Connect with us

Latest News

Convergence of gambling and video gaming roundtable – Kalamba Games

Published

on

Reading Time: 3 minutes

 

Andy Sekula, Head of Games at Kalamba

An increasing number of industry titans in recent years have moved into video games and many video game outfits have turned their eye to offering ‘gambling’ elements within games. With these moves and the rise of social/mobile gaming bringing these industries closer to traditional gambling and igaming, what is there to be learned from this growing convergence?

 

Has the global video game boom influenced the design and development of today’s games? Gamification has been a focus for iGaming developers for some time, has this been driven by the rise in video game popularity?

There has been a lot of work invested in video game development over the years in regards to all sorts of progression and collection mechanics, with the ultimate goal being to reward players for specific behaviours. The primary goal for that industry is essentially the same as ours – to entertain and engage – and to that end, we can learn from video games just as we can from other products and services that compete for leisure spend such as movie streaming platforms like Netflix.

While the nature of certain AAA video games is sometimes significantly larger in scope – think Grand Theft Auto, for example – the same principles of attracting, engaging and retaining players remains and is in a sense more difficult for iGaming studios as we have to pack the same amount of involvement into a product that is smaller in scale and by nature is shorter in terms of average playing sessions. Despite this, many slots are now a world apart from what was produced 10 or even five years ago and highlight the creative talent our industry possesses.

 

Licensed games, chosen correctly, can be valuable investments for studios. We have already seen classic video game IPs feature in some slot titles in the past – is this something that can be leveraged further? Must it be something more than just window dressing?

This is quite a tricky thing to do well and there haven’t been too many successful examples of IPs moving from the video gaming world to slot games. Whether this relative lack of success so far is the reason why it hasn’t been leveraged more, I’m not sure.

Done right, I can see some potential in classic universal IPs like PacMan or Donkey Kong but for more modern brands such as the likes of Pokemon, you wouldn’t see it appear in slots until it’s not resonating with a younger audience anymore and when the generations that played the original game are old enough to play video slots, such as with Space Invaders or Street Fighter II.

 

Betting on people playing games (esports) has for some time proven hugely successful. What impact has this had and could have going forward, on traditional gambling as a whole?

Betting on outcomes, as we’ve seen with traditional sports betting, has been around long before esports (or even electricity!) appeared, but now it’s established, esports is an ideal focus for sportsbooks since there’s a lot of both skill and luck (randomness) involved –  so its a perfect vehicle for evolving the betting industry. I think given the different demographic that we see watching and being involved with esports, there’s the prospect of opening up igaming and betting industry offerings. This would mean the emergence of a whole new sector of players/bettors and consequently the potential for new styles of games/experiences to suit. It will be interesting to watch it evolve.

 

A recent study declared that video gamers are up to 4.5 times more likely to participate in betting and igaming. How can this new demographic of potential players be best approached?

To some extent, this could be two things: being literate with technology and already being introduced to the concept of gambling (like gatcha boxes) and competition (leaderboards) that they have already been exposed to and are experienced in. Or maybe it’s more about the preference for electronic entertainment (deemed the ‘spiritual opium’ by Beijing regulators). Either way, it’s another sector of players for us to understand and to do our best to accommodate.

 

Online, social gaming is a place where many gamers meet up, forge friendships and communities – to what extent can this be mirrored within igaming?

Basically, a brick and mortar casino creates an environment where players can gamble in a social setting, which additionally reinforces many emotions. This can be, to some extent, recreated within the live casino vertical, where people chat and bet on the outcomes of the casino games and their variations in real-time. We can also see some efforts being made in order to make slot games more of a social experience, where people can not only watch and chat with the streamer but can also bet with them. There’s great potential for experiences like this to be developed.

 

Powered by WPeMatico

Continue Reading
Advertisement

casino games

Booming Games marks two years in South Africa, targets top supplier spot

Published

on

booming-games-marks-two-years-in-south-africa,-targets-top-supplier-spot

Booming Games says it is marking two years in South Africa and is setting a target to be “recognised as the market’s leading games provider in the next 1-2 years,” according to a company statement dated 14 July 2026.

The Malta-based supplier entered the market in July 2024 and says it has since grown from a single partner relationship to working with “a host of tier one operators across Africa.” The company also claims its local team has doubled in size, with further hiring planned in the coming months, and noted shortlistings at the SiGMA Africa Awards and iGA Summit Awards earlier this year.

In South Africa, Booming Games said it has more than 145 titles “tested, approved and live” in Mpumalanga, Western Cape and Eastern Cape. The company also pointed to a partnership announced last month with World Sports Betting (WSB), under which a selection of its titles will be integrated into WSB’s platform.

Solomon Godwin, Head of Africa at Booming Games, said: “Close partnerships with operators is central to our ability to innovate and deliver at speed. These collaborations allow us to establish a comprehensive feedback loop that informs future games. Put simply, we listen to our punters through our partners.”

