Latest News
Movers and Shakers: Tereza Melicharkova: There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for creating sustained engagement
“Movers and Shakers” is a dynamic monthly column dedicated to exploring the latest trends, developments, and influential voices in the iGaming industry. Powered by GameOn and supported by HIPTHER, this op-ed series delves into the key players, emerging technologies, and regulatory changes shaping the future of online gaming. Each month, industry experts offer their insights and perspectives, providing readers with in-depth analysis and thought-provoking commentary on what’s driving the iGaming world forward. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the scene, “Movers and Shakers” is your go-to source for staying ahead in the rapidly evolving iGaming landscape.
Writing for European Gaming, Tereza Melicharkova, Head of Marketing for Swintt, discusses the importance of knowing each individual target audience when creating a software portfolio that caters for the widest cross-section of players possible.
In an industry as dynamic as iGaming where new trends come and go, player preferences are constantly evolving and what constitutes the blueprint for a successful release can differ wildly from one market to the next, Swintt has always believed that the key to long-term success lies in creating a content portfolio that can appeal to as broad a cross-section of customers as possible.
While it’s true that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for creating casino games that consistently hit the mark with players and create sustained engagement for the operators that host them, there’s definitely something to be said for diversifying your offering so that you always have the opportunity to tailor the content provided via your partnerships to account for all local audiences.
In doing so, you’ll ensure that you’re not effectively placing all your eggs in one basket by sticking to a single tried and tested formula, but are instead building a library that is capable of tapping into regional differences while still retaining the hallmarks of your brand. It’s precisely this line of thinking that led us to developing the multiple product lines that exist within the Swintt portfolio.
Balancing Legacy and Innovation
For those who are unfamiliar with how Swintt operates, we always sort our releases into one of three main categories. The two founding product lines in our software portfolio are SwinttPremium and SwinttSelect, but we’ve also diversified our offering further with Elysium Studios – Driven by Swintt titles that have arrived following our acquisition of the developer earlier this year.
Going through the different product categories one-by-one, the Swintt Premium range was developed with a view to appealing to audiences who have a fondness for the kind of slot you’d normally find in a land-based gaming venue. Typically combining classic casino-style graphics and sound with familiar fruit-based symbols, each Premium release offers a recognisable, easy-to-trigger feature such as our signature “Book” Free Spins or the popular “Pearl Respins” bonus.
Successful examples of SwinttPremium slots include releases in the aforementioned “Book” series like Seven Books Unlimited as well as games like Big Max Pots and Pearls – and what we’ve seen from these titles is that they generally perform well in markets like Germany and the Netherlands, where the average player is a little older and more traditional tastes typically prevail.
Of course, while it’s obviously important to cater for these “legacy” players, doing so should not come at the cost of innovation and supplying a more immersive slot experience to the newer generation – and this is where our SwinttSelect line-up comes in. Known for their state-of-the-art designs and pioneering bonus features, our Select games push the boundaries of what’s possible from a slot and have proved incredibly popular in tech-savvy markets like the UK and Scandinavia.
In particular, our XtraSeriesTM games – including our most successful release to date, Aloha Spirit XtraLockTM – have really helped showcase what a talented team of developers we have by providing a range of unique and engaging themes as well as bonus features players won’t find from any other provider. By offering these titles, we ensure Swintt is capable of catering to the needs of a wide range of players while also reflecting the demands of each market we operate in.
Having A Mobile-First Mindset
As I referenced earlier, Swintt’s acquisition of Elysium Studios in January this year really was a major step forward for the company, as it enabled us to not only further diversify the portfolio of content that we offer to partners, but also to double down on all of the things that have made our Select line-up such a success by introducing even more ambitious designs and thrilling features.
As a provider that has carved out a fairly specialist niche in the industry for creating game mechanics that draw on a variety of social, video and casino gaming factors, Elysium Studios was always going to be a key part of how Swintt looks to engage with the next generation of casino customer. Featuring cutting-edge designs, quirky themes and a huge variety of features in every release, the Elysium Studios – Driven by Swintt range really has taken our offering to new heights.
What is perhaps particularly notable about Elysium Studios is their mobile-first approach to game design – and while this has always been a big priority at Swintt, by working together with them, we’ve definitely taken things to the next level. With mobile now accounting for the majority of all online casino play, having immersive bonus features that utilise tap and swipe touch-screen functionality has been an incredibly powerful tool in helping us connect with modern audiences.
