The partnership, which runs from 14 February through to 6 March, will see 15 WPT Sweepstakes players, who complete daily in-game challenges, earn the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to compete at the ‘ultimate poker proving ground’, the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown.

Bernard Kim, president of publishing at Zynga, stated: “Zynga Poker players love competition, and now they’ll get to put those skills to the test at an elite, high stakes tournament. 

“Our players know the ins and outs of the game and how to approach a hand – but with the help of WPT and poker icon Tony Dunst, they’ll have the opportunity to learn from the best how to handle the pressures, etiquette and excitement of a live tournament.”

US-based players can earn up to three sweepstakes entries (one entry per week) by completing tournament center weekly goals in Zynga Poker. Following the three-week contest period, 15 winners will then be drawn from the pool of entries.

The winners are then set to be sent on an all-expenses paid trip to Hollywood, Florida, which includes the $3,500 buy-in to compete in the tournament. Winners will also have the chance to attend an exclusive training workshop run by WPT commentator and champion, Tony Dunst. 

Dunst added: “Zynga Poker is a great platform for anyone to learn the ins-and-outs of Texas Hold ‘Ems rules, strategies and community. The sweepstakes winners will have a wonderful opportunity to play in one of the best WPT events of the year at Seminole Hard Rock. 

“Zynga Poker has given these players the practical tools to succeed, and I look forward to sharing tips I’ve learned as a WPT Champion to accelerate their respective learning curves.”

The post WPT Sweepstakes receives Zynga backing appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The global designer, manufacturer, and distributor of land-based slot and electronic games will distribute NFL Triple Score to 13 casinos on the Jackpot del Encanto link in Puerto Rico. 

The NFL Tripe Score slot is available on gaming floors alongside Jackpot del Encanto, which is a program featuring select slot machines in participating casinos across the island. It features a progressive jackpot, beginning at $20,000 and increasing as more people take part. 

Aristocrat has outlined that the game is on the MarsX Portrait Cabinet, and modeled after the ‘wildly successful’ Bao Zhu Zhao Fu game family. The game features 32-team graphics, symbols and NFL game footage, exclusive to Aristocrat through its licensing arrangement with the Football League. 

Craig Toner, CEO of Aristocrat Gaming, commented, “This launch is a major step forward in continuing our successful partnership with the NFL. The NFL has immense popularity globally with fans all across the world, and we are thrilled to now bring the game to a broader stage. We look forward to seeing the excitement from players in Puerto Rico and continuing the success our award-winning NFL portfolio has seen in North America.”

The company plans to continue its rollout beyond the shores of continental America, with LATAM and Europe earmarked for future releases. 

Could NFL-based slots head to the UAE? 

In October 2024, Aristocrat Gaming became the first international slot company to be granted a gaming-related vendor license by the United Arab Emirates’ General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA).

The license allows the Australia-headquartered company to provide its hardware and services and gaming content through its gaming machines, as well as online games and technology, to other commercial gaming operators who have received a license from the regulator.

The post Aristocrat Gaming Expands NFL Slot Portfolio to Puerto Rico Casinos appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Concluding the final day of the highly successful CasinoBeats Summit, the illustrious awards ceremony, which took place at the Hilton Malta, was a night dedicated to honouring the remarkable achievements of the iGaming industry. 

The evening witnessed the return of veteran host Trudy Kerr, alongside award-winning game developer John Romero, as they handed out 28 awards to accomplished operators, game studios and individuals. Award categories included Game Performance, Streamers, Game Creation, Game People, SlotCatalog, Casino Platform, and Best Game Release. 

Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: “The Game Developer Awards offers a pivotal opportunity to honour the remarkable accomplishments of the industry, celebrating both regional and global brands as well as individual talent. This year’s shortlist was by far the most competitive we have seen, and I would like to congratulate all our esteemed winners.”

It was a good night for Play’n GO, who secured the prestigious SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year (Large) award for the second consecutive year, whilst also picking up the Game Music / Soundtrack accolade for their title Hugo Legacy. 

The game creation categories saw Playtech once again take home the Game Licensed Content award for their work on Breaking Bad: Cash Collect & Link. Hacksaw Gaming was awarded Game Feature of the Year for their title Chaos Crew 2, Relax Gaming was honoured with the Game Design & Art Direction award for Money Train 4, and GAMOMAT was named winner of the Game Retro-Style award for Fancy Fruits Deluxe. 

