Latest News

Week 17/2023 slot games releases

Published

12 months ago

April 28, 2023

George Miller

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Here are this weeks latest slots releases compiled by European Gaming

Jade Goddess is a force of nature, a goddess who has arrived to embody the new premium instalment from MGA Games. Wild, beautiful, and full of superpowers, this instalment offers great prizes hidden behind the 5 reels of Jade’s Aztec world. With pyramids, sphinxes, ancient coins, and other themed symbols, Jade Goddess offers a journey full of prizes and adventures, immersing players in the distant and fabulous age of the Aztec Empire.

Evoplay, invites players for a refreshing drink at its bar in its new instant game Super Bartender. Immersing players in a cocktail lounge, the game adds to the atmosphere with a relaxing piano soundtrack. Packed full of fruit-based fun, the mixologist presents a choice of six random cards and players must select the card with a hidden cocktail ingredient to be rewarded.

Habanero, unleashes the Monkey King in the latest addition to its slot portfolio, Naughty Wukong. Transporting players to the Orient, the slot depicts a colourful mountainous region with traditional Chinese symbols covering the board. A classic 3 reels slot game, Naughty Wukong counts 27 paylines and offers medium volatility to players, striking the balance between big wins and frequent payouts.

Slot fans who love super-sized wins and the popular lost city theme will marvel at Mayan Magic Gold, a spectacular new 5×3, 30-payline and high-volatility slot from Reevo. The game boasts stunning graphics and epic features such as Mega Blocks that suddenly appear, crushing any symbols below to enhance prizes, and a Magic Bonus that rewards players with either huge cash prizes, win multipliers or free spins. Trigger the bonus and you are faced with twelve magic chests, each one hiding big money values or more ways to win.

Greentube, is inviting players to take a journey to the afterlife where spirits, gods and reels collide in its latest release, Egyptian Underworld™. This 5-reel, All Ways title introduces a captivating new Sync ‘N’ Spin™ mechanic that sees all winning symbols respin, allowing for new wins to continually pay out. This only ends when no new winning combinations can be formed on the game reels.

Gaming Realms, a leading provider of mobile-focused gaming content, embarks on a leprechaun-filled adventure in its latest title Slingo® Lucky Joker. Traditional Slingo® mechanics can be found across this 5×5 reeled slot with additional innovative features that boost player engagement. With each spin, a trail game is triggered where a dice roll moves the Lucky Joker protagonist around the game board and can award instant cash prizes if landed on certain fixed positions.

Realistic Games has launched its new fishing-themed slot Catch 22 for an exclusive initial period with the Entain Group. One of the studio’s most anticipated releases of the year, Catch 22 can only be enjoyed on the renowned operator’s brands including Ladbrokes, bwin and PartyCasino until May 5^th when it is made available to the general network. Catch 22 is played across 6×4 reels and has symbols in keeping with the overall nautical theme depicting fish, tackle, floats and more that must form a matching combination across 4,096 winning ways to create a win.

Armadillo Studios is proud to announce the official release of its latest innovative game, Wild Willy’s Gold Rush; a slot where players pick up their pickaxes and pans and travel back in time in a bid to strike it rich. Saddle up with ‘Wild Willy’ on his quest to find fortune and collect as many gold nuggets as possible in this 5×3, 20-payline, high-volatility game coming in 96.03%, 94.25% and 88.14% RTP versions.

Push Gaming is heading back to the Triassic town that inspired its hit game Dinopolis in its latest release Dino P.D. The expansion on the popular original is played across 5×4 reels, with recognisable aesthetics returning in conjunction with new symbols such as handcuffs, megaphones and various Dinosaur protagonists across 20 paylines. These are joined by a wild symbol which substitutes all base game paying symbols, making it easier to form wins.

Wizard Games has journeyed back to Ancient Egypt to explore the epic love story between Marc Anthony and Cleopatra in new hit Book of Eternal Romance. The latest slot in Wizard Games’ growing collection sees players greeted by a 5×3 grid action packed with features. A pyramid acts as a wild, while the two gods – Anubis and Bastet – and the two romantic protagonists, Cleopatra and Marc Anthony act as high-paying symbols.

Play’n GO welcomes a new family member to their popular Wilde franchise in their new educative online slot, Gerard’s Gambit. This innovative adventure-themed slot game has two goals — to teach newer players about traditional slot mechanics, which will progress in complexity as they advance through the levels, and to provide everyone with an engaging and fresh way to play. Gerard’s Gambit charts a course into undiscovered territory with this truly unique take on video slot games.