Looking ahead, Booming Games said it plans to expand into “every remaining province” and increase investment in local presence and operator partnerships, including targeting new aggregator platforms entering the market. The supplier also said it will expand its release pipeline with localised titles and is developing new games across crash and instant categories, alongside updates to existing games.

Max Niehusen, Founder of Booming Games, said: “South Africa already drives the largest proportion of our revenues in Africa, and as we celebrate two successful years here, we are well placed to build out our offering even further over the years ahead.”

The post Booming Games marks two years in South Africa, targets top supplier spot appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Continue Reading

iGaming Marketing

Tonybet awards €7,000 silver prize in World Cup Card Collection campaign

Published

on

tonybet-awards-e7,000-silver-prize-in-world-cup-card-collection-campaign

Tonybet has awarded a €7,000 prize to a player in Kilcock, Ireland, after the customer found the campaign’s silver card in the operator’s World Cup Card Collection promotion. The update was announced Tuesday 14th July 2026.

The World Cup Card Collection includes 51 cards: 48 digital cards representing each participating World Cup nation, plus three unique cards—gold, silver and bronze—tied to prize payouts. Tonybet said the bronze card was available during the group stage and was previously found by a customer in Canada.

According to the operator, the silver card was available during the knockout rounds through the quarter-finals. The gold card is now in play for the semi-finals, third-place play-off and final.

Tonybet Head of Product Kiryl Liudvikevich said: “Our Tonybet World Cup Card Collection Bronze prize went during the group stage; now Silver has gone too!

“A massive congratulations to our lucky winner in Kilcock, County Kildare. Silver was always the knockout-round card, available once the World Cup reached the stage where a single result ends a team’s tournament. It has found its winner just as the field thins to the last handful of nations.

“Now we’re down to the final four, that’s where the competition really hots up, leaving just the golden card still hidden somewhere for our lucky winner to find. Best of luck to all of our players as this amazing World Cup reaches its conclusion this week.”

Tonybet said its World Cup Card Collection runs until 31 July. With the bronze and silver cards already claimed, the remaining campaign prize depends on when the gold card is found before the promotion ends.

The post Tonybet awards €7,000 silver prize in World Cup Card Collection campaign appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Continue Reading

b2b partnerships

Tequity signs Koom Games to its RGS platform

Published

on

tequity-signs-koom-games-to-its-rgs-platform

Tequity has agreed a Remote Gaming Server (RGS) deal with slot studio Koom Games, with the partnership announced on 14 July 2026. Koom Games will use Tequity’s licensed modular RGS to develop and roll out new titles for distribution to operators worldwide.

Under the agreement, Koom Games will use Tequity’s infrastructure to handle game delivery while keeping control of its creative and development roadmap. The studio said its approach is to build content closer to mobile and social gaming than traditional casino titles.

Tequity said it currently supports 31 RGS clients and manages more than 130 integrations across regulated markets. The company positioned the Koom Games deal as part of a wider run of commercial agreements with providers and operators.

Tanja Bergman, VP of Partnerships at Tequity, said: “Koom Games is a studio that is looming to enter the global market by making a big splash. The team’s dedication to creating content that is genuinely fresh is highly impressive. We are thrilled to offer the stable, high-performance environment needed to transform this creative vision into a market-leading reality.”

Marko Zulj, CEO & co-founder at Koom Games, said: “Whenever operators and aggregators ask us what category our games fit into, we actually struggle to give a traditional answer. Instead, we tell them, ‘you’ll need to try them, because you haven’t played this before’.

“Our games come with completely new mechanics, fresh math, and features built for social engagement. To scale such a vision and remain agile, we needed more than a reliable RGS — we were looking for a robust iGaming platform that lets us confidently develop in any direction, and we found exactly that in Tequity.”

The post Tequity signs Koom Games to its RGS platform appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Continue Reading

Trending

Get it on Google Play

Fresh slot games releases by the top brands of the industry. We provide you with the latest news straight from the entertainment industries.

The platform also hosts industry-relevant webinars, and provides detailed reports, making it a one-stop resource for anyone seeking information about operators, suppliers, regulators, and professional services in the European gaming market. The portal's primary goal is to keep its extensive reader base updated on the latest happenings, trends, and developments within the gaming and gambling sector, with an emphasis on the European market while also covering pertinent global news. It's an indispensable resource for gaming professionals, operators, and enthusiasts alike.

Contact us: [email protected]

Editorial / PR Submissions: [email protected]

Copyright © 2015 - 2024 - Recent Slot Releases is part of HIPTHER Agency. Registered in Romania under Proshirt SRL, Company number: 2134306, EU VAT ID: RO21343605. Office address: Blvd. 1 Decembrie 1918 nr.5, Targu Mures, Romania