called Beyond our Wildest Dreams, aimed to honour the pioneers that developed the industry since its inception, featuring surrealist surroundings, dance troupes, flames and even snakes. The stage show, meanwhile, featured five acts, encapsulating the different eras of the iGaming industry. These acts included illusion artist Johannes Stoetter, aerial artist Leo Hedman and the dance troupe Fuel Girls. Music was provided by Peter Samson, as well as DJ John J-Joy Refalo, among other London -based artists.

The event was also held in collaboration with GabaLabs and Sentia Spirits, who distributed non-alcoholic shots to guests choosing not to drink alcohol. With VIP tables and a large arena floor featuring a flock of industry representatives – the 20th

60

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

iteration of Fire & Ice marked an occasion in which networking could happen en masse.

Debuting in 2002, Fire & Ice was at first a small gathering, eventually flourishing into a must-see event for the entire iGaming industry.

Founded by Michael Caselli and Jodie Thind, the Co-Organisers are proud of how the show has grown alongside the iGaming industry itself.

Caselli said: “I have been involved in the iGaming industry since 1997 and I have had the incredible privilege to watch it grow, through the efforts of some wonderful friends and colleagues, into something that has exceeded our wildest dreams. This year’s show tells that story and is itself – Beyond our Wildest Dreams.”

However, Fire & Ice 2023 not only marked the 20th iteration of the show, but also the last to take place. In comments made exclusively

Michael Caselli & Jodie Thind

FEATURES

ROUNDTABLE

ROUNDTABLE: LATIN AMERICA Industry leaders from Play’n Go, PayRetailers, Evoplay and Sportingtech discuss all things Latin America, from growing markets to attaining licences JOSE MARTÍ GARCIA DEL VALLE Head of Global Sales PayRetailers EMILIE ZAMPONI Regional Director Southern Europe & LatAm Play’n Go

Emilie Zamponi is the Regional Director of Southern Europe & LatAm at Play’n Go. She has more than a decade’s experience in the gaming industry, with a focus on B2B sales and account management.

62

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

BOBBY LONGHURST Managing Director Sportingtech

VLADIMIR MALAKCHI CCO Evoplay

With over six years of experience in the Latin American payments space, PayRetailers Head of Global Sales Jose Martí Garcia del Valle is an expert in helping international merchants enter this booming market. He brings a deep understanding of the region and its diverse payment options, including the 250+ payment options offered by PayRetailers. His dedication to delivering exceptional service and tailored solutions has earned him a reputation as a leader in the industry.

Vladimir Malakchi, CCO at Evoplay, is a regular keynote speaker, panellist, interviewee and an active participant in podcasts and roundtables, as well as offline and online iGaming conferences.

Malakchi is frequently invited to serve on juries for the most prestigious awards.

Bobby Longhurst is Sportingtech’s Managing Director. He has played a pivotal role in strengthening the company’s growing presence globally with its operator-focused sports betting, casino and retail solutions. Before joining Sportingtech, he held leading commercial roles at Pronet Gaming, SBTech and Sporting Solutions.

ROUNDTABLE

FEATURES

VLADIMIR MALAKCHI:

EMILIE ZAMPONI:

HOW HAS GAMING IN LATIN AMERICA EVOLVED IN RECENT YEARS

BOBBY LONGHURST: JOSE MARTÍ GARCIA DEL VALLE:

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

63

FEATURES

ROUNDTABLE

VLADIMIR

WHICH LATIN AMERICAN MARKETS ARE PARTICULARLY GROWING

JOSE MARTÍ

64

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

ROUNDTABLE

FEATURES

BOBBY LONGHURST:

HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO ATTAIN LICENCES IN THE VARIOUS MARKETS

:

JOSE MARTÍ GARCIA DEL VALLE: VALLE:

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

65

FEATURES

ROUNDTABLE

VLADIMIR MALAKCHI:

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE FOR GAMING IN LATIN AMERICA

JOSE MARTÍ

66

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

THE INSIDERS In every issue, Gambling Insider commissions guest columns and interviews with people at the heart of the gaming industry – to discover more about the challenges its leaders, pioneers and innovators face. These contributors form The Insiders

68 ALEX LORIMER GAMING CORPS

69 ANDREA BORATTO WORLDMATCH

70 JOSE’ MICALLEF BOMBAY LIVE

71 ARCANGELO LONOCE HABANERO

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM 67

INSIDERS ALEX LORIMER

Online casino: Adapting to changing player trends Alex Lorimer, Gaming Corps COO, discusses how player preferences are developing across different regions and the importance of a varied games portfolio to accommodate this are also a number of new markets that have recently emerged with a general preference for alternative iGaming products; in particular LatAm and Africa. I believe these regions will continue to be a focal point over the coming years. Whether slot content will catch on in the same way is difficult to say, but without the historical familiarilty with these games, they don’t have the same connection or popularity.

