The latest sporting agreement entered into by the company, following the likes of past alliances with Fortuna Dusseldorf, will see the company’s trademark Merkur Sun become featured in the side’s RheinEnergieSTADION home arena.

“We have wanted to become a sponsor partner of 1. FC Köln for many years because, like almost no other football club in Germany, it stands for diversity and respect, which for us as an internationally active family business with 15,000 employees from sixty nations and millions of game guests are of central importance,” explained Manfred Stoffers, board member for marketing, communications and political affairs at the Gauselmann Group . 

“Now it has finally worked. 1. FC Köln guarantees a vital mix of performance and unbridled joy of life, which gives the club a charisma that is visible from afar. We are pleased that we can be there with our sponsorship – through the gang, so to speak.”

This partnership was first witnessed this past weekend during FC Köln’s maiden home fixture of the 2023/24 season against VfL Wolfsburg when the club slipped to a 2-1 defeat. 

The team currently sits in 15th place in the Germany top flight, one spot ahead of the relegation zone, with the aforementioned loss coming after a 1-0 opening day loss away at Borussia Dortmund.

Markus Rejek, Managing Director of 1. FC Köln , noted: “We are very much looking forward to working with the Gauselmann Group. The company is one of the global players in the industry and has been involved in national football for a long time. We got to know Gauselmann as a very innovative, diverse and responsible company.”

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The collaboration will see iSoftBet provide its suite of igaming titles to the operator’s Merkur Spiel brand throughout the German online gaming market. 

This will see players throughout the country gain access to games such as Gold Digger, Moriarty Megaways and recently released Majestic Gold Megaways.

Markus Ettlin, management spokesperson for Merkur, stated: “We are pleased to add top-quality online gaming content from iSoftBet to our growing slot games portfolio. 

“iSoftBet offers a strong range of gaming titles and innovative game mechanics which we know work well in Germany like Gold Digger, Majestic Megaways and Mighty Stallion Hold & Win. These will enhance the Merkur Spiel brand for our loyal players to enjoy.”

The has been praised by iSoftBet as bringing “significant reach throughout the emerging German market,” as the group continues to prioritise expansion in regulated jurisdictions across the globe. 

“We’ve made a commitment to partnering with leading operators in major emerging markets and none are more well-known than Gauselmann Group and its Merkur Spiel brand,” noted Federica Faggiano, chief commercial officer at iSoftBet.

“Our products have already been well received in Germany, and this is another important step for iSoftBet as we look to push our global presence.”

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With copies also sent to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, and Kwasi Kwarteng, secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, the move come with adult gaming centres omitted from the list of high street businesses permitted to open in April. 

Highlighting the decision, which permits licensed betting offices to open on April 12, Gauselmann argued that it “is not conducive to the principles of fair competition for which Great Britain traditionally stands.”

Requesting a review of the decision, the letter sets-out the group’s ongoing commitment to the UK, which it says has seen the investment of almost half a billion pounds (£450m) with an employee base of over 2,000.

The letter reads: “We are ready with optimism and financial strength to work with the government to support the recovery,” confirming that the business can reopen safely without creating any new risks of infection.

Focussing on the issue of unfair competition, Gauselmann explained: “Our venues attract comparably small numbers of customers who do not stay for long. 

“For this reason, we cannot understand the decision which permits betting shops to open even though they operate the same gaming machines. This puts us at a great competitive disadvantage and we fear a long-term loss of loyal customers as a result.”

Underlining the organisation’s commitment to social responsibility, the letter adds: “Our business has been audited by the Global Gambling Guidance Group against its international standard. Such a commitment provides a strong basis for our plans to invest in the UK and grow. 

“However, I am very concerned about the stress this recent decision places on our business and whether we can continue to invest as we had planned. We appreciate the government has to make very difficult decisions, but cannot see why, in terms of infection protection, entirely unproblematic businesses should be prevented from opening.”

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The Gauselmann owned operator, which boasts a presence in 160 venues located in 99 towns and cities in the UK, believes the new inclusion as part of the initiative will amplify the safer gambling message to huge effect.

Praesepe has confirmed that the suite of messaging developed and agreed by both Bacta and the Bingo Association will be displayed and communicated from over 4,000 of its digital gaming machines. The firm asserts that this makes it “the single biggest AGC supporter of responsible gambling on the British high street”.

Amanda Kiernan, Praesepe’s head of compliance, who also serves as vice chair of Bacta’s social responsibility committee, explained: “We were very impressed by the exit research conducted as part of Responsible Gambling Week in particular the player’s level of engagement with and recall of the messaging.

