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NSoft story: Passion and motivation behind Virtual Penalty Shootout

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Virtual Penalty Shootout celebrated its first birthday. Officially, the game was released on September 30, 2020, and instantly captured the attention of both – operators and players.

The expert community has also recognized the uniqueness and the beauty of the game by shortlisting it for the Global Gaming Award 2021 in the category Product Launch of the Year. Recently NSoft received seven nominations for the SBC Awards Latinoamerica 2021. Among others, we are shortlisted in the category Virtual Sports Supplier. The application for this award has leaned heavily on the Virtual Penalty Shootout game.

To celebrate all those milestones, we decided to tell a different story about Virtual Penalty Shootout game. We will not talk about the RNG, betting markets, how-to-play but let people who created the game say a word or two about passion, excitement and dedication.

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By Amela Dedić and Biljana Haljevac, Senior 3D Artists/Animators

The team

Great teams and great ideas are all about people and the working atmosphere. We at NSoft’s former 3D Games Team, now 3D Creative Team were lucky to found each and we just can’t start this story without saying thank-you to former and current team members: Jasmin Ličina – Senior 3D artist/Team lead, Dragan Grbavac – Senior 3D artist, Dejan Boras – Senior Unity dev, Zlatko Vukšić – Senior Unity dev, Adnan Mujkić – Unity Dev, Dragan Rezo – Senior 3D Artist, Stojan Cvitković – Senior 3D Artist, Toni Matej Radoš – Senior 3D Artist. In this story, “we” are Biljana Haljevac –  Senior 3D Animator and Amela Dedić – Senior 3D Animator. We are the one who will take you behind the scene of  Virtual Penalty Shootout. 

Our Team’s job is to develop Virtual betting games such as Virtual greyhound and horse races, Motorcycle Speedway, etc.

New Project – Virtual Penalty Shootout

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The virtual penalty shootout was the most challenging project we’ve worked on. It allowed us to learn and try new things such as Motion capture. Our first job was to figure out the best way for our small team to make such a big virtual game. The biggest challenge was the animation process. We needed a large number of highly realistic animations, and the best solution for that problem was a Motion Capture system. Our choice was a company from Sweden named Rokoko and their WiFi motion capture suit – The Smartsuit Pro.

After we placed our order for the suit, the waiting time was used to go “back to school” and research making of other elements of the game such as character and venue design and creation, MoCap animation recording and cleanup, new software, and game rules. Our best friends were Pluralsight and LinkedIn Learning.

The Arrival- Smartsuit Pro is in the town 

The arrival of the Smartsuit Pro was the most joyful occasion. Also, the day when our colleague Toni officially became the resident MoCap test talent.

Since our open office was not suited for a proper MoCap test, our first pick was local park. Awesome place, beautiful weather, but just one problem: electricity was really hard to find. A better-suited place was found for proper test and future motion capture sessions. The Local Futsal field had everything we needed.

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MoCap Time! 

Following initial tests, we felt confident enough to start official motion capture sessions. The first step was planning and creating MoCap sheets for each motion capture session.

Our motion capture crew was small but efficient: Toni Matej Radoš – Test talent & Talent Manager, Biljana Haljevac – Reference Cameras and Amela Dedić – Rokoko Studio, MoCap Sheet. And our Talents, real-life football players,  who without this would not be possible: Fedja Kulenić (goalkeeper) and Ivan Arapović (player).

Since we have only one suit, Goalkeeper and Player animations were recorded separately. Because of that, we had to be very careful during the planning process so the respective animations could match. We were a bit worried about the Goalkeeper’s recording sessions, taking into consideration the nature of football goalkeeping movements. To make everything easier we relocated Goalkeeper’s MoCap sessions to the local Judo club with a soft tatami mat surface.  We had 3 recording sessions and each was 3 hours long. That gave us 137 raw animations. We were aware that not every MoCap take will be successful or 100% accurate, we made sure that every take was also recorded with our reference cameras.

Animation Cleanup

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The entire process of cleanup was done in Maya and Motionbuilder using the HumanIK system. Most of the work was root motion corrections, foot slides, and arms fixes. The final part of the cleanup was merging the animations of Player and Goalkeeper into one take and making sure that the timing fits perfectly for each take.

The ball movement was a mix of keyframed animation and Unity physics.

Visuals & Final Render

Cleanup done. Next: Dressing up. The entire time of animation cleanup our player and goalkeeper rigs were dressed in nothing but their birthday suit. That caused a lot of funny looks from our other coworkers. But fear not! Our 3D artist Dragan Rezo was on the task of dressing them up for their final render.