The gaming experience in 2023 should speak to both the next generation of players, and players who didn’t necessarily grow up with slots. These regions are not an exception.

In Europe, we see more traditional titles such as table games and slot games continue to be successful. Both of these remain the expected experience and, in this region in particular, the level of popularity is widely considered to be the strongest it’s ever been. The arcade-style games mentioned above are on the rise in European One of the key changes to have taken place in markets, but player habits are still evolving and online casino in recent years is the need to move this hasn’t necessarily developed into a trend away from a one-size-fits-all content approach. as yet. This is compounded by the fact that This is primarily due to the fragmentation of operators with legacy technology aren’t as agile compliance requirements meaning that content when it comes to emerging game genres in can (and possibly should for some time now) the same way as new casinos. So despite their be more tailored to local audience preferences. significant market share, the products are taking This in turn has led to different content genres longer to reach players. proving more popular in different regions, where This is why it is important to include a varied forward-thinking studios are able to capitalise by offering that allows you to cater for the traditional producing a more diverse portfolio than slots gamer, while also making it clear to players that alone. If you log into platforms such as Netflix a new style of games is also available. A portfolio or YouTube, you will see thousands of different consisting of purely slots and table games will content genres to suit your needs. That has always carry you so far, but when you add elements like been the case with those types of entertainment Mines, Crash and Plinko games, you are then platforms; but with online casinos, it is only in able to touch on several more bases. recent times that we have started to see much QUALITY OVER QUANTITY more product variation.

More and more operators are taking up Current trends in online casino games arcade-style games, and we’ve seen a rising vary based on a number of factors, dictated number of dedicated studios popping up. That is by the markets you are targeting. In Brazil, why we expect to see much more innovation in for example, we are seeing a rapid increase in this space across the next couple of years. While a younger generation of players seeking out the market has increasingly caught on to the something other than slot game titles. value of these new game types, for us it shows the Arcade-friendly titles have proven to be importance of a diverse portfolio offering. big hits and that is likely to continue, as Any portfolio targeting Europe will naturally the products don’t require the latest device include slot games but, when it comes to slots or lightning-fast internet connections. There

68

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

alone, there are few studios in doubt as to how quickly the market has become oversaturated. To compound matters, many of the bigger providers have also pursued a strategy of trying to release a game a week, despite much of the feedback from operators being a preference for quality over quantity. Slots are an important part of any portfolio but they have to be able to compete.

When it comes to developing new games, the important thing is to be driven by data.

Follow-up titles should be planned about a year in advance, although that does not necessarily mean innovation is always key when you have a successful period. You can develop ideas further, but you don’t have to start with new concepts every single time. When you have a dedicated player base, these concepts may just need to be modified slightly based on the feedback you have had from previous games to elevate popular gameplay; it’s a balancing act that requires listening to your audience.

EXPECT MORE CHANGES

In the next few years, we expect to see more products being released to market that, even five years ago, people would never have believed would be casino games. While innovation in the slot space is still something suppliers are likely to work towards, you look at how far those games have realistically come in the last 20 years. While a few new mechanics have taken hold, the main developments have really been updates to make games look more aesthetically pleasing and modern rather than groundbreaking new game releases. Again, it’s difficult to persuade a player to spend their money on a title that is entirely unfamiliar: there needs to be a balance between what is expected and a layer of new features. This potentially slows the rate of innovation on slots in a way that it doesn’t in arcade content. The extent to which casino games will move away from traditional offerings will become clearer in the coming years. But when it comes to blurring the lines and creating an experience that is far richer in narrative, modern game types will make for a much more engaging experience.

ANDREA BORATTO

INSIDERS

Keeping up with trends WorldMatch CEO Andrea Boratto discusses a successful 2022 for the group and what 2023 has in store, along with key issues such as new partnerships and responsible gaming How would you summarise 2022 for WorldMatch?