We’ve already seen from the success of games like Law of Gilgamesh and Fox Tale that there’s a real demand among newer players for titles that replicate the user experience of the popular mobile games that they’ve grown up with – and if the buzz around our upcoming release, I Hate Fairytales is anything to go by, we’ll have many more success stories with the studio in the future.
It’s All About Entertainment
Of course, while having several strings to our bow has been a key component of Swintt’s success in penetrating multiple regulated markets, it’s equally important that for all our different product lines, we’ve never lost sight of who we are and what we stand for. We see online casino gaming primarily as a form of entertainment – and whether they’re playing Premium, Select or Elysium Studios releases, our players can always be sure they’ll be getting a fun and exciting experience.
We pride ourselves on providing top quality titles with a real flair for the creative, and this definitely extends to the way that we market ourselves to partners. From our stand at SBC Lisbon that promoted I Hate Fairytales with a free-to-enter hammer strength competition to the Swinttopia board game we created to celebrate our five year anniversary, we’ve always tried to find inventive ways to promote our products and this has been a major factor in how we’ve grown.
By retaining this key creative strand across our entire portfolio, we’ve put together a product line-up that is varied enough to tap into the unique demands of each individual market without ever compromising the principles that have enabled Swintt to truly stand out as a brand – and in an industry as competitive as iGaming, that’s a really powerful thing to have working in your favour!
The post Movers and Shakers: Tereza Melicharkova: There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for creating sustained engagement appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
Huge Jackpot at King Billy Casino: C$3,658,306!
King Billy Casino, launched in 2017, has had some impressive players wins during the “reign of King Billy”. A few of them include Live Game winnings of €135,223, daily winnings from 2 or more slots of $164,000, and €250,000 won on a single spin. However, the latest win by a King Billy Casino player dwarfs every big win that has come before this. Actually, it’s bigger than all previous big wins combined for the operator!
Because, we are talking about C$3,658,306.
This amazing six-digit number was the result of a player going on a safari in her (and millions of other players) beloved Mega Moolah progressive slot from Games Global. In an autumn, the player stepped into eternal summer by wagering a small C$6,25 bet and winning 562.816 times her bet! This is the power of Mega Moolah, as evidenced at King Billy.
King Billy people had only warm words for the occasion. A representative of the casino has stated: “We are elated, for this huge big win. We can never forget that our first big win, many years back, was more than 200,000 Canadian dollars, so we have special ties with the region. And it’s now amazing to see our VIP-player making such a cashback and echoing that big win! Congratulations to our player”.
A few words about Mega Moolah. It was an Internet sensation when it was launched with its beautiful graphics and sounds, and immersive gameplay and it is a sensation today, still going strong after almost 20 years. The slot, which has spawned more than 20 variations, and has given millions in cash to players all over the world (including 5 millionaires in 2024 alone) features 4 types of jackpots that make it stand out from the competition.
About Games Global
Games Global is a supplier of the online gaming industry delivering force and direction to gaming with more than 1,300 top class games. The company has made a commitment to deliver the industry’s more disruptive ideas and compelling data-driven gaming experiences. Games Global features a total of 40+ partnered and in-house studios, services 600+ branded websites and boasts record-breaking jackpots with its worldwide network.
About King Billy Casino
Established on St Patrick’s Day in 2017, King Billy is a renowned new generation casino with more than 26 awards and accolades. The casino is available in English, German, French and Finnish, and created a unique user experience, building on the theme of King Billy and his Kingdom. King Billy ensures that all its players, “Citizens” in the casino language, receive the care and attention they deserve.
The post Huge Jackpot at King Billy Casino: C$3,658,306! appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Boyd Interactive
Play’n GO announces landmark partnership with Resorts Digital Gaming
Play’n GO, the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, has today announced its latest US operator partnership, with Resorts Digital Gaming, in the state of New Jersey.
Resorts Digital Gaming was acquired by Boyd Interactive in September 2024, and this announcement sees the group’s players on the www.resortscasino.com and www.mohegansuncasino.com brands in New Jersey gain access to a multitude of classic Play’n GO game titles, such as the legendary Book of Dead, Rise of Merlin, and Rise of Olympus.
Play’n GO entered New Jersey in September 2022, shortly after first launching in the US via the state of West Virginia in July of that year. It has since seen its games live in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and most recently, Connecticut.
Magnus Olsson, Chief Commercial Officer at Play’n GO, commented “New Jersey has been of crucial importance to our US operations for over two years now, so it is with great pleasure that we make this announcement in conjunction with Resorts Digital Gaming.