Visuals & Final Render

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Cleanup done. Next: Dressing up. The entire time of animation cleanup our player and goalkeeper rigs were dressed in nothing but their birthday suit. That caused a lot of funny looks from our other coworkers. But fear not! Our 3D artist Dragan Rezo was on the task of dressing them up for their final render.

Every visual element of the game can be easily changed. Character appearance, jerseys, crowd, banners. All this can be altered according to the client’s requirements. We had a test client request just to see how much time would be needed for all the changes and rendering.

  • Lions on background video banners
  • Goalkeeper jersey with leopard pattern and panther head as front logo
  • Penalty taker with a red jersey and white sun on blue background (Taiwanese flag) as a front logo. Number 88 on the back and name “Tigers” above it
  • Additional but not requested, all resolve screens translated to mandarin

Final words

Almost nobody was injured during the making of the game. Our Goalkeeper had some bruises from the suit’s sensors, and we almost had a heart attack when our suit had a minor malfunction.

All jokes aside, our small team is very proud to have managed to complete such a large project, learn a bunch of new things in the process, and use Motion capture technology. It was an awesome experience from start to finish.

In the end, we would like you to take a look at our little video presentation of the Motion capture animation process.

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Scientific Games Introduces GlowMark, All-New Fluorescent Marking System for Lottery Extended Play Scratch Games

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Vibrant Neon Marking System Enhances the Play Experience for Popular Crossword and Bingo Games 

Scientific Games has created an all-new fluorescent marking system for lottery extended play scratch games such as crossword and bingo, adding a vibrant neon glow to the play experience. Recognizing the expanding popularity of extended play games, which have seen significant growth in recent years, the company’s metro Atlanta-based scratch game designers, game programmers, chemists and production experts developed GlowMark to give players a bright fluorescent surprise when they scratch the game. The innovation is available to U.S. and international lotteries.

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Scientific Games, the world’s largest creator, producer and manager of lottery games, offers more than 100 strategic product enhancements for its world-leading lottery instant products. The new GlowMark marking system reveals a contrasting neon fluorescent color when the player scratches the play area, a vibrant departure from the typical white reveal area found in most games.

SG Analytics indicate extended play lottery games have grown by 32% in the past five years (2019-2024). Today, they represent 18.3% of U.S. lottery retail sales. What was once a niche product is now offered by 44 U.S. lotteries, with retail sales topping $11.5 billion last year.

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Scratch games featuring fluorescent inks also grew in popularity, representing more than 12% of games in the market by fiscal year 2025. Additionally, $10 scratch games with fluorescent inks outperformed other $10 games by nearly 9% in fiscal year 2025.

“Our Innovation and Discovery teams developed this innovation by using fluorescents to enhance the scratch game experience and are now thrilled to debut GlowMark, our newest advancement in extended play marking systems,” said Danielle Hodges, Senior Director, Global Product Innovation & Development for Scientific Games. GlowMark gives games a strong, visually appealing contrast between the marked and unmarked areas of the game, adding excitement with glowing neon colors.”

Extended play scratch games produced at Scientific Games’ metro Atlanta global headquarters, as well as production facilities in Canada and the UK, can feature GlowMark. The company’s products represent 70% of lottery instant game global retail sales.

Innovating products and solutions that move the global lottery industry forward since 1973, Scientific Games provides retail and digital games, technology, analytics and services to 150 lotteries in 50 countries worldwide.

GlowMark™ is a trademark of Scientific Games, LLC. © 2025 Scientific Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

 

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Resorts World Las Vegas Appoints Respected Industry Leaders Lou Dorn as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary; Elizabeth Tranchina as General Counsel

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Resorts World Las Vegas announces the appointments of Lou Dorn as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, and Elizabeth Tranchina as General Counsel. Together, they bring proven leadership across the gaming and hospitality industries and will oversee legal, regulatory, governance, and risk-related functions for the resort, helping to drive operational excellence and support long-term growth.

“Lou brings an exceptional depth of experience in gaming law and regulatory compliance that will be instrumental as we continue to grow and evolve,” said Jim Murren, Chairman of Resorts World Las Vegas. “His leadership will help ensure our operations remain forward-thinking, responsible and built on a strong legal foundation.”

Dorn’s distinguished career spans both public service and private-sector leadership. He comes to Resorts World from Bally’s Corporation, where he served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel – North America and oversaw legal operations for 19 casino and resort properties across the U.S., including online gaming and sports wagering platforms. Prior to that, he held executive legal roles at Monarch Casino & Resort, SLS Las Vegas, Aliante Casino and Hotel and the Las Vegas Hilton, where he led legal strategy, compliance programs and regulatory affairs.

Earlier in his career, Dorn served as Chief of the Corporate Securities Division for the Nevada Gaming Control Board and as Deputy Attorney General for the State of Nevada. In these roles, he helped shape and enforce gaming regulations and compliance for the state, gaining a comprehensive understanding of both Nevada gaming law and federal securities law.