2022 was a good year of growth for us.

We collected the results of the hard work accomplished during all 12 months.

Throughout 2022, we released more than 60 games, some of which were created for specific markets and operators. The year that closes was a year that saw results once again grow compared to the previous 12 months, thanks to the consolidation of the positions achieved following our marketing activity and the start of collaborations with new operators.

"Keeping up with players guarantees better retention, more fun for the players themselves and a lifetime value in the medium to long term" Our traditional gaming offer was implemented with new formats, designed to be instant, and to be offered as side games within betting, bingo and poker pages on our customers’ gaming sites. These products include Moon Flight and Cyber She, our first -ever pinballs that are just the beginning of what’s coming in terms of gaming evolution.

We’re also satisfied with our presence at tradeshows. During 2022, our sales team participated with great continuity in most of the international events, as well as some

more regional events linked to particularly interesting markets.

WorldMatch has already signed some partnerships in 2023.

What do you look for in a partner?

For us, it’s very important to build relationships. What matters to WorldMatch is communication, cooperation and growth.

Working closely with our customers allows us to know them and their players better.

Together we can choose and plan the best products that will suit the operator’s needs.

The plans and strategy that result from the partnership are not fixed, and can change once set depending on the time of year, market, even competitors and how they operate. Many dynamics are involved when partnering with operators, and having a good and sincere relationship of trust is of great help.

What are the key factors when developing exciting online games?

One of the key factors when developing games is not to settle. Our products change, and our gaming offer is tangible proof of that. The players change and the markets change. What a provider needs to do is keep up, try to predict new trends and launch games that will engage players. Keeping up with players guarantees better retention, more fun for the players themselves and a lifetime value in the medium to long term.

Our knowledge of the players is a plus for the operators themselves.

We are proud of our games; they are played all over the world and the entire development process is carried out inside the company, from conception, to creativity, to mathematics, to the promotions and launch of the products.

Are there any markets WorldMatch would like to enter in the near future?

We’re always working to enter brand-new regulated markets, expand our presence worldwide and certify our offering of games for the most important regulated jurisdictions.

We would like to enter the American

market, which includes the United States and Canada. We’re also working on consolidating our presence in Spain, Portugal and Belgium. We’re aiming for the Romanian market, too, where we will soon be certified.

How important is responsible gaming for WorldMatch?

Responsible gaming is obviously very important for us. We want the players to enjoy our games in the right way and for the right reasons. Our gaming offer is a source of entertainment for 18+ players.

Responsible gaming is a huge factor in a sustainable business. Our games have a simplified but comprehensive paytable, we celebrate winnings but we don’t distract the player with fake winnings.

All of our games are tailored according to the highest standards and they all meet the requirements set by the authority of each country we operate in.

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

69

INSIDERS JOSE’ MICALLEF

VIP luxury Bombay Online Managing Director Jose’ Micallef discusses the latest trends in live casino, the benefits of offering a luxury, VIP experience and other topics In such a competitive market, what makes Bombay stand out?

We are in the entertainment business, and that means delivering magical experiences that make the player feel valued and special.

This is all about creating a context that elevates each spin or hand. Winning and losing is not the only objective here; if a player wants to imagine themselves in a Bond movie, at the roulette table with a drink in their hand, we want to provide that. If the experience isn’t memorable, players won’t have much reason to come back.

The Bombay Experience is about redefining the very nature of luxury experiences.

This includes the Bombay Yacht, where we’ve tailored something memorable for our high rollers so they can unwind and socialise in a truly breathtaking environment. We’ve designed everything to meet customers’ best possible expectations, from five-star dining to unforgettable experiences in some of the world’s most memorable locations.

This is about delivering next-level VIP luxury, and it is a concept we are already working on expanding globally, with our first Bombay Club and Hotel set to open in Estonia shortly. We want to raise the bar for what is possible with VIP entertainment.

What are the latest trends in live casino?

We’re in the middle of a technological revolution that is creating extremely fertile ground for innovation in the live casino space. Obviously things like video streaming quality and latency are improving very quickly, but we’re also able to use the latest technology to create new products for our operator partners.

One area we’ve invested heavily in is green screen tech, which lets our operator partners create fully integrated branded experiences which come with static, reactive and animated backgrounds. It’s a huge step because it means any operator can deliver personalised, branded content to their players without the upfront costs of having to run the table themselves.

