Industry News

ThunderSpin captures lightning in a bottle for online casinos

Published

6 years ago

January 30, 2020

In an age where the most important focus for developers is to continually create engaging games for players and operators alike, ThunderSpin’s development process is more akin to Pixar than traditional gaming brands relying on the motto that ‘no idea is a bad idea’.

ThunderSpin, a game studio which has launched its own exclusive set of 25+ casino slots, is becoming increasingly renowned for its strategy of putting originality at the fore. With titles featuring everything from Vikings, newborn galaxies and zombies to World Cup football, biblical battles and cowboy snails, the brand’s extensive portfolio is all thanks to their one internal rule, ‘no clones’.

Commenting on the challenges of ensuring each and every game stands out in the iGaming market, Jeff Letlat, CEO at ThunderSpin, explained: “We have an internal rule – we do not make clones of popular games. Yes, we can be inspired by some kind of game or mechanics or the idea of our competitors, but the game itself will be unique in any case, both in mechanics and in graphics. In addition, our team should primarily like the game too. After all, if inside you feel you are doing what you like – the game will be both memorable and unique.”

In its first year, ThunderSpin is driving innovation in a manner more suited to a creative film company or animation studio than to the typical world of reels and slots thanks to a reliance on the beauty of ideas combined with cutting-edge technology. When taking a game from idea to execution Jeff Letlat highlights how ideas can come from anywhere, whilst not mistaking that although some concepts might seem great to the team at the start, the true genius is knowing which ones to take right through to the end.

“Every game in the beginning consists of an idea,” he said. “Most often, for starters, the idea consists of just one phrase. I want snails in the Wild West which becomes Snail Town. Or, let’s try to connect the slot with betting elements and it becomes World Cup Football Slot. The main difficulty is to combine a good idea with the resources available to us – technical, human, etc.”

One of the company’s latest games, Book of Treasures, is a prime example explains Jeff Letlat with ThunderSpin’s marketing department highlighting the need for a popular theme slot around a central theme. “Combining hunt for treasures and slots is interesting for our players in principle but the magic happens when our team start throwing ideas around. In this case, in the very first brainstorming session all of us sounded almost in chorus: ‘Mayan treasures!’ It’s the conceptualisation that our team thrives on.”

For ThunderSpin the regular working process consists of in-house game designers creating prototype mechanics, the Art Department’s conceptual sketches and a whole host of programmers, testers delivering details, narrative, etc. After this the project pushes into plans, sprints, deadlines, and an internal presentation to gain first impressions and feedback from colleagues. Detailed external R&D with the company’s partners and players follows which helps not just during creation but throughout the game’s release according to Jeff Letlat. “We try to listen carefully and consider all of this in the development process. We try to analyse as much as possible in different directions – both the duration of the sessions, and the betting strategies, and the players’ returns to their favourite games. And where do they click with the mouse in game clients and much more. Each of our already released games is constantly monitored and analysed, so that we can make each next game more interesting and attractive for our players.”

“With development feedback, we listen to everyone,” he continued. “Whether it’s colleagues, business partners, or players, we analyse competitors, read reviews on the forums and our main focus is our players. Since consumers can be completely different – by gender, age, tastes and preferences – we try to make different games in order to adapt to the most diverse wishes of our players.”

The unique portfolio of games from ThunderSpin have all been developed with a strong focus on sound and visual to ensure a strong first impression of the game in the current market where every casino can offer thousands of slots. For Jeff Letlat, it’s all about that initial visual appeal and the most crucial attribute for a new concept is to ensure your game is entered into a casino at all. “The ability to stand out is essential so your game does not get lost among a huge pile of the same type and uniform slots,” he said. “When creating new concepts the development team are aware that both interesting mechanics and large payouts are all very important in terms of ROI but when developing an idea you can keep the player mechanics, volatility, payouts. To help the player decide to launch your slot for the first time, essentially the visual is King.”

AI

Tugi Tark whitepaper puts AI iGaming support at €0.15 per ticket

Published

5 days ago

May 6, 2026

Wladimir P.

tugi-tark-whitepaper-puts-ai-igaming-support-at-e0.15-per-ticket

Tugi Tark has released a 2026 whitepaper, The economics of AI-powered iGaming customer support, arguing that AI changes the unit economics of player support and can reduce costs compared with human-led operations.

The report cites “verified pricing” of EUR 0.15 per AI-handled ticket. It compares that with fully loaded employer costs for human support in Romania and Bulgaria of EUR 1.73 to EUR 1.88 per ticket. At a “realistic” 70% AI containment rate, the whitepaper claims a blended cost of about EUR 0.67 per ticket, which it describes as roughly a 64% reduction versus a human-only baseline of EUR 1.88.