Yggdrasil, the leading publisher accelerating iGaming innovation, has unleashed chaos and horror in its hellish new release, Devour the Weak. The 5-reel, 243 payline slot introduces a new avalanche mechanic that sees all winning symbols destroyed, along with any icons of equal or lesser value, meaning new ones can come into play to create new wins. The mechanic adds another level of excitement by allowing players to form multiple winning combinations.

Relax Gaming, the iGaming aggregator and supplier of unique content, has announced the launch of its sequel to the hugely popular title Hellcatraz, with players returning to sunny San Francisco Bay as they seek to win 10,000x their stake. The slot is the latest in Relax’s record-breaking Dream Drop Jackpots series which has already created seven millionaires in less than a year. With an RTP of 93.99%, including a 12% jackpot contribution, the sequel gives players 3,125 ways to win.

ELA Games invites players to take to the reels armed with an Instant Dakkar Bonus, a Dakkar Wilds Feature and much more. With a reel configuration of 5×4, and 50 win-lines, “Vikings Wild” game takes players into a Norse adventure across the seas, where they join the Viking warriors on their search for legendary riches.

Blueprint Gaming allows fishing fans to upgrade their bonus round in the latest version of its classic series, Fishin’ Frenzy The Big Splash. In a bid to make the most out of the all-important free spins section of the game, The Big Splash sees a number of fish fill the screen with the player able to choose one that reveals a special upgrade to the playing experience.

Endorphina, the premier online slot provider, has recently released Joker Ra, their most groundbreaking game yet. This innovative gaming experience sets a new standard in iGaming history by showcasing a unique feature that no other casino has ever ventured into before – they have significantly leveled up their visual identity and graphics with the help of artificial intelligence. Endorphina has once again demonstrated their unmatched standards by becoming the first to use AI to create substantial and quality design aspects of a slot game.

Pragmatic Play, a leading content provider to the iGaming industry, reimagines the classic book genre in its latest Egyptian-themed release Kingdom of the Dead. Played across 5×3 reels, the title has symbols depicting Anubis, scarabs and pharaohs that must form a matching combination across the slot’s 10 paylines to award a win. These are joined by a book scatter that also acts as a wild, substituting all other symbols in-game and making it easier to create winning lines.

Red Rake Gaming has just launched a new and action-packed 5×4 reel video slot with 1024 ways to win. A wild slot game where the goal is to obtain a gold buffalo in the free spins feature among a buffalo stampede to earn massive wins. Red Rake Gaming is introducing this new game in a setting surrounded by wild animals, where the buffalo takes centre stage. During the regular feature the side bar will be disabled and, in addition to the wins available from each symbol, you can also obtain the Wild symbol in reels 2, 3 and 4.

Playson, has added to its highly popular Hold and Win series with dazzling new slot, Coin Strike. With an animated lightning bolt background and a rock guitar soundtrack, this 3×3 fruit-themed game is inspired by top-performing title Royal Coins 2 and offers an unrivalled player experience with an array of captivating features such as a Strike Bonus symbol that, when combined with other coins, activates an exhilarating Coin Strike feature.

Blue Guru Games is taking players on yet another magical adventure on its newest 5-reel video slot. The otter-themed game is loaded with special features and a generous RTP that could see your wins soaring up to a mind-bending 17,000x the bet. Charge into June with a splash and explore the provider’s newest game, Otterly Amazing. It follows the unsung heroes of the ocean, a raft of sea otters that make it their business to keep the kelp forests thriving – by devouring every sea urchin in sight.

Bitcoin

Should iGaming Be Worried About 2024 Bitcoin Halving?

Published

29 mins ago

April 25, 2024

George Miller

should-igaming-be-worried-about-2024-bitcoin-halving?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

In its LinkedIn newsletter, ‘The SOFTSWISS Special’, SOFTSWISS, a global tech expert with over 15 years of experience in iGaming, delves into the impact of Bitcoin Halving on the iGaming realm.

The recent historical moment of Bitcoin Halving took place on 19th April 2024. SOFTSWISS, a pioneer in crypto-friendly iGaming software, shares its insights and forecasts for how this event may shape the future of iGaming, shedding light on potential opportunities and challenges for industry stakeholders.

What is Bitcoin Halving?