This is really just the start because we’ve only scratched the surface of what is possible with live casino. It won’t be long before customers will be playing these games in a full metaverse environment. These are exciting times.

How did Bombay fare at ICE London 2023 and what did the company achieve there?

ICE London 2023 was a huge success for Bombay, and quite possibly the best response we’ve ever had at a tradeshow. Our stand was

70

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

a hub of activity throughout the three days, with visitors wanting to find out more about our ecosystem, whether that be our games’ aggregator Hub88, banking services via Hub Wallet and One.io, branded and bespoke RNG games via OneTouch Studio, games development on our own Wrapper platform, AI-driven support services through proto.cx, VIP VPN services through blufvpn.com and more.

This is all designed to complement the Bombay Experience, and we’re really focused on giving our partners the tools they need to help our products reach their full potential.

The show was a great occasion to strengthen existing business ties, as well as generate new opportunities. It has certainly kept us busy following up in the weeks since.

Why do players enjoy the luxury, VIP experience?

Player engagement does not stop with software, however well produced it is.

"If a player wants to imagine themselves in a Bond movie, at the roulette table with a drink in their hand, we want to provide that"

What does the rest of 2023 have in store for Bombay?

2023 is set to become a landmark year for us at Bombay. Most excitingly, we’ll be extending the luxury experience further by opening a private members’ casino and a luxury boutique hotel to entertain our VIP customers in the historical and picturesque old town of Tallinn in Estonia.

We also have an exciting games roadmap in place that will continue enriching the online experience for players. We’re laying the solid foundations required for our operator partners to bring something truly special to their players, and we’re only just getting started.

ARCANGELO LONOCE

INSIDERS

Expansion, expansion expansion Arcangelo Lonoce, Habanero’s Head of Business Development,speaks to Gambling Insider about the supplier's roadmap for 2023, covering plans, products and partnerships What does 2023 look like for Habanero? What new products are on the horizon for you?

Well, I think the key word for 2023 would be expansion; further expansion. We’re looking at new key territories we are planning to enter within the year, as we keep growing in our existing territories. So, we’re very busy at the moment with regulatory and compliance requirements, and we’re fulfilling these so that we can tick those boxes and address some key markets such as Greece, Switzerland and a few others we’re looking at; as well as further afield outside of Europe. We’re obviously looking at the US with a lot of interest, as well as Canada, particularly Ontario. I believe this is what we will be focusing on from a business development perspective this year. From a product perspective, we are very excited that we are looking at changing the way we release games.

Until now, we have been doubling up the same team and we believe that we need this to cater to some of the biggest clients out there; some of the biggest companies we are partners with now. So we will be expanding in terms of game themes, game mechanics and exploring different ways of creating games; while making sure we stay true to our core business and target market, which is effectively slot players and table games players.

Do you have a timeline on that? Is that something you’re thinking about intensely in terms of expansion, or is that a bit further along?

No, it is not something we can discuss really.

It is something we are actively looking at, and we just want to make sure we enter the right way with the right partners. So, we are evaluating options and, of course, getting ready for it. But you should watch this space as we should have something by the end of the year, within 2023, I’m sure.

Obviously, new partnerships come with the territory. Are there any upcoming partnerships you can share with us, or is it still under wraps?

There are a few that will be announced very soon. There are a few partnerships with some massive groups we have penned and that we’re getting ready to sell from a technical perspective. So launches are imminent and, once again, watch this space and you’ll find out more.Now, the thing is, this will dramatically help us grow within a number of territories; but at the same time, one thing we’re looking at is to strengthen our relations with existing clients as well. It is part of the way we do things to try and truly be customer first without making it sound like a slogan.

"I think the key word for 2023 would be expansion; growth within the same territory or further At the moment, we are evaluating further expansion. afield. a series of opportunities with some key partners we’ve been with for some time; We're looking at possibly trying to support the strategy in of multi-channel opportunities, new key territories" terms which in theory and in practice will strengthen So we are always aware of where our customers are going and what they want to do, and we want to try and support them as best as possible, ensuring we can deliver the solutions they need, whether it’s organic

our presence within a number of territories.

And this is just one example of what we’re looking to do, so we will surely enter new territories. We will surely partner with new clients in the territories where we already operate. But at the same time, we’re also very keen to differentiate the way we partner with our clients and make sure we play into their hands as they develop their strategies.

