The European social mobile poker operator, whose casino titles have amassed more than 150 million unique players, says that the introduction is viewed as “a necessary, and most likely, profitable move”.

This launch means that players located across the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, the UK and Australia can access the merchandise store online or from the KamaGames app. 

Andrey Kuznetsov, KamaGames CEO, commented: “The launch of a merchandise store is a significant milestone and we’re thrilled to offer these quality products to customers who have long awaited them. Like our social casino products. 

“KamaGames has worked hard to ensure our initial core offering is strong. Following that, we aim to build on this foundation by offering further customisation in our product range. 

“Gamers highly value personalisation and as we’ve worked hard to increase that element within our games, it follows that our players would also appreciate it in our branded merchandise.” 

Currently, there are more than 250 unique products and over 2,500 SKUs (stock-keeping units) available on the main web store. There are also a smaller number of items available on mobile for a limited time. 

Core items available include t-shirts, hats and drinkware – each emblazoned with artwork connected to KamaGames’ titles. Furthermore, it will also host customised products and promotions for international celebrations such as St Patrick’s Day, Pokerist’s birthday, global sporting events and more.

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One such example comes the way of social mobile operator KamaGames, whose numerous UFC partnerships, as well as a recent alliance with All Elite Wrestling, are said to have been “highly successful”.

However, Ross Krasner, CEO of San Francisco-based mobile real money tournaments platform Ryu Games, suggests that the social casino market could be in jeopardy.

This, he says, is “due to recent lawsuits with social casino leaders like Big Fish Games”, with it questioned whether such incumbents should consider pivoting to the real money gaming market instead.

This comes a short time after a US District Federal Court approved a settlement agreement between Aristocrat Leisure and plaintiffs that will see the company pay $31m to settle two lawsuits related to its online social gaming platforms.

It was last year revealed that Churchill Downs Incorporated and Aristocrat Leisure had a $155m agreement in principle to settle lawsuits related to the former’s divested Big Fish Games.

“The thrill of a cash tournament is powerful”

CDI completed the $990m sale of the Seattle-based developer of social games for desktop and mobile devices to Aristocrat in January 2018, with both parties subsequently unveiling agreements to settle the Kater v Churchill Downs, Inc., and Thimmegowda v Big Fish Games, Inc. lawsuits.

Under the terms of the settlement, a total of $155m would be paid into a settlement fund. CDI would contribute $124m of the settlement from its available cash with Aristocrat to pay $31m.

Krasner talks to CasinoBeats to touch upon the current state of the social casino gaming market, as well as how it contrasts with that of its real-money counterpart: “We’ve seen some upheaval in social casino gaming recently. We’re not experts on the topic, but it’s clear that real money gaming is currently the most popular casino genre.

“Real money gaming is taking a dominant space in the casino category. Just take a look at the App Store’s casino charts — four of the five top games are real money gaming. The concept of RMG is immediately appealing. 

“Unlike social casino games, users can win real money by competing in games of skill. The thrill of a cash tournament is powerful, and it’s clear that users respond to that.”

During recent months, and significantly driven by unavoidable external influences, we’ve seen something of a race from retail to online, Krasner continued by looking at if a similar transition for social incumbents would be a logical step to make.

“we’ll begin to see significant partnerships between social casino gaming and real money gaming”

“Social casino has a permanent place in the casino gaming category. Not all users want to participate in a real-money tournament. That said, real money gaming is an excellent opportunity for social incumbents to expand their audience and increase revenue,” he says. 

“Since the RMG space requires a significant capital investment to enter (not to mention legal expertise), we will likely see social casino incumbents partner with existing RMG platforms to minimize risk for new games. 

“With pre existing audiences and art assets, social casino companies have a clear value-add for RMG companies that make partnerships a no-brainer.”

