Industry News
Soft2Bet Shares 2023 Results and Predicts Biggest iGaming Trends for 2024
Soft2Bet has experienced significant growth in 2023 and as the year draws to a close, we look into the trends that are likely to dominate the iGaming sector in 2024.
Gamification will expand further in 2024 and become hyper-localized
Gamification features will keep expanding in 2024 and Soft2Bet will continue to customize them to players’ preferences in their individual markets. Gamification will also grow in popularity as it becomes even more localized and captures more of consumers’ attention and screen time.
Why gamification is important in iGaming
Gamification is a term that is and continues to be widely used in the online gaming and betting industry. There are a number of reasons for this, but going back to the social casino craze of 2012-2013, it is strongly linked with social and casual gaming and the ability to extend player values through engagement and gameplay.
The social gaming craze may have calmed down from those heady days, but the companies active in that sector continue to generate substantial revenues through micro-transactions, in-game advertising or secondary marketplaces. Gamification, in other words.
How does this apply to iGaming and how does Soft2Bet harness gamification?
The short answer to that question is that we have integrated social engagement and gameplay features, localized them to specific countries and regions into our real-money gaming products to create the Soft2Bet Motivational Engineering Gaming Application (MEGA), our gamification engine.
Global gamification continues significantly growing, while MEGA features have generated very strong financial and product-performance results, it’s also important to remember the huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to make this happen.
As Yoel Zuckerberg, Chief Product Officer at Soft2Bet, explains: “In practice this translates into our tech, development, marketing or CRM teams spending many man-hours integrating all those elements into our products’ gameplay.”
“This has meant hours of painstaking technical work developing a fully integrated solution that is seamless, secure, tailored and geo-targeted to players’ habits and preferences. This work is paying off and has enabled Soft2Bet to grow faster than ever in 2023.”
iGaming trends 2024
The Era of Mobile Gaming.
The mobile gambling market is expected to reach over $150 Billion by 2030, and around 70% of online betting revenue comes from mobile gambling. With the addition of new innovations in personalization and gamification on mobile apps, mobile gaming will only accelerate its growth in 2024. iGaming brands must be focused on staying ahead of the curve, bringing the most exciting and engaging mobile gaming offerings to players in its new and existing markets around the world.
AI will become even more integrated and inform new features.
As AI continues to progress and advance, companies such as Soft2Bet will prioritize discovering innovative ways to harness this technology. By effectively employing AI to analyze data, it becomes capable of pinpointing crucial trends and detecting shifts in player preferences. These insights can be directly applied to enhance the platform’s features and elevate the overall user experience.
UI, UX enhancements combined with player behavior analytics will be key drivers.
Player behavior analytics will play a key role, and being up-to-date with the latest technologies and innovations will be crucial for iGaming companies hoping to see success in 2024.
Responsible gaming initiatives will take center stage
Soft2Bet has always been committed to responsible gaming and predicts that other companies will continue to increase investment in this field, especially as they enter new jurisdictions with new regulations. The industry will introduce more innovative, proactive, and user-friendly responsible gaming tools and solutions in 2024.
MEGA drives Soft2Bet
Motivational Engineering has been key to Soft2Bet’s success in 2023 because it enables us to deliver quality products that are highly personalized and localized to the markets we operate in. This trend will continue in 2024 and we will keep providing tailored offerings to our casino players and sports betting customers: City Builder features for our casino-focused players, while sports bettors can engage with our Sports Stadiums.
Uri Poliavich, founder and CEO of Soft2Bet added: “As we move into 2024, the key to succeeding in our industry lies in adapting to evolving player preferences, harnessing cutting-edge AI, advanced motivational engineering techniques, and ensuring a seamless user experience. At Soft2Bet, we are fully equipped and committed to meeting these challenges head-on. With our innovative and hyper-localized MEGA solutions, advanced analytics, and a strong emphasis on responsible gaming, we’re poised to not only adapt to the changing landscape but to lead and define it.”
Soft2Bet’s EBITDA grew by more than 300% in 2023, driven by Motivational Engineering Gaming Application (MEGA), our unique gamification technology. The company also obtained 10 new licenses in seven different countries, including Sweden, Italy and other major markets.
The effectiveness of our MEGA technology was also demonstrated by the growth of our Betinia brand in Denmark and Sweden, the two leading Scandinavian markets, where GGR increased by more than 65% and by more than 50% of the playerbase engaged with gamification. In addition, deposit amounts were 50% larger and 30% more frequent and average revenue per user (ARPU) grew by more than 70%. These achievements have been recognised by our peers and we were delighted to be shortlisted in the following five categories of the EGR Nordics Awards.
Martin Collins, CBDO at Soft2Bet, commented: “For 2024, we look forward to furthering our innovation and motivational engineering offerings while expanding our reach across the globe. The next year will be a pivotal one both for our company and the iGaming industry more broadly. We focused on driving these exciting new trends as we continue to disrupt and drive the industry forward.”
Industry News
CogniPlay Launches New Social Casino Platform
CogniPlay has launched its new software product, which aims to provide a robust online sweepstakes or social gaming platform to its clients. The system is designed to be modular, allowing customers to tailor their brand and offering to what they believe will give them optimal performance.