“As such we have taken the decision to include all of our digital gaming machines, an initiative that will significantly increase visibility and as a result will connect with more players.”

Adding: “This is just part of our social responsibility commitment to customers of both Cashino and Beacon Bingo. While the primary audience is obviously players, the social responsibility messages, which are visible when games are in their attract mode, also acts as a prompt for our customer facing staff, serving as a constant reminder of the SR commitments we expect them to uphold and which are an important part of their training and development. 

“As the research undertaken by the Bingo Association has demonstrated, messaging that is pitched in the right way and expressed appropriately can make a significant difference to the way some at risk players approach and view their gambling.”

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Departing after a little over five years, a time-frame which the company stresses was “pivotal,” Barff said of his departure from the Gauselmann Group owned company “I have had a great time working with the board of the Gauselmann Group, without whose support the success we achieved would have been impossible.

“I would like to thank everyone at Gauselmann for all the assistance and support they have given me, and I wish them every future success.”

This was added to by Sascha Blodau, UK General Manager for the Gauselmann Group, who added: “It is with regret that we announce Simon’s departure after a successful and transformative five and a half years with the company.

“Under his guidance the manufacturing division has seen continued growth across all areas of the UK business, and has cemented the Gauselmann product line as the leading brand in the UK market. We would like to thank Simon for his efforts during his time with Blueprint and wish him our very best.

“The next chapter for Blueprint Operations is now in the hands of David and we couldn’t be more excited.”

Purvis comes into the role after holding a variety of positions in many international gambling markets, the most recent of which has been conducted alongside Gauselmann on several management consultation projects.

Of the new appointment, Purvis commented: “The opportunity to carry on the great work at Blueprint Operations is an exciting challenge, and it is something that I’m really looking forward to.

“The foundations of the company are firmly set, so we’ll be looking to build on the recent successes, and solidify our market position with some fantastic new game releases and further product developments over the coming year.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Blueprint team for welcoming me to the company, and continuing to work seamlessly during this management restructure.”

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Blueprint titles including Fishin’ Frenzy, King Kong Cash and Wish Upon A Jackpot have all been integrated onto the SBTech platform, along with the highly popular Megaways titles, offered under licence from Big Time Gaming.

Siôr Walbyoff, head of business development at Blueprint Gaming, said: “Partnering with SBTech gives us reach into new territories and customers across Europe, further solidifying our position as a premier content supplier across the igaming industry.

“We’re excited about launching our latest content across the SBTech customer network.”

Andrew Cochrane, chief development officer of SBTech, said: “We’re delighted to add yet more leading casino content to our platform with our partnership with Blueprint Gaming and look forward to launching its core product content across our network of platform partners.

“The addition of branded games, such as Ted and Thundercats, along with its top performing Megaways titles, will complement our existing product offering and drive further casino revenue growth for our partners.”

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You’ve just released your latest game, Mars Attacks!. Could you tell us a bit more about how you have translated such a cult movie into a slot?

JP: “We’ve worked in partnership with Warner Bros Consumer Products to transform this sci-fi classic film into a highly-engaging slot for the first time. We’ve taken every step possible to bring the film’s characters and storyline to life, paying close attention to every detail to ensure the gameplay meets expectations of its loyal fanbase.

“It features five out-of-this-world progressive bonus rounds that build up to the final stand, while the game also contains an Alien Invasion Gamble enabling players to upgrade the feature, and Martian Modifiers that offer 3,125 pay ways.”

Mars Attacks is Blueprint Gaming’s latest licensed slot release – what make these games so appealing to operators and their players?

“Licensed slots are an effective way to grab the attention of players. The brands that we
incorporate into our games have a huge following and are a perfect group for us to tap into and potentially acquire.

“Take The Goonies, for instance, which we launched last year. The slot game, inspired by the classic 1980s film, enjoyed immediate success and was the number-one game with 85 per cent of UK operators in the first three weeks after going live.

“Branded games are also great in keeping users engaged for the long term. Other licensed slots within our portfolio, including Top Cat and TED, to this day perform strongly despite being over a year old.

“Players are loyal to a brand that they love, and this keeps them coming back for more. Both these titles will see fresh light in 2019 as we release sequels featuring the brands.”

With a marketplace rich with games based on classic films and TV shows, what separates this latest release from the rest?

“When creating licensed slots, we make sure that the gameplay has the same look and feel as any other Blueprint release, including the use of a number of innovative modifiers and bonus rounds to create an immersive gaming experience.

“With Mars Attacks, we’ve brought the game to life in a way that enables players to quickly identify it is a Blueprint release, while ensuring that the branding remains on point to capture the imagination and resonate with fans of the film.”