Moving on, Krasner assesses the major pros and cons of each vertical: “Each vertical appeals to an entirely different audience. Social casino generates revenue based on in-app purchases of valueless currency. For example, in a social slots game, you can purchase tokens for slot machines with no real-world value.

“Real money gaming, on the other hand, is directly tied to real-world value. Users deposit money and compete against other users for real money. 

“Some users have no interest in competing for real money. Those users are well suited for social casino games. Those users who enjoy cash tournament competitions are suited for real money gaming.”

To conclude, a tentative glance ahead is given to examine what is in store for social casino gaming: “We’ll begin to see significant partnerships between social casino gaming and real money gaming. 

“These partnerships will contribute to the RMG industry’s health and ultimately make cash-tournament games even more commonplace than they currently are.”

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The comments come after the social gaming operator celebrated ten years in the business by recording its sixth year of consecutive growth, a development which was complemented by exceeding 150 million unique players amid record revenue and profit numbers.

Coming alongside the landmark operational figure, KamaGames revealed that 2020 revenue increased by 38.4 per cent, outstripping that of the social casino and mobile gaming markets, which the company says stands at 24.4 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively.

After documenting its 2020 performance Andrey Kuznetsov, KamaGames’ CEO, spoke to CasinoBeats to disclose his delight at the update: “I’ve no doubt that our continuing success is the result of the hard work performed by the whole of the KamaGames team,” he begins.

“We know the direction in which we want to progress and it’s why we’re extremely fortunate that our team has the same perspective. The key to our success is our staff and employees. They constantly strive to learn new skills and obtain invaluable experience. 

“We also can’t overlook the input of the new talented professionals that join our teams each year as we grow. The success of the company is a direct result of the insights and expertise of every single person working on our various projects. 

“The complexity of the products in this market will grow along with the market entrance rate”

“I’m fully confident that we continue to reach our goals, and at times even exceed them, thanks to the personal success of each individual team member.”

With a team very much pointing in the same direction, Kuznetsov moves on to touch upon what the future holds for social gaming, as well as what we can expect from the next stage of evolution.

“In my view, the social casino industry will partially take the same direction as all other games: extension of meta, engagement, monetisation, sociality, as well as collaborative play,” he continues. 

“Considering how long most of our games have been around, this is unlikely to change the core gameplay in poker, blackjack and roulette. What is possible, however, is the development of several short-term goals. 

“The complexity of the products in this market will grow along with the market entrance rate. For now, it would be an extremely difficult task to catch up with top market leaders in terms of functionality, quality and audience numbers.”

During the past twelve months the company asserts that the cultivation of partnerships, such as 2020’s Hard Rock International link-up, as well as advertising campaigns with UFC athletes such as Tony Ferguson, Colby Covington andPetr Yan, were another “key component” to its success.

This has been added to this year via a collaboration alongside All Elite Wrestling that has brought the launch of the AEW Casino: Double or Nothing mobile app, which hosts ten different casino games genres, including titles in the ecosystems of slots, poker, 3D blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat and others.

“We are considering bringing a product to the market with a connection to our sports collaborations”

Continuing to progress through the year and beyond, how will the firm continue to build on this success? And can we expect KamaGames’ burgeoning collaboration with the sporting world to continue?

“At present, I can’t reveal the full breadth of our plans in terms of future collaborations. One thing I will say is that, as we’ve grown, so have our ambitions in this area. 2020 witnessed KamaGames collaborate with several top UFC athletes which were met with great excitement by our players,” Kuznetsov concluded.

“Recently, we also launched a partnership with All Elite Wrestling which, given its early success, I’m confident will contribute to further growth for KamaGames in 2021. In fact, we’re already planning an update to the AEW: Double or Nothing app to include a wealth of new features and branded elements.

“In 2020, we also released the Hard Rock Blackjack app in partnership with the iconic Hard Rock International. This project greatly contributed to KamaGames success in 2020 and we fully intend to continue collaboration into 2021 and beyond. 

