Speaking to CasinoBeats, the CCO began by reflecting on some of the company’s major milestones from this year, including acquisitions and new titles before giving us a sneak peak into plans for future expansion.

He began: “Without a doubt, the release of Treasures of Tizoc has been one of our standout moments from this year. This has been a phenomenal game. The response from the industry has been better than expected, and we’re really proud of what we’ve achieved with this title. 

“The slot is based on an Aztec pyramid deep in the jungle, with the aim being to win pots of Aztec gold. It’s one of those games where you can win up to 15,000 times your stake! The game itself has a number of fantastic features, including respins, shifting reels, wilds, and bonuses.”

Among the company’s highlights for the first eight months of 2022 was the launch of its Scandinavian-themed Valholl Wild Hammers, a reboot of Lady Luck Games’ top-performing Valholl: The Hall of Slain. 

“During the game, players can land great riches of up to 17,000x their stake, should they trigger one of three lucrative features – Wild Lightning, Loki’s Mischiefs and Wild Hammer Free Spins,” Borg-Barthet told CasinoBeats. 

“These features can all randomly occur when two magical hammers appear above the reels at the start of every game round. 

“Players can choose to gamble their winnings by playing a card game that tasks them with correctly guessing the colour or suit of a playing card. We’ve also implemented the buy bonus features that can provide a bypass to the bonus rounds.”

Earlier in the year, Lady Luck Games was also able to expand its portfolio of titles after securing an exclusive co-development agreement with King Features.

Borg-Barthet said: “In a few weeks’ time, our first slot of this collaboration will be released. Beetle Bailey has made his way from Mort Walker’s legendary comic book pages and onto our reels where he is joined by a host of famous faces including Platoon Sergeant Orville P. Snorkel, Brigadier General Amos T. Halftrack, Miss Buxley, and Cookie. We’re super excited about this game! 

“Speaking to people from across the industry, there are people from countries that I didn’t expect who know Beetle Bailey – I didn’t expect this character to have so much traction across the Scandinavian market for example. I always thought this was a syndicated, English comic book. So it’ll be great to see how this title performs.”

While we can expect a myriad of titles to join the Lady Luck Games roster in 2022, Borg-Barthet explained that the next few months will also be filled with organic growth and more acquisitions. 

Having acquired ReelNRG back in May, any future deals are still under wraps – but the CCO is confident that Lady Luck Games will have plenty more milestones this year. 

“We’re still growing, organically and through more acquisitions, and we’re constantly looking for the right company with the right fit for our strategy. I can only say now that we have our sights on some brands that have really impressed me in the past, and I truly hope that they end up being part of the family.”

Watch the full interview HERE

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CasinoBeats Could you introduce yourself and Lady Luck Games to our readers?

Julian Borg-Barthet: Founded in 2019 by Mads Jørgensen and Rasmus Guldberg-Kjær, Lady Luck Games launched with the perfect mix of creative forces, high-end technology and solid business knowledge. The studio stands out in the market thanks to our passion for detail and flair for entertainment that puts an emphasis on visuals, sound, mechanics and exciting bonus features. 

Our technology is developed entirely in-house, delivering user-friendly, creative, and seamless games for the industry. To-date, our portfolio consists of 71 slot games and 12 casual casino games that we believe offer a fun and superior gaming experience.

In terms of my own working background, I have amassed a decade of experience in compliance testing and auditing in the gaming and lottery space. During this time, I was responsible for building the NMi Gaming brand into a market leader that covered 40 highly regulated jurisdictions.

Following my time at NMi (later GLI) I joined RISQ capital where I established the igaming insurance platform iGIP, the most versatile risk platform for prize backing with over 14 partners in gamification and jackpot platforms.

CB: What is the development process of a slot at Lady Luck Games, from idea to release?

JBB: We’re aware that the competition out there is incredibly high. Therefore, we try our utmost to deliver exciting and unique products. Our games take a village to create, as the saying goes … we always begin the process with a brainstorming session that includes the entire team. 

These internal workshops allow us to not only perfect the theming and narrative of our games, but also allow us to be even more creative, thinking outside the box to deliver a top-class product. It’s during these sessions that our best work is done. 