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

71

FEATURES

PRODUCT REVIEWS

WHAT’S NEW ON THE MARKET? Gambling Insider reviews a selection of the highest-placed nominees in the Product Launch and Online Slot of the year categories, at the Global Gaming Awards London 2023 PRODUCT LAUNCH OF THE YEAR WINNER: RELAX GAMING  DREAM DROP JACKPOTS In 2022, Dream Drop Jackpots took the jackpot sector by storm and less than one year later, the mechanic has grown into the fastest millionaire-maker in the industry.

The product was Relax’s first leap into the jackpot space; having built up an award-winning portfolio of slot games, the supplier carried lessons from the success of one heart-pounding vertical into another. The result is a series of fresh jackpot titles that stand apart for being thrilling,

72

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

engaging and frequently rewarding. Since May, the mechanic has starred in over 13 games, has made 86 Major winners of roughly €50,000 and 7 Mega winners of between €1 and €2.4 million winning rates that would take competing features years to accumulate.

This jackpot differentiates at every turn, featuring a Dream Drop ticker that states known levels of fallout thresholds, contributing to a palpable ‘must win’ dynamic. What’s more is that the feature is the very first jackpot product to reseed a higher amount than its latest fallout; paired with higher operator profitability, it’s

evident that innovation runs through every inch of this pioneering product.

Created with the goal of making big-ticket jackpots more achievable, the mechanic succeeds in making hearts race and delivering on its promises. The commercial results from day one indicate that this product is well on its way to vertical domination with its high frequency, high value, and high action offering.

Jackpot players best buckle up because this year’s roadmap is bursting with adrenaline, adventure and of course: big-ticket jackpots!

PRODUCT REVIEWS

RUNNER UP: EVERYMATRIX  JACKPOTENGINE EveryMatrix’s latest gamification solution offers a comprehensive set of configurations that enable operators to manage jackpots and add an extra layer of excitement on top of the players’ ordinary betting. Built for regulated markets, it offers the possibility to remain fully compliant where traditional bonusing is either limited or not an option.

JackpotEngine is a complete Jackpot Management System that allows operators to create their own jackpots for any selection of games across any casino vertical and segment of players.

Operators have complete control over the selection of games where a jackpot is offered as well as player segmentation, winning probability, seed amounts, winning cap, contribution distribution and the split of contribution funding between operators and players. This is all while accessing real-time monitoring and reporting of jackpot transactions.

Both the range of configurations of jackpots and the customisation of the

FEATURES

"JackpotEngine is continuously developing new features to further boost its acquisition and retention capabilities, setting operators apart from their competitors and adding value to their brand(s)" front-end presentation gives operators unprecedented opportunities to create a value-adding and unique player experience.

One or multiple jackpot pools are presented to eligible player segments in the game via an overlay, on desktop or mobile, allowing players to opt-in and watch as jackpots grow.

The product boosts acquisition and creates an incentive for players to remain loyal to a brand for increased retention and lifetime value. Each game round offers additional excitement with more chances to win for prolonged game sessions. For example: engage players with customisable

in-game widgets displaying jackpots that are updated in real-time.

JackpotEngine is available to EveryMatrix operators either via CasinoEngine, our iGaming integration platform, or our pure B2B aggregation solution SlotMatrix and its entire library of content, including 140+ integrations from 250+ game studios across multiple verticals.

JackpotEngine is continuously developing new features to further boost its acquisition and retention capabilities, setting operators apart from their competitors and adding value to their brand(s).

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

73

FEATURES

PRODUCT REVIEWS

THIRD: NOVOMATIC DIAMOND X BLACK EDITION II *Novomatic's Diamond X series came third in this category at the Global Gaming Awards London. The Black Edition II is its latest slot cabinet in the Diamond X series.

ICE London 2023 marked the premiere of a highly versatile slot cabinet series from Austrian gaming giant NOVOMATIC. The motto “BLACK IS BACK” heralded the international launch of the brand new BLACK EDITION II cabinet with a series of three exciting new slot machines.