“We’re always looking for new ways to stimulate and entertain our players and as such, fans of the Hard Rock Blackjack app can expect to find a new game in the app very soon. 

“For the remainder of 2021, we are planning to grow and advance existing products while creating new ones to entertain our diverse audience. We are considering bringing a product to the market with a connection to our sports collaborations as they have proved highly successful.”

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Coming alongside the landmark operational figure, the company reveals that 2020 revenue increased by 38.4 per cent, outstripping that of the social casino and mobile gaming markets, which the company says stands at 24.4 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively.

KamaGames attributes its push to the rollout of new content and update of games hosted within its apps, including the launch of new poker and blackjack tournaments, a renewed focus on advertising monetisation, an emphasis on CRM and gaming activities, and the introduction of in-game events, rating and promotions alongside a raft of newly debuted content.

This is also complemented by the recent unique users landmark that was revealed by the firm, after KamaGames soared to 150 million unique players amid record revenue and profit numbers.

Andrey Kuznetsov, KamaGames CEO, said at the time: “We’re both humbled and proud to say we’ve hit the 150 million unique user mark. This achievement is the culmination of an immense amount of work between several of KamaGames’ teams.”

The Dublin headquartered firm’s flagship Pokerist title is lauded as “the third largest social poker player in the world and the leader in no less than 12 countries,” is also praised as achieving sustained growth in Spain during the reporting period.

KamaGames’ second-largest product, Blackjackist, grew by more than 40 per cent in revenue, more than half of which came from the US. Roulettist showed 70 per cent revenue growth.

Moreover, the company asserts that the cultivation of partnerships, such as 2020’s Hard Rock International link-up, as well as advertising campaigns with UFC athletes such as Tony Ferguson, Colby Covington and UFC champion Petr Yan, were another “key component” to its success across the year.

Looking to the year, KamaGames says that it is confident that, following a record year of growth for the company in many respects, 2020 will bring further opportunities to reach fresh milestones and grow its audience base even further.

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The most recent of these initially came to light in November 2020 as All Elite Wrestling outlined its gaming intentions via the introduction of AEW Games, which vowed to deliver  three new gaming options to fans, including two mobile titles and one console game.

Fast forward a little under five months and KamaGames was documenting the launch of the AEW Casino: Double or Nothing mobile app, which hosts ten different casino games genres, including titles in the ecosystems of slots, poker, 3D blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat and others.

In the aftermath of the news, Andrey Kuznetsov, KamaGames CEO, spoke to CasinoBeats, to firstly touch base upon why this launch was pinpointed as a necessary one by the promotion: “When you consider the potential reach, I’m confident that global sporting brands would significantly benefit from having a presence in the mobile games market. 

“Given KamaGames’ wealth of experience in this area, we were not only able to successfully bring a product to fruition with minimal risk but also tailor this product to meet and then exceed our partner’s expectations. 

“At KamaGames, we seek out partnerships that are mutually beneficial to all involved”

“We are honoured to be the first game in the AEW portfolio and moving forward, we will continue to innovate in all areas of this project. 

“In fact, keeping in line with KamaGames usual practice of regular renewal within our apps, players can expect a new update to AEW: Double or Nothing as soon as next month.”

Alongside the launch, which is also said to offer fans a variety of in-game events and promotions, KamaGames says that it is already planning several updates to this collection due to be carried out over the course of the coming year; vowing a regular rollout of new features and mechanics. 

Furthermore, throughout the app, which will be featured on several TV shows in more than 100 countries, along with Twitch, Youtube, and the new All Elite Poker TV series, players will also find appearances from the promotion’s athletes.

Kuznetsov continues by taking a look at how and where he envisages this collaboration being particularly effective for the company: “At KamaGames, we seek out partnerships that are mutually beneficial to all involved while proving relevant and interesting to audiences,” he says. 