Once we’ve designed a polished game with extraordinary features and mechanics in place and we’re 100 per cent satisfied with the visuals we ensure that it has the right mathematical model, which is key to the game’s future success. 

As a young studio we don’t always follow industry trends. We build games that allow players to experience special features in a single session, but we also ensure there will still be something left for them to work towards next time they play. This is our take on developing a new game.

CB: Apart from slots, do you produce other types of games?

JBB: We have 83 titles in total, 12 of which are casual casino games. These were added to our portfolio after acquiring Spigo in September of last year. These casual casino games are defined by having both elements of skill and chance, with multiplayer functionality, customisable design, tournament features and a long engagement time.

Our most popular titles are Battleship, Yatzy, Hearts, Black Gammon, Solitaire 7, and Diamonds. We adopted these types of games into our portfolio because they stand out in their own category, offering something completely different to a player profile which we may have never had a chance to entertain with a slot game.

CB: Can you tell us more about The Treasures of Tizoc slot and what players can expect from this release?

JBB: Players can expect a lot of fun! The Treasures of Tizoc is a six-reel, 15,625 ways to win slot that takes players back in time to a world of mystic Aztec pyramids and secret treasures. 

The Treasures of Tizoc is packed with marvellous features, such as a various combination of wilds, gargoyles, re-spins, shifting reels and coin collections. The real treat here is the bonus round, which sees players able to grab cash prizes and should the charmed dice be on their side. 

Additionally, this is our very first game to include a bonus buy feature, meaning players will have the opportunity to buy their way into the bonus round should they wish! The max win in this incredible slot is up to 15,500x the player’s stake. As always, we did our best to deliver both high entertaining values, stunning graphics, and great music.

CB: And what about the Valholl: Wild Hammers slot? What was your inspiration and development process for this game?

JBB: After the great success of our first Nordic-inspired slot, Valholl: Hall of the Slain, we made the decision to revisit this and produce an even more exciting game, Valholl: Wild Hammers. 

This new, upgraded version of Valholl has six reels and 20-paylines, stunning graphics, great music, and a whole host of gripping features. Two hammers take the leading role, each able to trigger one of three features. 

Wild Lightning sees the entire reel turn into wild symbols, Loki’s Mischiefs sees the two symbols converted into the highest paying of the two. The Wild Hammers Free Spins sees players rewarded with 10 free spins, during which hammers will shoot lighting onto the reels converting symbols into sticky wilds.

Again, this slot boasts a buy feature which means players can choose to trigger Loki`s Mischiefs or Wild Hammers Free Spins whenever they wish. Max win in this game is 17,000x the player’s stake.

CB: Another game that caught our attention is the Madame Clues slot, which features a fortune-telling ball. Can you tell us more about this slot? 

JBB: Madame Clues is a truly unique slot we released at the start of 2022 that’s since received industry-wide recognition for how innovative it is. Only recently it was nominated in two categories for a CasinoBeats award.

This exciting slot is set in the arcade of an abandoned amusement park where players are invited to step up to the crystal ball of Madame Clues, a mysterious fortune teller who can predict the future. 

The mechanics of this game are straightforward, as there are only single symbol wins. That means that every time a paid symbol appears on the reel (Madame Clues’ crystal ball), players are rewarded with an instant cash prize. 

The game is packed with incredible features, such as the Look Deeper Bonus, which can see up to 64 symbols on screen at once thanks to the symbol splitter mechanic. Another exciting bonus is the Free Spins Round, triggered by revealing an Owl symbol. The maximum win in Madame Clues is 23,040x the player’s stake.

CB: What Lady Luck Games release are you most proud of?

JBB: It’s very difficult to choose just one game that really stands out from the crowd. Some of our top performing games include The Treasures of Tizoc, Valholl, Weight of the Guns and Mr Alchemister. We’ve also developed several titles that cater for a modern audience, offering something different. These include Madame Clues and Rooftop Fight, which really does showcase just how diverse our games portfolio is. 

CB: What releases can we expect from Lady Luck Games in the upcoming months? Can you give us some insider info?

JBB: Last December we signed a three-year co-development and distribution agreement with King Features Syndicate. This collaboration is extremely beneficial for Lady Luck Games and will help us gain even more recognition within the industry. The deal sees us work on new games based on iconic cartoon characters such as iconic strongman Popeye.