“When producing these kinds of [licensed] games – you have to build them from scratch“

What factors must developers be wary of when producing licensed slots games?

“When producing these kinds of games, it simply cannot be a case of planting an image of a famous Hollywood film onto an existing game and re-skinning it – you have to build them from scratch.

“That way, from the early stages of design and right through to the final stage of development, you have every opportunity to make sure the game remains on-brand.

“Players will want to relive some of the joy and excitement they felt when they first saw these films. It’s important that the development teams delve under the hood and understand what the brand truly means in order to maximise the potential of the licence.”

What does the future hold for licensed slots?

“Licensed slots will continue to form a key part of our development strategy going forward and we have a number of new releases in the pipeline. Similar to our recent releases, we’re finding real value in bringing classic movie titles back into the spotlight.

“We’ve got some really exciting releases to showcase in the coming months which are inspired by popular films. Although we can’t give too much away at the moment, we’ll be revealing a sizzling new addition to our portfolio at ICE which is sure to be a banger and will get the 2019 party started.”

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The two have struck a deal that sees the Blueprint portfolio integrated onto Iforium’s casino aggregation and bonusing platform, Gameflex.

Blueprint titles including Diamond Mine Megaways, Inspector Gadget, TED and Wish Upon a Jackpot are now available to Iforium’s network of operator partners.

In addition, the developer’s Jackpot King progressive system will be made available to players on existing titles such as Super Diamond Deluxe and Winstar.

Matt Cole, managing director of Blueprint Gaming, part of the Gauselmann Group, said: “Partnering with Iforium is an important step in our efforts to build the Blueprint Gaming brand across Europe and make our content more accessible.

“We’re delighted to see our games go live on the Gameflex platform and look forward to delivering even more exciting content to our latest partner over the coming months.”

Iforium CEO Phil Parry said: “I am thrilled to confirm the integration and launch of Blueprint on our Gameflex platform. Blueprint are undoubtedly one of the leading providers of premium slot content in the industry and they are a very welcome addition to our portfolio.

“I’m confident Blueprint will quickly provide many of the top performing titles we offer to our operators and their players.”

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RELEASE DATE

Out now.

THE PITCH

“Blueprint Gaming, in partnership with Warner Bros Consumer Products, has unveiled its latest blockbuster video slot, Mars Attacks!, inspired by the 1996 classic sci-fi film.”

GAME DETAIL

As well as engaging reel spins, the 5×3 Mars Attacks! features five out-of-this-world progressive bonus rounds that build up to the final stand, while the game also contains an Alien Invasion Gamble enabling players to upgrade the feature and Martian Modifiers, which offer 3,125 pay ways.

Mars Attacks! is the latest Blueprint game to contain the Jackpot King Deluxe progressive jackpot system. The advancement of the popular Jackpot King multi-game system features two “must-be-won-by” pots that guarantee a fixed-value payout.

THEY SAY

“We come in peace! Mars Attacks! is an iconic sci-fi film and we are really excited to offer it to all of our partners and their players. It’s one of our most engaging titles yet, with a multitude of bonus features and the possibility of defending the world against the alien invasion in a bonus mode. Fans of the film will be able to battle through progressive bonus rounds, with a giant finale fitting of the comedy classic,” – Jo Purvis, Blueprint Gaming

ANYTHING ELSE?

The slot is the fourth title released in partnership with Warner Bros Consumer Products, following Top Cat, Thundercats and most recently The Goonies, which has been Blueprint’s most successful game launch ever.

DO YOU HAVE A TRAILER OR SOMETHING?

Dude, it’s at the top.

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“The gaming and amusement industry in Europe is a highly regulated and highly taxed industry sector that contributes many jobs across Europe. With Merkur Gaming, Euromat is
gaining a strong partner with many years of industry experience that will give the interests of the gaming industry additional weight at EU level,” said Athanasios ‘Sakis’ Isaakidis, of Merkur Gaming.

Euromat president Jason Frost added: “We are delighted to welcome such a major industry player to Euromat.

“Merkur Gaming’s membership will strengthen the number of our corporate members.”

Based in Brussels, Euromat was established in 1979 to represent the interests of the
gaming industry in Europe. It now includes in its membership 18 national member associations from 12 European nations, as well as four corporate members.

Euromat seeks to inform its members about policy decisions and forthcoming legislation that might affect the legal, commercial and technical framework conditions of companies in the sector.

Merkur Gaming is responsible for the development and sales of gaming and casino slot machines, as well as video lottery terminals and server-based gaming systems for Gauselmann’s international markets.

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