Pragmatic Play notably took home two awards on the night, winning both the Game Mechanic of the Year award for their MultiHold mechanic and Slot Legacy Title for Gates of Olympus.

The SlotCatalog categories saw GAMOMAT return to the stage to pick up their second award of the night for Best Game Development Company Central Europe, while Playson was awarded Best Game Studio In Development Countries. Reel Kingdom secured the SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year (Medium) award, Fortune Factory Studios was named SlotCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year (Small) and IGT claimed SlotCatalog’s Best Game Development Company North America. 

The coveted SlotCatalog’s Rookie of the Year accolade was presented to industry newcomers Area Vegas.

In honour of the individual achievements in the industry, the Game People categories saw Andrei Filipovich of Aviatrix awarded Game Designer of the Year, Julia Aliakseyeva from BGaming named Product Manager of the Year and PearFiction Studios’ Jean-Pierre Larouche presented with the Game Composer of the Year award. 

EveryMatrix won the Aggregator of the Year award, The Mill Adventure was awarded Platform Innovation of the Year, while the Best Game Release award went to Lambda Gaming for 8Bit Football Twinko. 

This year’s edition saw the introduction of two new awards, the FTN Game of the Year award which was sponsored by BetConstruct and presented to Rubyplay for Mad Hit Olympic First, and the CasinoBeats Annual Community Recognition Award which was awarded to SoftConstruct for its work on BFTH Arena.

It was a big night for CasinoDaddy who took home the esteemed Streamer of the Year award, while The Slot Beasts and Haddzy were recipients of two new Streamer awards, Responsible Streamer of the Year and Next-Gen Streamer of the Year, respectively.

In the Game Performance categories, PowderKeg Studios claimed the Slot Debut award for their title Munition Mines, Stormcraft Studios won Slot to Watch for their work on  Immortal Romance 2, while Light & Wonder and Netflix took home Slot Collaboration of the Year for Squid Game. The illustrious Slot of the Year award went to Elk Studios for Pirots 2.

“Last night’s ceremony was a tremendous success and proved to be a truly memorable night. I would like to thank our official partner Gaming Malta, alongside all our supporting sponsors for their help in honouring the incredible achievements of the industry” Sojmark added.

The awards ceremony concluded the final day of the CasinoBeats Summit, which saw 4,500 industry professionals convene at the InterContinental Hotel in Malta, the hub of iGaming.

The post Introducing the Winners of the 2024 Game Developer Awards appeared first on CasinoBeats.

His keynote entitled “Bridging Worlds: Nostalgia, Innovation, and the Future – A Journey with John Romero” kicked off the CasinoBeats Summit in Malta by highlighting the similarities in the strategy to engagement in both video games and slots. 

He detailed that design needs to be focused on bringing gaming features and key elements of the game to the forefront of their design. 

That being said, he was eager to state that designing for the lowest common denominator is crucial when looking to produce a game that appeals to a mainstream audience is key, something highlighted by Facebook gaming designs. 

“In order to keep a player in the game, they need to be comfortable with the experience” according to the level designer, who was behind iconic classics such as ‘Doom’ and ‘Wolfenstein 3D, as he lauded immersive tech utilised for big titles seen across casino floors including Wizard of Oz, Rocky and Game of Thrones. 

Furthermore, Romero underpinned audio as a crucial asset that can ensure players enjoy an extended experience of a game. Drawing similarities to the video game sector he urged delegates to look at how engaging the myriad of radio stations that are available during a game Grand Theft Auto as an example of how audio and licensed music can enhance the overall experience. 

The music that is the backdrop to the game elevates the player journey between features as Romero underlined his bewilderment at music halting in between spins during a slots game. 

I see the future of slots incorporating the best assets from tv, music and film to enable users to immerse themselves in the game in a deeper way. 

One of the other crossovers that Romero said can be key taken from the video game sector to the slots sector was game saving. Raising the bar in terms of the potential for gamification, there is an opportunity for new themes to be unlocked through progress within a slots game according to Romero, who believes that recognition for players to have made progress is pivotal. 

When it comes to AI he identified that it is great for number crunching and could be an asset for player retention, however it simply can’t create new ideas and raise the ceiling in terms of innovation. 

The post CasinoBeats Summit Malta – John Romero: “The keys to an immersive player experience” appeared first on CasinoBeats.

It’s a collaboration that will place an enhanced focus on cashless transactions to retail venues. 