The CogniPlay system has several key integrations which help to deliver the product, including games integrations with the likes of Pragmatic Play, BetSoft, Mascot Gaming and many more, giving them 100s of games for their clients. There are other integration options for their customers to pick from too, including affiliate programme software, CRM platforms and associated products, KYC, ID verification, Geo-IP systems, Gamification and customer support.
They also have a very long and extensive development pipeline which will see the product offering develop at pace, giving clients an extensive list of options and USPs, and of course giving players a great user experience as a result.
As well as the platform itself the CogniPlay team, due to their considerable experience, also offer a whole host of managed services, with almost a menu that clients can choose from to fill any gaps in their own skillsets or experience.
CogniPlay’s Chief Executive Officer Allan Turner said: “We are very proud to take the CogniPlay product to market and are excited that people who want to start a new social or sweeps brand can get in touch with us to see what we can do for them, or in fact established brands that are unhappy with their existing provider.
“Our underlying principles are that we want to provide the most flexible platform in the space, to enable our clients to create the product they want to have, not for us to dictate the product to them. The two other main areas of focus are that we want to be the most future-proof product on the market with plans for any regulatory or legal changes that may arise in the future, and that we have all the right safeguards in place to ensure that we look after both our clients and players with our responsible gaming setup. This of course means having the right tech and processes in the key areas of KYC, Geo-IP tech, anti-money laundering, fraud, risk assessment and ID verification.”
The post CogniPlay Launches New Social Casino Platform appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Hard Rock International
The Mirage Hotel & Casino to Begin Transformation into Hard Rock Las Vegas on July 17, 2024
Hard Rock International (HRI) announced its plans to cease operations of The Mirage Hotel & Casino as of July 17, 2024, to begin the transformation of the property into the highly anticipated Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas (HRHCLV).
Hard Rock will develop a new integrated resort featuring a nearly 700 ft. guitar-shaped hotel towering prominently in the center of the famous Las Vegas Strip.
“We’d like to thank the Las Vegas community and team members for warmly welcoming Hard Rock after enjoying 34 years at The Mirage. We’d also like to thank the Unions, community leaders, local and state government organizations and the Gaming Commission for their support and fair negotiations over the past year. Also, we are grateful to MGM for assisting with our transition,” Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International, said.
“While we pause for the incredible transformation of this iconic property, I’d like to thank all team members at The Mirage for their incredible commitment and helping us provide memorable experiences for our guests. We are planning to host collaborative hiring events with other employers in the Las Vegas community over the coming months. Connecting the thousands of talented Mirage team members who provide outstanding service with new employment opportunities is a top priority,” Joe Lupo, President of The Mirage, said.
HRHCLV is expected to double the current number of jobs at The Mirage for the Las Vegas community, while the renovation of the property will generate over 2500 construction jobs. Hard Rock will pay approximately $80 million in severance packages for eligible union and non-union employees remaining with the property through cessation of operations.
Industry News
IGT Reports First Quarter 2024 Results
International Game Technology PLC has reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024.
“Innovative game, hardware, and systems solutions drove better-than-expected Global Lottery and Gaming & Digital performance in the first quarter. As a result, we are upgrading our full-year 2024 revenue and profit goals, which reflect broad-based momentum across key performance indicators in the balance of the year. We continue to make progress on separating Global Lottery from Gaming & Digital and preparing for the proposed transaction with Everi,” Vince Sadusky, CEO of IGT, said.
Key Highlights:
- Announced Gaming & Digital business to be spun off and combined with Everi Holdings Inc.; transaction expected to close in late 2024/early 2025
- Recognised with top honours at ICE London 2024 awards programmes including “Lottery Product of the Year” and “Best Diversity and Inclusion Employer”
- Received a supply contract extension from the UK National Lottery
- Executed licensing agreement with the Maryland Lottery for IGT’s patented Cash Pop draw-based game
- Mystery of the Lamp named “Top Performing New Premium Game” at 2024 EKG Slot Awards Show
- Awarded contract to provide PeakDual 27 video lottery terminals across Quebec
- Launched iGaming content in Rhode Island
- Achieved AAA MSCI ESG rating, the highest rating possible, and earned a gold medal sustainability rating from EcoVadis.
“We delivered a record organic profit performance in the first quarter, if we exclude Separation & divestiture costs. The Company is operating from a position of strength with historically low net debt leverage, ample liquidity, and manageable near-term debt maturities,” Max Chiara, CFO of IGT, said.
The post IGT Reports First Quarter 2024 Results appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Latest News7 days ago
Week 19/2024 slot games releases
-
Latest News7 days ago
Week 19/2024 slot games releases
-
Latest News7 days ago
Red Rake Gaming presents some of its games on Swiss4Win, the online brand platform from Casino Lugano
-
Golden Matrix Group7 days ago
Golden Matrix Group Joins Rio Grande do Sul Flood Relief Program
-
EurAsia4 days ago
Evoplay expands footprint in Georgia with Europebet partnership
-
Latest News7 days ago
Golden Matrix Group Joins Rio Grande do Sul Flood Relief Program
-
Latest News7 days ago
Gaming Innovation Group – Issue of new shares
-
Balkans4 days ago
SOFTSWISS Expands to Bulgaria: European Growth Through Partnership