“The company joins together two instantly recognizable operator brands, and the addition of Play’n GO’s games will be of enormous mutual benefit. We confidently describe ourselves as the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, and partnerships like this one are of great importance to us in establishing that idea. We’re excited to see this partnership flourish.”
Jim Ryan, Chief Executive Officer at Boyd Interactive, added “The whole Resorts Digital Gaming team is excited to bring Play’n GO games to our players. Play’n GO is one of the world’s leading iGaming brands, and we’re confident that our players are as excited as we are to see those Play’n GO titles on both www.resortscasino.com and www.mohegansuncasino.com.”
Interviews
Exclusive Q&A w/ Radek Pšurný, CEO at Match Hype
Match Hype has just won two industry competitions. Talk us through your product.
Match Hype brings engagement from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram into the sportsbook. Our technology automatically turns raw sports data into short videos full of sports and betting insights. We have the capacity to create up to a million videos daily in more than 30 languages. We also provide hosting and streaming of the videos, and we track everything in the video thanks to our own player. The high level of video experience and the scale make us unique in the market, and we believe that this innovation is extremely needed in the industry—and the judges in the competitions probably agree with us.
What technologies are you leveraging to deliver such a cutting-edge tool/product?
We have more than six years’ experience in developing dynamic video solutions for clients like Microsoft, HBO, and SAP, and a decade in high-end video production for similarly well-known clients. Match Hype is the essence of this. We have developed our own robust cloud infrastructure that enables us to work on a huge scale. We can also leverage the integration of third-party solutions that help us make the video content rich and engaging. The AI boom came at the right time to help us make the experience for the viewer even better.
Who is Match Hype aimed at?
We focus mostly on sportsbook operators, where we think we can bring the biggest value. But we also have clients on the affiliate and media side. Our “competition” at the moment are creative professionals who are able to create one video at a time. To cover hundreds or thousands of events daily, you need huge manpower. With Match Hype, you don’t need that—it’s all automated. Anybody who appreciates this level of efficiency will benefit.
The end users are any sports fans who enjoy engaging videos. So basically everybody.
Has this industry been slow to embrace video content and unlock the potential it offers? If so, why?
It’s hard for us to talk about the whole industry, as we haven’t been part of it for that long. But iGaming feels like a conservative industry where only truly meaningful innovations make it. Fingers crossed for Match Hype being one of them. We are confident because of our track record in other industries, and mostly thanks to the results of our dynamic videos that are already used by significant igaming industry players.
What makes video content so effective at customer acquisition? How can Match Hype be used in this regard?
People just love video content. In the last review, TikTok said that the average user spends around 90 minutes a day on their platform. Platforms like Spotify used to be music and podcasts only; now they are full of videos. You just can’t ignore that. Video killed the radio star, and a static sportsbook is next to die.
And what about retention? How can it be used to keep players engaged and coming back for more?
Imagine that a 30-second video gives you the exact insights to help you make a betting decision without spending dozens of minutes on different resources to gather all the information. People don’t want to read anymore. This is probably an even bigger strength of Match Hype than user acquisition.
What can we expect from Match Hype in the coming months?
We will establish Match Hype as an industry standard for dynamic video content. We’ll bring many more sports like tennis, basketball horse racing and. We are preparing real-time video use cases—for example, half-time updates in football—and new distribution channels like integration directly into streams. The potential is huge. Stay tuned.
Any final thoughts?
For the last year, we have talked with literally hundreds of iGaming experts, investors, and executives. Almost every one of them sees fan engagement as a huge topic in the upcoming months and years. And video will definitely play a key part in it.
Video says more than a thousand words. Give it a go—watch one of our 30-second videos and see for yourself.
The post Exclusive Q&A w/ Radek Pšurný, CEO at Match Hype appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Balkans7 days ago
Endorphina Partners with Volcanobet
-
Canada7 days ago
ComeOn Group adds sportsbook to its offering in Ontario
-
Latest News7 days ago
Week 45/2024 slot games releases
-
Latest News7 days ago
ELA Games Welcomes Ewa Kaźmierska As MD
-
Central Europe7 days ago
Evoplay enters Czech market with exclusive Fortuna collaboration
-
Bingo & Lottery Supplier of the year7 days ago
Vibra Gaming win double awards at SBC LatAm 2024 – “Bingo & Lottery Supplier of the Year” AND silver for “Casino & iGaming Supplier”
-
Balkans4 days ago
Synot Group Debuts at the BEGE in Bulgaria
-
Compliance Updates7 days ago
Comtrade Gaming Receives UKGC Approval to Distribute Gaming Content