The Bitcoin halving is a scheduled event that occurs approximately every four years or every 210,000 blocks. During this event, the reward for mining and verifying new blocks is reduced by 50%, resulting in miners earning only half the number of BTC per mined block.

Since its launch in 2009, Bitcoin’s mining reward has halved four times, occurring in 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024. The recent April halving reduced the reward to 3.125 BTC per block. Such events are crucial for Bitcoin’s scarcity and inflation control, ensuring that the total supply never exceeds 21 million coins and aligning with its deflationary principles.

Historically, each halving event has resulted in a rise in Bitcoin’s price. This is attributed to the reduced supply and increased scarcity, although other market factors have also influenced these outcomes.

Exploring the Impact of Bitcoin Halving on the iGaming Industry

To provide an in-depth analysis of the Bitcoin Halving impact on iGaming, SOFTSWISS invited Bradley Peak, blockchain expert and tokenomics adviser, to share its anticipations.

Bets rise: The halving is expected to lead to an increase in Bitcoin’s value. If the trend of impressive price surges persists, Bitcoin-friendly iGaming brands could see a positive impact.
Crypto adoption increase: Implementing crypto-friendly models has the potential to boost player trust and transparency in iGaming. Additionally, it could rejuvenate unique gaming experiences like provably fair games and decentralised casinos.
Regulatory frameworks improvement: The recent Bitcoin halving could prompt regulatory bodies to reassess their stance on cryptocurrency gambling. This could lead to new regulations ensuring fairness, responsible gambling, and anti-money laundering measures in the crypto-driven iGaming sector.

Bradley Peak, blockchain expert, comments on the recent changes: “Any transformation will not be without its challenges. It is important to adapt – invest in employee learning and development, onboard crypto processing, and make sure your platform remains secure in the process.”

Explore the influence of the 2024 Bitcoin Halving on the iGaming industry in the fourth edition of The SOFTSWISS Special newsletter on LinkedIn.

About SOFTSWISS

SOFTSWISS is an international tech company supplying software solutions for managing iGaming projects. The expert team, which counts over 2,000 employees, is based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia. SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides one-stop-shop iGaming software solutions. The company has a vast product portfolio, including the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with thousands of casino games, the Affilka affiliate platform, the Sportsbook Platform and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS was the first in the world to introduce a Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution.

The post Should iGaming Be Worried About 2024 Bitcoin Halving? appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Latest News

56 suspicious betting alerts reported by IBIA in Q1 2024

Published

1 hour ago

April 25, 2024

George Miller

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Football (soccer) and tennis accounted for 68% of cases

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) reported 56 alerts of suspicious betting to the relevant authorities in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024.

The Q1 2024 total is an increase of 65% when compared to 34 alerts in Q4 2023 and an increase of 12% when compared to the revised Q1 2023 total of 50 alerts. All of IBIA’s alerts are identified using customer account data from IBIA members, which number over 50 companies and 125 sports betting brands, making IBIA the largest integrity monitor of its type in the world.

The 56 incidents of suspicious betting in Q1 concerned six sports, across 21 countries and five continents. Other key data for Q1 2024 includes:

Football (soccer) had the highest number of alerts by sport with 24, representing a 50% increase on the 16 reported in Q4 2023 and a 60% increase on the 15 reported in Q1 2022.
Turkey had the highest number of country alerts with 8 (five in football, two in tennis and one in basketball).
41% of all alerts in Q1 were identified on sporting events taking place in Asia, with North and South America joint second with 18% each.
There were only 4 alerts identified on sporting events in Europe, which represents a decrease of 76% compared to 17 alerts in Q4 2023.

Khalid Ali, IBIA CEO, said: “The first quarter saw an increase in reported alerts highlighting the ongoing challenge our members, sports and regulatory authorities face from corrupt activity, with football and Asia dominating our Q1 report. IBIA’s alerts are supported by detailed global customer account data only available to IBIA and its membership, which continues to grow, widening our world leading market coverage. That account data provides evidentiary information that is vital for advancing investigations and imposing sanctions. IBIA is committed to continuing to work closely with stakeholders and to providing this important evidence base.”

The Q1 report includes a focus on the availability of sports betting in Canada and a comparison between the licensing approach in Ontario and the monopoly approach in the rest of the country. IBIA recently released a report on the Availability of Sports Betting Products which highlighted Ontario as a leading regulated gambling jurisdiction, with an expected onshore channelisation for sports betting of 92% in 2024 forecast to rise to 97% in 2028. Whereas the rest of Canada combined is forecast to have an onshore rate of around 11% in 2024 becoming 13% by 2028.