74

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

Coined as the successor of the hugely popular “Black Edition”, this series introduces extended flexibility with three new cabinet versions: the smaller BLACK EDITION II 3.27, the extra-large BLACK EDITION II XL 3.32 and the single-screen BLACK EDITION II 1.49J. All three models of the BLACK EDITION II series deliver cutting-edge cabinet design, perfectly angled screens and razor-sharp game presentation against the backdrop of a Black Metro finish and a contrasting LED ambient lighting concept. The multi -screen cabinet versions BLACK EDITION II 3.27 and BLACK EDITION II XL 3.32 feature two full HD LCD game screens in 27” and 32” diameters respectively and an equally dimensioned topper, which is optional for the XL cabinet version. The bottom screens are

PCAP-touch equipped for maximum player interaction and the smoothly integrated toppers are slightly angled in the characteristic Black Edition style – all of which creates a striking presence on the gaming floor, especially in the XL version and with the optional topper on board. The sister model BLACK EDITION II 1.49J perfectly complements the cabinet series and offers a state-of-the-art presentation of NOVOMATIC’s exquisite portfolio of upright games with its elegant 49” J-curve screen.

Further features that enhance player convenience are the ergonomic footrest and padded palm rest, the powerful sound system and the overall maximum-impact game presentation powered by game play, graphics and audio. Black is back in truly grand style.

PRODUCT REVIEWS

FEATURES

ONLINE SLOT OF THE YEAR WINNER: PRAGMATIC PLAY  SUGAR RUSH Sugar Rush has quickly established itself as a leading slot in Pragmatic Play’s game arsenal, becoming a staple for operators and players alike.

The concept behind the game was to delight the audience with fast-paced gameplay, in which with just one spin, the player can discover a rich slot packed with huge win potential through its increasing multipliers that appear during cascading wins.

The high volatility, cluster-pays title features a 7x7 grid filled with sugary icons, with five or more matching symbols required to build a winning cluster. These must be

connected to each other in either a horizontal or vertical direction, with a max win potential of 5,000x.

Wins also trigger the tumble feature, with certain areas of the reels marked as Multiplier Spots, which ensures that when a winning symbol explodes, it leaves a wrapper in its position on the grid.

When another symbol explodes on the reels in the same spot as the wrapper, a multiplier is added, with the value doubling each time another explodes in its place until the maximum multiplier worth 128x the bet is reached. This huge multiplier potential is a key feature of Sugar Rush, with multiple cascading wins quickly turning one spin into

one of staggering possibilities.

Landing three or more scatters unlocks the Free Spins bonus round, awarding several free spins depending on how many scatters landed to trigger the feature.

During this mode, the multipliers that land on successful scatters remain sticky on the reels, ensuring that huge wins can occur with every single spin as the sticky multipliers continue to rise, further driving player engagement as players can see their chances of incredible rewards fill the reels.

The game has continued to prove to be a true player favourite, with its success culminating in an award at the recently held Global Gaming Awards London.

"The concept behind the game was to delight the audience with fast-paced gameplay, in which with just one spin, the player can discover a rich slot packed with huge win potential"

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

75

FEATURES

PRODUCT REVIEWS

RUNNERUP: PUSH GAMING *Push Gaming's Space Stacks came second in this category at the Global Gaming Awards London. However, Giga Jar is one of its latest online slots.

Giga Jar, launching on March 28, sees the return of our popular Cluster Link mechanic. This requires five or more fruit symbols or instant prize symbols to be adjacent to each other to award a win. Whenever a winning cluster is formed, these symbols are removed from play, triggering a cascade of new symbols to fall from the top of the game board, providing additional opportunities to create more clusters.

New to Giga Jar is that each win increases the player’s position on an incrementally increasing ladder, with every three cascades unlocking a wild jar. These will be familiar to Push Gaming enthusiasts as they behave the same as the wild multipliers found in the hit

76

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

game Jammin’ Jars. Each win these wilds are a part of increases its multiplier by 1x with the wild moving to one adjacent position on the matrix.

"The slot offers a maelstrom of excitement, multipliers, wilds and big win potential for players to enjoy" Aiding players in creating wins are multiple randomly triggered features. The snowball mechanic can award multiple giant symbols

up to 4x4 in size that reveal a matching symbol.

Additionally, the Ice Breaker feature can remove up to three types of symbols from the game board, allowing for an additional cascade to be triggered.

These features play a part in helping players to unlock the Giga Jar situated at the top of the incrementally increasing prize ladder. 12 cascades are required to unlock this 2x2 wild symbol. This guarantees three wins will be formed, at which point the Giga Jar will be frozen in place and three additional wins are needed to retrigger the Giga Jar and award an increasing multiplier that can climb as high as 50x.