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In a discussion with CasinoBeats, Borg-Barthet started by reflecting on Lady Luck Games’ recent partnership with King Features which will see the two companies pair up to co-develop and distribute a range of new games which feature some of the world’s most popular comic and cartoon characters. 

He began: “What an excellent opportunity it is to partner with King Features. We signed in December last year, where we agreed a three-year co-development and distribution agreement. Such collaboration is hugely beneficial for a company like ours. 

“Our development and design teams are starting to work with King Features on three new games – PopEye, Beetle Bailey and Flash Gordon. These are some of the world’s most popular comic and cartoon characters! 

“We’re making sure that these games meet everyone’s expectations. They must be highly entertaining and deliver on exciting new bonuses and unique gameplay. We really can’t wait for these games to be released and we strongly believe that they’re going to be highly successful.”

Since joining Lady Luck Games at the turn of the year, Borg-Barthet explained that the company has already released two highly successful games – both of which have received great reviews from the industry. 

As of yesterday, Cherry Supreme and Madame Clues were also shortlisted in the CasinoBeats Game Developer Awards for best game innovation, game retro-style and game narrative.

To continue this success, the Chief Commercial Officer gave us a sneak peak into some of the titles that Lady Luck Games has in the pipeline for 2022. 

Along with new games, the game developer will focus on enhancing the overall gameplay experience with the addition of new features. This, he said, will help reaffirm the fact that modern slots can entertain players in the long term. 

Borg-Barthet added: “Since I arrived at Lady Luck Games, we have already released Madame Clues, which was a highly successful game in the market.  We also released Cherry Supreme which is a classic neon slot game. We have had great feedback from the industry on these two games, so then we ask ourselves how do we improve on that? 

“We have recently come up with an Aztec-themed slot called Treasures of Tizoc which we have been building up some market exposure around and seeing what our partners think of that particular game. 

“Like all of our games, it has fantastic graphics and sound effects. It’s also packed with outstanding features to bring entertainment value to the next level. For the first time, this game hasn’t only just got our existing feature sets, such as bonus games, respins, wilds, special symbols, sticky wins, shifting reels. 

“We have managed to implement a buy feature for the first time. Internally, this is something we’ve been gunning for. We know that VIP players love this the most, and so we wanted to make sure this feature was in one of our top new games.

“At Lady Luck Games, we’re here to prove that modern slots can entertain players in the long term and we’re hoping for the best on this new slot.”

Watch the full interview HERE

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By passing GLI regulatory testing, Pretty Technical, which powers DDV, believes that Domino is now “Dutch ready” for operators looking for a software as a service solution.

“We’re very excited to be the first to market with a fully GLI (gaminglabs.com) tested CDB for the Dutch market,” noted Julian Borg-Barthet, director of business development for Pretty Technical.

“We have been very fortunate to get some great feedback from our clients regarding our technology and especially the way we’ve supported every one of them with their application process in regard to the KSA’s CDB forms and supporting evidence.”

Before any applications are made to enter the regulated market, the Dutch regulation licensing process requires certified platforms and a compliant CDB.

Pretty Technical will expand the availability of Domino even further as it will soon be available for both the Dutch and German markets, with Denmark, Spain, and Portugal to follow.

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As a result of the partnership Mutuel Play is striving to achieve flexibility to construct jackpot offerings, that will give them the edge in a competitive sector.

Julian Borg-Barthet, director of business development of RISQ, commented on the partnership: “Mutuel Play came to RISQ to support their ambitions, and it’s incredible to see where they’re going with the Bingo Millions brand.

“Adding life-changing jackpots to bingo needs to be done in a way that takes a step back from the traditional approach, and combining this with a lottery approach opens the possibilities to have a niche offering in this sector. In addition, their dedication to setting aside a portion of their profits to charity is great to see in any industry”.

Among the products that RISQ is to back it Mutuel’s Bingo Millions, which utilises a multiplayer fixed odds format that gives players the chances to win prizes up to £25m, with its lottery combination striving to increase acquisition and retention.