“On our end, a partnership with AEW allows KamaGames to enter new markets with a brand that audiences already know and have a connection with. Our partners, on the other hand, get an effective monetisation strategy suitable for their audience. 

“In recent years, KamaGames has capitalised on some very carefully chosen partnerships and given their success, we can’t rule out teaming up with other dynamic and modern brands from across the world in the future.”

As previously mentioned, this becomes the latest in a string of sports-based collaborations for KamaGames, with a close alignment with the Ultimate Fighting Championship adopted through partnerships with Tony Ferguson and Petr Yan.

“KamaGames is always keeping an eye out for dynamic brands that will give us insights into new markets”

Touching upon why the firm has adopted such a stance, Kuznetsov elaborates: “From our years of experience, there’s a notable crossover between an audience such as AEW’s and that of a social casino audience. 

“This is given to the long-standing global popularity of the sport as so many have been fans of wrestling since childhood. Various games have been built upon the structure of this sport and given our ability to recognise and deliver on the needs of this crossover audience, we decided to reach out and partner with AEW in this area.”

To conclude, Kuznetsov takes a tentative glance forwards, and touches upon what the rest of the year has in store for KamaGames, and if we expect more in the way of sporting partnerships.

“Currently, our most pressing project is the wealth of product development we have to cover with our AEW partnership,” it is added. “As I said, players can expect the next update as soon as next month and the new games, features and mechanics won’t stop there. 

“Our priority here is to show the fans of this brand the high standard we hold our games to. Following that, our next challenge is always to exceed those standards. 

“KamaGames is always keeping an eye out for dynamic brands that will give us insights into new markets – both in and outside of the sporting world. That said, it’s too soon to discuss any potential upcoming partnerships that may come to light in 2021.”

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This forms part of a wider AEW Games introduction, which comes less than two years after the US professional wrestling promotion debuted, that is tasked with the delivery of three new gaming options to fans, including two mobile titles and one console game.

The app will house ten different casino games including some of KamaGames most popular titles such as slots, poker, 3D blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat and others.

Alongside this, AEW Casino: Double or Nothing will also offer fans to a variety of in-game events and promotions, along with S’n’G, MTT, boost and weekly poker tournaments.

Furthermore, KamaGames also says that it is already planning several updates to this collection due to be carried out over the course of the coming year; vowing a regular rollout of new features and mechanics.

Andrey Kuznetsov, KamaGames CEO, commented on the launch: “This app launch is the latest example of a strategic partnership which sees KamaGames link up and share our expertise with a global brand. 

“There is a recognised crossover between casino gamers and sports enthusiasts and we’re confident that, thanks to this launch, we’ve effectively targeted this market. 

“It was a pleasure to work with a team of AEW’s passion and drive and I’m confident that together we’ve created a product that will not only engage their current audience but assist in growing it further.” 

Throughout the app, which will be featured on several TV shows in more than 100 countries, along with Twitch, Youtube, and the new All Elite Poker TV series, players will also find appearances from the promotion’s athletes.

“Working closely with KamaGames, it’s easy to see why they are the market leader in social casino with 150 million players,” added Kenny Omega, EVP of AEW. 

“In launching AEW Games, our mission is to deliver a vastly superior gaming experience for wrestling fans, starting with two mobile games and a revolutionary console game. 

“We think that AEW Casino: Double or Nothing is poised to become the best wrestling-themed mobile casino offering in the world.”

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Under the terms of the agreement, the Russian UFC athlete’s image will be used in a variety of upcoming in-game events and special content from the company.

This collaboration represents the second MMA-themed partnership that KamaGames has entered into in recent months, following a partnership with Tony Ferguson in May that secured the American as the face of Pokerist, Blackjackist and Roulettist, along with other “high-profile” titles in the company’s stable

In a media release, the company explained: “KamaGames’ experience has highlighted that there exists a noticeable intersection between those who play casino-style table games and sports enthusiasts. 