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“Joining Resorts World Las Vegas at such a dynamic time in its growth is an exciting opportunity,” said Dorn. “Having spent my career navigating the complexities of gaming law and regulatory compliance, I look forward to supporting the resort’s continued success by ensuring we operate with the highest standards of legal integrity and strategic governance.”

Resorts World Las Vegas also welcomes Elizabeth Tranchina as General Counsel. A seasoned legal counsel with more than 20 years of legal and regulatory compliance experience in the gaming and hospitality industry, Tranchina began her legal career as an Assistant Attorney General in the Gaming Division for the Louisiana Department of Justice. She most recently served as General Counsel for Investar Bank, headquartered in Louisiana, overseeing the legal operations for more than 20 branch locations across Louisiana, Texas and Alabama. Prior to that, she was General Counsel at Rio Hotel & Casino where she managed the legal, regulatory compliance and risk functions for the property. Tranchina has held senior leadership roles at publicly traded gaming, sports betting, and iGaming companies, overseeing legal and compliance matters across multiple jurisdictions.

“Elizabeth brings a steady, solutions-oriented mindset to complex legal challenges. Her experience across gaming and financial services adds valuable perspective to our leadership team, and her contributions will be instrumental as we continue to grow,” said Carlos Castro, President and Chief Financial Officer for Resorts World Las Vegas.

For more information about Resorts World Las Vegas, please visit rwlasvegas.com.

 

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How CommsHub Built-In Failover Protects High-Volume Messaging Businesses

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In today’s connected world, a single missed message can have a ripple effect far beyond its intended recipient. For high-volume messaging businesses, from fintech to e-commerce, reliability isn’t just a feature; it’s the foundation.

At CommsHub, we’ve seen how even the most robust communication strategies can fall apart when traffic isn’t managed intelligently. That’s why built-in failover isn’t an add-on for us,  it’s at the very core of our platform architecture.

The Hidden Risk in Messaging at Scale

Sending a million messages is easy. Delivering a million messages on time without losses, delays, or duplicates is the real challenge.

Traditional messaging setups often rely on a primary route, with a manual backup plan in case of outages. The problem? Manual intervention takes time and every second loss increases the risk of failed conversions, missed verifications and frustrated customers.

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For some sectors, a five-minute delay can mean thousands in lost revenue. For others, it can damage trust irreparably.

How Our Failover Works

CommsHub’s built-in failover system works like an automated traffic director.

  • Real-Time Route Monitoring: Every active channel is monitored for delivery speed, message status and error rates.
  • Instant Automatic Switching: If performance drops below a set threshold  or a provider experiences downtime  traffic is instantly redirected to the next best available route.
  • Multi-Level Redundancy: We don’t just fail over once. Traffic can cascade through multiple backup routes until successful delivery is confirmed.

This means campaigns keep running without interruption, even when unexpected technical issues occur in the background.

The Numbers Behind It

In controlled environments, we’ve observed that our failover logic reduces message loss to near zero. While previously around 17% of messages were considered as lost or undelivered – while in reality, fallback mechanism saves them.

The architecture also ensures that when switching routes, there’s no spike in costs  thanks to our intelligent routing engine, which considers provider pricing in real time.

Protecting Revenue and Reputation

The immediate benefit is obvious: you don’t lose communication with your audience. But the deeper value lies in protecting both revenue and reputation.

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For high-volume businesses, the stakes are high:

A trading platform missing two-factor authentication codes risks losing active traders.

An e-commerce brand failing to deliver time-sensitive promotions risks wasted ad spend.

A fintech company delaying fraud alerts risks customer churn.

CommsHub’s failover was designed to address these risks without requiring extra integration work or manual monitoring.

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Engineering for the Future of Messaging

We see failover not as a safety net, but as a structural pillar of next-generation communication platforms. As channels diversify and volumes grow, redundancy and intelligent routing will be as essential as delivery speed and analytics.

This is why we’ve invested heavily in creating an architecture that can evolve with market needs  from adding new providers in days instead of weeks, to scaling traffic instantly during spikes.

The result? Businesses that can move faster, sleep easier and deliver messages with confidence.

In messaging, there’s no such thing as “just a delay.”
Every second counts  and with built-in failover, those seconds are always on your side.

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Meet Us at SBC Summit Lisbon 2025

We’ll be showcasing CommsHub’s next-generation messaging solutions at SBC Summit Lisbon 2025, from 16-18 September.

Visit us at Booth D181 to see how built-in failover can help your business deliver every message with confidence.

The post How CommsHub Built-In Failover Protects High-Volume Messaging Businesses appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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