Tugi Tark says its analysis draws on Eurostat 2024 labour cost data, published research on AI chatbot benchmarks, independent iGaming player behaviour research, and operational data from its own deployments. The company estimates operators can achieve a 55% to 75% reduction in total support expenditure, and argues AI can absorb volume spikes—such as during major sporting events—without additional hiring or training lag.

Harpo Lilja, founder and CEO of TUgi Tark, said: “In 2026, the ‘wait-and-see’ approach to AI is costing operators millions in unnecessary overhead. We aren’t just talking about chatbots; we’re talking about a fundamental shift in the unit economics of player retention.”

The whitepaper also frames customer support as a retention lever, stating that payment issues account for 52% of ticket volume and that slower response times drive churn. It claims a 0.5 percentage point churn reduction could retain an additional 500 players per month for a mid-sized operator, translating to €200,000 in annual revenue based on an assumed €400 Player Lifetime Value. Tugi Tark also claims AI agents average ~7 seconds for first response versus ~60 seconds for human agents, and outlines use cases across Responsible Gambling escalation, KYC/AML workflows, and GDPR-aligned data sovereignty.

The post Tugi Tark whitepaper puts AI iGaming support at €0.15 per ticket appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Game Development

Games Global outlines May slot roadmap with Snowborn, AreaVegas and Just For The Win

Published

6 days ago

May 6, 2026

Wladimir P.

games-global-outlines-may-slot-roadmap-with-snowborn,-areavegas-and-just-for-the-win

Games Global has published its May content roadmap, highlighting new slot releases from Snowborn Games, AreaVegas Games and Just For The Win, and a continued push to reuse established mechanics across its studio network.

The supplier said Area Link and Power Combo will feature prominently in May’s launches. AreaVegas Games’ Area Link Chilli uses six chilli symbols above the reels tied to bonus modifiers that can trigger individually or together, including cash prizes and fixed jackpots, multipliers, instant collectors and value boosters.

Games Global also pointed to Just For The Win’s Bison Ridge Power Combo, where Link&Win is combined with Power Combo to create what it described as a more varied bonus structure.

Snowborn Games’ Volcanic Fortune is positioned around bonus modifiers such as collectors and multipliers, plus a Treasure Chest meter designed to build towards higher-value bonus outcomes.

David Reynolds, Director of Games Strategy and Partner Management at Games Global, said: “Our studios bring the craft, and May’s roadmap puts that on full display. It’s built around extending global franchises into new titles across our network, which is how we deliver breadth without compromising quality. The result is a pipeline that gives operators choice and players variety.”

The post Games Global outlines May slot roadmap with Snowborn, AreaVegas and Just For The Win appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

charity-lotteries

ZEAL posts 6% Q1 2026 revenue growth as EBITDA dips on investment spend

Published

6 days ago

May 6, 2026

Wladimir P.

zeal-posts-6%-q1-2026-revenue-growth-as-ebitda-dips-on-investment-spend

ZEAL Network SE reported higher first-quarter 2026 revenue despite what it described as a weak jackpot environment, while profitability softened as the company increased investment. Revenue rose 6% year-on-year to €54.3 million (2025: €51.1 million). EBITDA fell to €15.5 million from €17.7 million.

“The first quarter of 2026 shows that we are consistently executing our strategy even in a weak jackpot environment: our core business is growing, and we have continued to invest in diversifying our business model,” says Andrea Behrendt, CFO of ZEAL. “Through targeted investments in new charity lotteries such as the Dream Car Raffle, we are laying the foundation for sustainable growth that is less dependent on jackpot cycles. The slightly lower EBITDA compared to the previous year is primarily a reflection of these measures.”

In the core lottery segment, ZEAL said average monthly active users increased 5% to 1,575 thousand (2025: 1,507 thousand), while new registrations climbed 11% to 274 thousand (2025: 247 thousand). Lottery billings edged up 1% to €268.0 million (2025: €264.7 million). The lottery gross margin improved to 17.8% (2025: 17.1%), with lottery revenue up 5% to €48.7 million (2025: €46.3 million).

ZEAL also used Q1 to prepare a new in-house charity lottery product. The company said it launched the Traumautoverlosung (English name: Dream Car Raffle) on 14 April 2026, its third charity lottery in Germany after freiheit+ and the Dream House Raffle.

In Games, ZEAL reported revenue up 14% to €3.9 million (2025: €3.4 million) after expanding its B2C portfolio to more than 740 titles. ZEAL said higher marketing costs (+13%) and personnel expenses (+21%) reflected continued investment in scaling charity lotteries and Games alongside the core lottery business.

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