With multiple features and mechanics working in tandem, the slot offers a maelstrom of excitement, multipliers, wilds and big win potential for players to enjoy, all in a familiar setting, designed to drive engagement.

PRODUCT REVIEWS

FEATURES

THIRD: PLAY'N GO  RISE OF OLYMPUS 100 Rise of Olympus 100 is the follow-up to Play’n GO’s popular grid slot, Rise of Olympus, but sees the potential cranked up to 100 (literally).

This dynamic 5x5 grid slot sees Zeus, Poseidon and Hades assert their powers across the reels to create some electrifying wins. Wins are achieved by matching three or more symbols in a row either vertically or horizontally. The same symbol can be used in different winning combinations but are then removed, leaving the remaining symbols to drop down. A Win Multiplier is also increased with each drop. If only Wilds remain in the grid, they will automatically be removed.

There is plenty to get excited about in the base game. The Hand of God feature sees one of the three gods use their powers on the reels to create more ways to win on any random spin. Hades will convert one set of symbols, Poseidon will gift one to two Wilds and Zeus will remove two sets of symbols, all increasing the chance of creating a winning cluster in the round.

The Wrath of Olympus feature sees all three gods perform their powers in one free round, and this can be triggered by filling the Charge Metre with god symbols and clearing the grid.

It’s here that you’ll be given the option to pick from three Free Spin options represented as each of the gods.

During the Free Spins, the Multiplier never resets and can grow to a maximum of x100! Filling the Charge Metre will gift you additional Free Spins up to a maximum of, you guessed it, 100.

Finally, clearing the grid of all symbols (except in the Wrath of Olympus feature) will award x50 the total bet. The prize is affected by the active Win Multiplier creating the potential to win up to x15000 the total bet.

"The Hand of God feature sees one of the three gods use their powers on the reels to create more ways to win on any random spin"