IBIA currently represents over 60% of the private sports betting operators licensed in Ontario, with Glitnor recently announced as the latest operator to join the association in that province. IBIA is a not-for-profit body that has no competing conflicts with the delivery of commercial services to other sectors and is run by operators for operators to protect regulated sports betting markets from match-fixing. IBIA’s global monitoring network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool, detecting and reporting suspicious activity in regulated betting markets.

Through the IBIA global monitoring network it is possible to track transactional activities linked to individual customer accounts. IBIA members have over $300bn per annum in betting turnover (handle), accounting for approximately 50% of the global commercial regulated land-based and online sports betting sector, and in excess of 50% for online alone.

The post 56 suspicious betting alerts reported by IBIA in Q1 2024 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Interviews

Tom Galanis: giving a First Look at the Top of the Slots

Published

2 hours ago

April 25, 2024

George Miller

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Gone are the days when we would spend a Thursday evening waiting for Top of the Pops to come on our televisions so that we could see who would be performing that week. The music show may no longer be running, but First Look Games has taken inspiration from the long-running staple and added a slot spin, to create Top of the Slots.

To give us more insight, First Look Games Founder Tom Galanis walks us through the ideation process behind Top of the Slots and how this is helping to give an accurate representation of the top-performing slot titles each month.

You launched Top of the Slots by First Look Games a couple of weeks ago. For those that may have missed the launch, what does this involve?

Tom Galanis: Top of the Slots is a showcase for the top 10 games launched by game studios via the First Look Games platform over the previous 90 days. It’s a never-before-seen take on game popularity and one our game studio partners, and affiliate users are already loving!

What was the thought process behind launching Top of the Slots?

Tom Galanis: First Look Games captures unique data for our game studio partners and Top of the Slots is designed to illustrate the most successful games, benchmarked by this unique data insight, to the industry.

What do game providers have to do to make it into the top ten releases for the month? What metrics do you use to evaluate success?

Tom Galanis: In order to make it in to the top 10, game studios need to release titles via our platform that successfully resonate with the 850+ affiliates that utilise First Look Games, making full use of the suite of tools we offer on and outside of the platform to engage affiliate marketers in the promotion of their game. The rankings are based on the First Look Games Index for all games launched to the market in the preceding 90 days, which combines:

a) Downloads – which is the aggregated total of download sessions amongst affiliates on the platform. Affiliates download assets including logos, game sheets, video files, screenshots, banners and game artwork;
b) Hits – this is the aggregated total number of game reviews for the game, created by affiliates using the First Look Games platform;
c) Reach – this is the aggregated unique visitor count of the websites containing the Hits;
d) Demo Game Sessions – this is the number of free to play demo game sessions that have taken place from iFrames placed on Hits.
e) Sentiment Score – this is the average sentiment score from Hits

The games that rank well in this index are obviously commercially successful in their own right but are also being reviewed by affiliates because of the engagement of the game studio with the First Look Games platform, and consequently, with affiliates.

Our most active game studios are not just releasing great games with frequency but are also ensuring their game and studio news is distributed across the First Look Games platform and social channels and that a full and diverse range of marketing assets and game information is being provided through the platform prior to a game’s release. This best equips affiliates to understand the features of a game so that they can successfully convey this to their player audience, which, collectively amongst FLG affiliates, is very significant, totalling more than 20 million slots players worldwide.

Tell us a bit more about the First Look Games sentiment analysis – how is this helping to remove the biases from the ranking process? What data do you use to inform this analysis?

Tom Galanis: Once our technology has identified a new game review, First Look Games uses Natural Language Processing to ‘read’ the review and assess what the affiliate makes of the game. We share a short snapshot of this with the game studio and assign a score to the review based on how positive the affiliate has been in their review of the game. The more positive the language used in the review, the higher the score.

Sentiment scores are then aggregated across all reviews of the game to give a score for the game, and across all games to give the studio a score to benchmark against peers. Using AI, we are able to objectify the subjective to provide true 360 analysis on how affiliates are promoting a game.

What can we expect to see from First Look Games for the remainder of this year?

Tom Galanis: We have a perpetual roadmap of both new studio launches and technical advancements of the platform for affiliates and game studios to look forward to!

The post Tom Galanis: giving a First Look at the Top of the Slots appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.