Trustly underlined that it is seeking to bring the benefits of Open Banking in the online betting and igaming space to the physical gaming sphere via this partnership. The firm’s in-person payments offering will be combined with Trustly ID to enhance KYC and AML compliance.

Jon Wolfe, President of Global Systems and Services at Light & Wonder, commented: “Trustly is the leader in Online Banking Payments with a proven track record in online sports betting, and we’re proud to work with them to power our cashless solution on casino floors.

“Cashless is the future of in-person gaming, and we’re proud to pioneer the solutions that continue to drive innovation.”

It comes amidst the growth of cashless payments, which are becoming more widespread across the land-based gaming space, including both betting shops and casinos. In some jurisdictions, such as the Australian state of Victoria, this is being mandated into legislation.

John Parsons, VP of Gaming at Trustly, added: “Light & Wonder stands at the forefront of the global gaming industry, crafting unparalleled gaming experiences across its diverse divisions.

“The introduction of RAPIDPLAY, leveraging our In-Person Payments feature of Trustly Pay marks a pivotal innovation for direct funding of games from player bank accounts via personal devices. We are proud to collaborate with Light & Wonder to deliver quick and secure instant payments on the casino floor.”

The business benefits of the cash-to-cashless transition have not gone unrecognised by operators and payments providers. Trustly stressed that in-person payments can be a ‘game-changer’ for casino firms.

Online betting and gaming is one of Trustly’s core markets, and the firm counts some significant clients in the sector, such as the Nederlandse Loterij and Betway.

The post Light & Wonder taps into ‘pivotal innovation’ with Trustly’s Open Banking  appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Amidst agreeing the cancellation of the loan, it was also revealed that it was untouched as the region and the operator look set for a fruitful period amidst economic growth. 

Optimism stems from significant success that has already been enjoyed by MGM in the region, as revenue was reported to have spiked in 2023. 

The growth was largely underpinned by an uptick when it comes to the recovery of the markets in the region, off the back of the easing of restrictions after the pandemic. 

The group stated that it is ‘in a position where drawing on the facility provided by MGM Resorts is not commercially necessary’.

Macau success has seen the group confirm the building of 200 new tables in the region as it looks to expand its gaming output for those in the space. 

It accelerates a period of growth for MGM as the firm has also sought to expand into Dubai through a landmark new construction agreement. 

First reported by the Meed, the deal will see the long awaited continuation of construction of the MGM site in Dubai and will be led by the same firm that spearheaded the operator’s building in China. 

The move adds fuel to the fire that regulatory talks are on the horizon in the region as the UAE looks to further enrich its allure to tourists through the gaming vertical.

The post MGM Macau ends lucrative loan facility as growth accelerates  appeared first on CasinoBeats.

At the heart of the offering is increased power as the firm seeks to enable expansion into cost-sensitive markets.

Commenting on the launch of the IQ 2, Duncan Faithfull, EVP, and CCO at Quixant, said: “Our customers’ focus needs to be on developing the customer experience, not on the hardware platforms to bring their products to life. They need powerful, reliable and cost-effective products that enable them to focus on the aspects that allow them to get ahead of the game. 

“That is why we developed our range of game changing hardware platforms, IQ, IQON, and QMAX, which are designed to provide a range of options that deliver maximum performance based on budget, market, and product needs. The new IQ 2 is our most powerful cost-effective platform to date, giving customers the opportunity to deliver even more performance at an accessible price point, which is particularly suited to the LatAm, Route and Amusement markets.”

He continued: “Our hardware platforms and embedded Software Suite solutions enable our customers to outsource these aspects with confidence that everything required from a power, performance, security and regulatory perspective for the gaming and sports betting market is covered. Expanding on the existing range has been key in the current climate, giving customers even more variety, by choosing between Intel and AMD and offering different processor, power and performance options dependent on the needs of the market they operate in. 

“As Quixant is entirely focused on the gaming and sports betting sector, we provide specialist products and supply chain solutions that allow our customers to focus on developing the ultimate products, and partnership is key to our offering. It is our responsibility to make sure our customers get the most out of their Quixant products and collaboration, so they can seamlessly integrate all elements of their gaming cabinet or sports betting terminal or kiosk and ensure enhanced product performance, expedited delivery, cost-efficiencies, and ultimate results.” 

Furthermore, the group also detailed that the latest product launch holds up to 16GB main memory, has an integrated LED strip interface, integrated Intel UHD graphics, and drives up to three displays.