Rhys Owen, CEO of Mutuel Play, explained: “We’ve been working hard on the Bingo Millions game for quite some time, and really feel it offers operators and players something different with lots of different marketing angles.

“It will be our flagship product for 2019 and my hope is to not just distribute the game digitally in the UK, but hopefully in the coming years, in retail outlets like bingo clubs throughout the UK and beyond.

“We have an exciting pipeline of additional variants launching around the Bingo Millions brand later this year to cater for different types of players, which all link to the same jackpot framework.

“Additionally, we’re looking to give 10 per cent of game profits to charity, giving our operators a new marketing approach with lottery players, and we were really keen to be involved in a game that gives something back.

“Partnering with RISQ was an easy decision for us to make. The flexibility that their platform offers gives us a chance to scale and tailor jackpots in an endless amount of ways.

“We are delighted to announce this deal, and are confident that RISQ will help us continue to deliver innovative and interesting content in the bingo, keno, lottery and soft casino sector.”

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Selecting to enter into partnership with the risk-management and insurance specialist, RISQ is to act as insurance supplier for betting on Helio’s range of lottery solutions and Hero Games suite of products.

Julian Borg-Barthet, RISQ’s director of business development, said of the deal. “We are very pleased that Helio Gaming has decided to use the RISQ iGaming insurance platform iGiP, to back the hero products and their betting on lottery suite.

“We are looking forward to a mutually beneficial and prosperous partnership. The new deal reflects a shift in the industry towards proprietary lottery games, and giving more players access to international lotteries”.

Via utilising the RISQ’s iGiP, Helio is to be able to offer high-value jackpots up to €150m as part of their Hero Games, custom branded lottery games and betting on international lottery games.

Richard Mifsud, CEO of Helio Gaming, commented: “Working with RISQ will give Helio Gaming the flexibility to deliver even more attractive lottery solutions to our clients. Partnering with RISQ will set new standards in delivering high frequency and high-value jackpots in the gaming industry”.

This follows the company setting its sights on a period of sustained Asian expansion, with Helio stressing an intention of building on the “popularity and prevalence of sportsbook and casino” across the region.

Mifsud added last month when revealing the fresh focus: “The popularity and prevalence of sportsbook and casino in Asia is undisputed, but the adoption of next generation lottery has yet to be exploited, particularly outside of the big state lotteries.

“Lottery used to be the domain of lottery operators only, but it is so much easier just to add the vertical to existing operations, where you can introduce new players to your site and cross-sell really appealing opportunities to win large jackpots to existing customers.

“The live lottery element will also be very appealing and fit easily given the preference for the live dealer format in casino. I really think lottery could be the next big thing in Asia.”

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Under the terms of the agreement, operators are enabled to “create, customise and control bespoke jackpots,” tailored to business needs and that cater for all player segments and preference, with prize pots insured for up to £25m.

Amir Askarov, co-founder and CEO of BlueRibbon, explained: “This is a breakthrough partnership for BlueRibbon, which will allow us to offer an holistic jackpot marketing solution for our partners, and now also with insured jackpot.

“We believe it is another important brick in our platform, which will assist our partners to take their player engagement to the next level, and deliver a truly thrilling and compelling experience across all game verticals, while also providing peace of mind and security to online gambling operators and brands.”

RISQ’s igaming insurance platform (iGiP) has been integrated with BlueRibbon’s marketing platform, “combining both supplier’s market-leading products and services so that they can be offered to operators via a single, seamless integration”.

BlueRibbon details that it aims to take player “engagement and satisfaction to the next level,” via its platform which is agnostic to any game or vertical, meaning every bet or action on any product gives players a real chance of winning a jackpot prize.

Furthermore, operators can leverage unique data insights to build an engaging and  rewarding experience for all types of player, allowing them to truly differentiate from their rivals for the very first time.

Julian Borg-Barthet, director of business development at RISQ, commented: “The opportunity to integrate the iGiP with the BlueRibbon marketing platform gives BlueRibbon’s customers the ability to offer unprecedented jackpots of up to £25m.

“In turn, RISQ customers have easy access to a professional platform to deliver their insurance backed concepts, significantly shortening go-live timescales and dates, as well as working off a professional platform to scale up other concepts on the fly.”

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