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

77

CONNECTIONS

C

A

Continent 8

Aardvark Technologies

www.continent8.com T: +44 16 2467 8888 E: sales@continent8.com

www.adv.bet T: +370 640 50001 E: sales@adv.bet

Aruze Gaming

www.aruzegaming.com T: +1 70 2361 3166 E: sales@aruze-gaming.com

D Digitain LLC

www.digitain.com T: +3 74 6070 0400 E: info@digitain.com

B BBIN

www.bb-in.com E: service@mail.bb-in.com

E

bet365

EveryMatrix

www.bet365.com T: +44 80 0028 8365 E: support-eng@customerservices365.com

www.everymatrix.com T: +40 3 7104 2222 E: info@everymatrix.com

Betradar

Evolution

www.betradar.com T: +41 7 1517 7200 E: sales@betradar.com

BtoBet

www.btobet.com E: sales@btobet.com

www.evolution.com E: asrealasitgets@evolution.com

Evoplay

evoplay.games E: business@evoplay.games

Exacta Solutions BetConstruct

www.betconstruct.com T: +44 20 3709 9010 E: sales@betconstruct.com

78

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

www.exactasolutions.com T: +356 2134 4249 E: info@exactasolutions.com

CONNECTIONS

F

Interblock

www.interblockgaming.com E: info@interblockgaming.com

FastTrack

T: +44 113 320 2245 E: letsgo@fasttrack-solutions.com

K

G

Kambi

www.kambi.com T: +356 21315514 E: sales@kambi.com

Gaming Arts

www.gamingarts.com T: +1 702 818 8943

Global Payments Gaming Solutions

L

www.globalpaymentsgaming.com T: 702-822-7000 E: tiona.petty@globalpay.com

LeoVegas Affiliates

leovegasaffiliates.com T: +356 27780258 E: affiliate@leovegas.com

Greentube

www.greentube.com T: +43 1 90 171 E: office@greentube.com

M MERKUR GAMING

H

www.merkur-gaming.com T: +49 5741 2736 9301 E: sales@merkur-gaming.com

Habanero

www.habanerosystems.com E: sales@habanerosystems.com

I

N Neosurf

www.business.neosurf.com T: +44 1483 3630 91 E: sales@neosurf.com

IGT

www.igt.com T: + 1 702 669 7777 E: info@igt.com

NOVOMATIC

www.novomatic.com T: +43 2252 606 0 E: communications@novomatic.com

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

79

CONNECTIONS

P

T Pariplay

Trustly Group AB www.trustly.com E: sales@trustly.com

www.pariplayltd.com T: +3 56 2756 3725 E: info@pariplayltd.com

Pragmatic Play

www.pragmaticplay.com E: sales@pragmaticplay.com

V VallettaPay

www.vallettapay.com T: +44 151 947 0483 E: info@vallettapay.com

R Raven Track

www.raventrack.com T: 07799 898 175 E: adam@raventrack.com

W World Match

www.worldmatch.eu T: +39 049 785 1905 E: sales@worldmatch.eu

Relax Gaming

www.relax-gaming.com E: sales@relax-gaming.com

Y

S

Yggdrasil Gaming

www.yggdrasilgaming.com E: sales@yggdrasilgaming.com

Suzo Happ

www.na.suzohapp.com T: 888-289-4277 E: sales@suzohapp.com

Soft2Bet

www.soft2bet.com E: office@soft2bet.com

Z Zitro

www.zitrogames.com T: +352 266 33 E: info@zitrogames.com

80

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

FINAL WORD Regular Gambling Insider contributor Gustaf Hoffstedt, General Secretary for the Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling (BOS), discusses how the assassination of a Prime Minister once exposed Sweden’s covert gambling ads…

When I was a kid, my family gathered every Saturday to watch the television highlight of the week: Razzel, a popular lottery program that aired in the 1980s by Sweden’s national public television broadcaster. It was broadcast on public service television and was named after the rattling sound of the machine that drew the lucky winner of the week’s lotto draw. That is, the lotto draw that the state gambling company had a monopoly on. The show aired week in and week out, and I don’t think we missed a single episode in the years that it aired.

This was at the time when certain television programs became so unifying for the nation that they came to be known as “campfire television.” Everyone in the family gathered and watched. And all the families watched. We, young and old, got used to the fact that on Saturdays there was entertainment with imported offerings, like Fawlty Towers and Blackadder, interspersed with the Razzel machine and lotto draw, all baked into an experience lasting several hours. We were educated by the state in the joy and excitement that gambling for money can bring and, already there, my 10-year-old self ’s interest in gambling was awakened.

Recently, I was reminded of Razzel when the Swedish Press and Broadcasting Authority issued an important ruling to ban lottery drawings from TV shows. The TV channel and the state-owned gambling company argued that the drawings

82

GAMBLINGINSIDER.COM

constituted editorial content, but the Authority sided with the position of the broader gambling industry: that the lottery drawing is a form of advertising. This is important because gambling advertising in Sweden is required by law to contain consumer protection information, stating that the gambling age is 18 and advising consumers on where to turn if they have concerns about gambling.

TV viewers must be able to distinguish between editorial programs and advertising to ensure the most important form of consumer protection. When we can recognise that someone is attempting to sell us something, we become more critical of the content.

Conversely, when we believe we are watching journalistic editorial material, we may be less critical and more trusting.

Maintaining the boundary between editorial and commercial content has become increasingly challenging in our current era. With influencers often failing to disclose when they’re being paid to promote products and media, and commercial companies collaborating to sell products through native advertising and content marketing, it’s essential consumers are aware of when they’re being targeted by advertisers.

As a representative of the gambling industry, I believe we have a special responsibility to prioritise transparency in advertising. While we offer a fantastic experience to many players, for a small number of compulsive gamblers, our

products can become a torment. We must be clear and upfront when there is a commercial interest behind content that is broadcast on TV or published in other media. That’s why I appreciate garish and flashy 30-second ads from gaming companies. There is no mistaking their function and character.

They exist to sell their products, and that’s perfectly fine.

The TV program Razzel was broadcast week after week during my childhood and contributed to transforming Swedes into a gambling people. The only exception to the constantly recurring broadcasts on Saturday evenings was the day after Sweden’s Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated in broad daylight. The program was cancelled and the Razzel machine had to wait until the following week before it rattled back to life.

Even today, news reports are interspersed with lottery draws, as well as sports and cooking segments, all under the leadership of the same TV anchor in Swedish television.

It has been going on for so many decades that hardly anyone realises anymore that the lottery draw in the midst of it all constitutes advertising. Advertising that, according to the Press and Broadcasting Authority, violates Swedish law.

Hopefully, the Authority’s decision marks the beginning of the end for covert gambling advertising. It would be a mercy to pray for. Not because we hate gambling, but because we love gambling.