The post Quixant looks to develop customer experiences with IQ 2 appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The TYPE S slot machines will feature titles such as Fruits & Gold, Drops of Water, 20 Golden Coins and Cocktail Rush. 

Ivo Georgiev, CEO at Amusnet, commented on the launch: “The land-based vertical release marks a new stage of Amusnet’s business development as a company and B2B partner. It is a culmination of our mission to provide a full spectrum of gaming entertainment, catering to a wider audience and diverse preferences. 

“We are presenting our first Type S series of slot cabinets, developed internally by a huge team of professionals with tangible experience in the land-based industry. 

“Our goal is to provide premium experiences to a new segment of players, soon introducing the complete original slot portfolio of Amusnet. We’ve broken new ground and we are looking forward to this exciting journey with a kick-off at ICE.” 

Looking to expand into all-casino technology, it strengthens a shift which is followed by a new company slogan: “We Master Gaming”.

Borislav Marinov, Head of Land-Based Business Development at Amusnet, added: “We hold great pride in the development of our first-ever slot cabinet series. It is a result of an impressive investment and two years of relentless dedication to R&D, technical design, construction, software and game portfolio precision.”

Yordan Georgiev, Head of Casino Division at Amusnet, concluded: “The new slot titles that we bring to ICE signify our commitment to delivering even more stunning graphics, captivating animations, and feature-packed gameplay. 

“With its three scatter symbols, Clover Islands for instance is a top-notch entertainment with various ways to win. Catching the Leprechaun invites players to the Clover Islands Bonus – a Wheel of Fortune that can award 24 different multipliers. The Golden Bonus gives players a chance to win up to 500x their bet. Landing Luck Chest symbols triggers a Pick Me Bonus game for an opportunity to collect even more amazing multipliers.”

The post Amusnet set to launch cabinet slot series  appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Covering a seven-year period, the deal was originally agreed upon in August and will seek to provide stability within the sector.

The Star’s Group CEO and Managing Director, Robbie Cooke, said on the deal: “The Star appreciates the constructive engagement on this process with the current NSW Government. 

“The formalisation of these arrangements protects our Sydney team’s jobs and enables us to continue the important ongoing work required to restore The Star Sydney to suitability, and to earn back the trust of our stakeholders.”

Despite the significant development, conversations will continue to formalise other aspects of the deal, including the cashless and carded play trial.

As well as this, a commitment to additional jobs will also be central to future discussions as the groups continue to develop their relationship and regulatory framework. 

In terms of rebate play, the duty rate will be raised from 10 per cent to 12.5 per cent, while the duty rate will increase for table games non-rebate play as well, from 17.91 per cent to 20.25 per cent.

Duty rate changes for poker machines non-rebate play have been split into two categories – before and after June 30, 2030. 

Excluding GST, poker machine duty rate will remain at 20.91 per cent until July 1, 2024, when it will increase to 21.91 per cent. It will rise again on July 1, 2027, to 22.91 per cent.

After June 30, 2030, exclusive of GST, duty rates for poker machines will apply to the average poker machine revenue of machines in use at The Star Sydney as follows: 

• Less than $2,666 – 0 per cent
• $2,666 or more and less than $6,667 – 37.6 per cent
• $6,667 or more and less than $12,500 – 42.1 per cent
• $12,500 or more – 51.6 per cent

The post Star Entertainment backs regulatory progress as binding agreement reached  appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Games from each of the three aforementioned suppliers will now be available for the technology and services provider’s partners to utilise to enhance their casino experience.

Commenting on the integration, BetConstruct has described the partnership with Golden Race, Creedroomz and Pascal Gaming as an “unparalleled opportunity” for Land Based Solutions partners and a way for operators to “elevate their offerings and boost their revenue significantly”.

The centralised location for all games and streams with an “intuitive interface” offers “revolutionised gaming in betshops – eliminating complex report and content management processes and providing hassle-free betting experiences”.

BetConstruct has gone live with various developments throughout the year so far, including in the web3 space with the introduction of a decentralised casino platform solution called DECA and the launch of BCverse, a B2B igaming metaverse platform.

The technology and services provider also revealed a new version of its self-service betting terminal software, Betting Terminal PRO, bringing new advanced features to the land-based gaming space.

The post BetConstruct adds Golden Race, Creedroomz & <br> Pascal Gaming to land-based solutions appeared first on CasinoBeats.