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Evolution of the mechanics in the slot games world

Published

5 years ago

May 17, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Sergey Logvynenko, Account Manager at Sigma Software

You know, I was not familiar with the world when slot machine games were only physical 3-reel mechanical machines. Actually to be honest, I do because I remember when I was a kid my father let me play one round on a one-armed bandit which was just installed in a shopping center nearby. But that was only a single case and I was not exposed to slot games until about 30 years later.

The next time I came into contact with the world of slot games was in 2008 when we started a Casino project with Boss Media company. The world of slots had changed a lot – there were mostly 5-reel games with 1, 3 or 5 fixed win lines and more importantly they were video slots for online casinos. Quite quickly they progressed to 20, 40 or more win lines and more possibilities for a player to change the number of win lines. This was rather an evolution and not a revolution.

When we started working with Play’n GO, I became aware of more evolutions in slot games such as “ways” instead of win lines (in the Sweet 27 game) and grid slots which are now called cascade slots (Reactoonz). For me it was a big step because it opened a lot of new possibilities to represent win combinations and to play slot games which originally were very simple in a nutshell.

In recent years it seems the most significant added mechanics were in Megaways from Big Time Gaming. They really affected slot production and a lot of companies created megaway games. Even whole casinos were created with only megaways slots. It really meant something. Big Time Gaming was trying to surprise the world with Megaclusters on the wave of Megaways success, but it did not have that success.

Were Megaways really so significant? I would say yes and here are at least a couple of reasons why:

We know that in the past few days Evolution acquired Big Time Gaming for half a billion dollars. This is the first sign of recognition of BTG’s innovations which include Megaways.
We can see that Megaways forced other suppliers to do their homework and come to the market with solutions with Megaways in mind. For example:
1. Gigablox mechanic from Yggdrasil. They even wrapped it into a framework so other game studios were able to use it and they are currently doing so.
2. HyperWays from GameART which adds an interesting mechanic to regular slots, has just been released.

I am sure there are many more examples of using the ideas of Megaways to bring something new to slot games which supports the evolution of the slot world. This, as well as personalized jackpots, help to evolve casinos.

At the same time, all these recent evolutions only make small steps in changing slot games and do not bring something really significant, something that will change the game itself or the ways they are played. But the more interesting questions are: what will revolutionize slots? And what will change this world of slot machines?

If we talk about the world of casino games, there is a tendency to bring more attention to table games, especially with games in the newer markets of Asia, Africa and South America. And of course live-dealer games. But that is about table games and not about slots.

In the slot world it is calm, like in the ocean before the storm and something must happen. Maybe SharedPlay with their “play-to-play” model will change the world. Maybe elements of social gaming will be added into slots or even create hyper casual slots. Maybe something else…

What do you think?

AB Trav och Galopp

Richard Woodbridge Elected to ATG Board of Directors

Published

42 minutes ago

May 11, 2026

Wladimir P.

richard-woodbridge-elected-to-atg-board-of-directors

At the Annual General Meeting of AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) on Thursday, May 7, 2026, Richard Woodbridge, CEO of Scandinavian Heritage AB, was elected as a new independent member of ATG’s board. He succeeds Mårten Forste, who left the board at the end of 2025.

“We welcome Richard to ATG’s board. His solid experience from the gaming market will add significant value to the board’s work,” said Peter Norman, chairman of ATG.

“I am pleased and grateful for the trust in me to take a seat on ATG’s board. ATG is a very strong company and brand with an important role in both gaming and horse racing, and I look forward to future collaboration with the rest of the board,” said Richard Woodbridge.

The Nomination Committee’s proposal for re-election of other board members was approved by the meeting.

ATG’s board thus consists of:

• Peter Norman (Chairman, independent)

• Boris Lennerhov (Vice Chairman, trotting representative)

• Katarina G. Bonde (Board member, independent)

• Marie Osberg (Board member, independent)

• Richard Woodbridge (Board member, independent)

• Marie Thelander Dellhag (Board member, trotting representative)

• Anders Lilius (Board member, galloping representative)

Employee representatives on the board:

• Björn Haglund (Board member, employee representative)

• Camilla Hasselström (Board member, employee representative)

• Alternates: Gustav Enström and Leo Wilson, both employee representatives.

The post Richard Woodbridge Elected to ATG Board of Directors appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

affiliate marketing

ReferOn completes management buyout as Alex Bukin becomes CEO

Published

42 minutes ago

May 11, 2026

Wladimir P.

referon-completes-management-buyout-as-alex-bukin-becomes-ceo

ReferOn has completed a management buyout, with former General Manager Alex Bukin acquiring the iGaming affiliate management platform and taking over as Chief Executive Officer.

Bukin said the deal is intended to support longer-term product and market plans: “This is an important moment for ReferOn and the beginning of a new chapter for the business. The management buyout provides us with the long-term focus required to continually advance the platform. We remain committed to product development, strengthening our offerings for partners, and supporting ReferOn’s continued growth across key markets.”

ReferOn reported that in its first 12 months post-launch it recorded 35.7 million clicks, 2.4 million registrations, 18,000 affiliates, and 136,000 active trackers. The company also said it was named “Best Affiliate Platform” in 2025 and 2026 by industry stakeholders.

The company said the ownership change will not affect day-to-day operations and that existing support and partnerships will continue. It also pointed to recent product updates including Refie, described as a built-in interface layer, alongside features such as dynamic reporting, Company Grouping, Sub-Affiliation, Independent Deal Calculation (IDC), two-factor authentication (2FA), and mobile optimization.

As part of the transition, ReferOn said its leadership team remains in place, with Vlad Bondarenko moving from Head of Product to Chief Product Officer and David Harris moving from Operations Lead to Chief Operations Officer.

The post ReferOn completes management buyout as Alex Bukin becomes CEO appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

ELA Games

ELA Games’ Joker Winpot shortlisted for Game of the Year at SBC Awards Americas

Published

42 minutes ago

May 11, 2026

Wladimir P.

ela-games’-joker-winpot-shortlisted-for-game-of-the-year-at-sbc-awards-americas

ELA Games said its slot title Joker Winpot has been shortlisted for “Game of the Year” at the 2026 SBC Awards Americas, with winners set to be revealed on June 10, 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The company described Joker Winpot as a consistent performer in its portfolio, combining a dark, character-driven theme with a 1×1 grid format.

ELA Games said the title’s core differentiator is its proprietary Winpot mechanic, a progression-based feature built around player choice. As rewards build inside the Winpot, players can either cash out or keep spinning in pursuit of higher payouts.

The 2026 SBC Awards Americas ceremony will take place at the Broward County Convention Center. Organizers expect around 600 industry professionals, with the awards running alongside SBC Summit Americas from June 9–11.

The post ELA Games’ Joker Winpot shortlisted for Game of the Year at SBC Awards Americas appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.