“We are confident that this partnership will engage current players while simultaneously attracting a new audience of sporting and UFC fans. As one of the most popular sporting genres of recent years, MMA regularly attracts a growing audience of millions of fans and KamaGames is optimistic that tapping into this market will bring growth to the overall company.”

Yan (14-1-0) is scheduled to face off against Jose Aldo (28-6-0) this week for the vacant UFC bantamweight title at UFC 251 from Fight Island, with players able to access a host of special in-game content for the event.

KamaGames asserts that it has high hopes ahead of the bout: “We’re anticipating that this event will be one of our most successful to-date, with the number of views widely exceeding that of previous in-game events”.

Earlier this year Andrey Kuznetsov, CEO of KamaGames, spoke CasinoBeats about why UFC and its fans were identified and targeted as a good fit for the group: “Of course, we conducted research which indicated that this would be a good move for us.

“Two interesting facts arose from an examination of our analytical data. Firstly, during UFC events not only are our players watching the fights while playing our games but they then go on to discuss the event at the tables. 

“Secondly, our observations show that within our social sports betting feature, there are a higher number of people betting on UFC events than on the NFL and top-ranking European football matches. In fact, our record for most bets placed on one event has been for a UFC fight and that reveals that there’s already an interest there from our players. Now, we’re going to expand upon that.”

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The introduction of AEW Games, which comes less than two years after the US professional wrestling promotion debuted, will deliver three new gaming options to fans, including two mobile titles and one console game.

Among those options is AEW Casino: Double or Nothing, which is to be developed by the social casino developer and is pencilled in to launch during the latter stages of 2021. The group will also introduce AEW Elite GM, lauded as the evolution of the GM simulator genre.

“It’s amazing to think that less than two years ago, we sent shockwaves through the professional wrestling industry with the launch of AEW, and now we are rolling out our new revolutionary games,” said Tony Khan, CEO and GM of AEW. 

“We make a point to listen to our fans, and we know that a rejuvenated and immersive gaming experience is critical to the overall wrestling experience. 

“It’s going to be cool to see our fans enjoying a next-gen console wrestling game that  actually implements their feedback. This is just the beginning of a new era of gaming for  wrestling fans around the world.” 

Double or Nothing will feature AEW-branded versions of slots, blackjack, poker and roulette, along with AEW music, sounds, videos, wrestler virtual avatars, gift packs and more. 

Andrey Kuznetsov, CEO of KamaGames, issued the following statement to CasinoBeats regarding the partnership: “Currently, we are still cementing the details of the social casino AEW project but would be happy to discuss all outcomes of the project at a later date.

“This will be following the formation of a more definite product concept and its features, with great consideration given to the interests of wrestling fans as well as the uniqueness of the brand. 

“Our company is planning to use several innovative approaches to the development of this product and we will share the details only after all testing phases are fully completed.”

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Officially debuting this week as the group aims to deliver on a prior pledge of becoming the leader within the social casino space, KamaGames deepened its relationship with the Ultimate Fighting Championship as Tony Ferguson was named as the face of the tournaments.

Offering a further examination of the launch, as well as how it will ensure added differentiation from competitors, Andrey Kuznetsov, KamaGames CEO, explained: “Online poker is a highly competitive market and we’re determined to make our product the best available. With that in mind, we’re constantly adding new features and updates to distinguish ourselves from competitors,” he says.

“We were the first social poker operator to launch tournaments with jackpots, multi-table tournaments and party modes. Knockout Tournaments are the most popular game mode in online poker, including real-money poker. 

“As we strive to give our players access to the most interesting features in online poker, we’ve now included these tournaments in our portfolio. Still, we didn’t stop there. To make our offering truly unique, we also developed several different playing options.

“Firstly, we launched two types of Knockout Tournaments: regular and progressive. Then we made it so that players can engage with these tournaments in a variety of our games such as Texas Hold’em, Omaha Poker or even in our unique party modes where games are played by special rules. 

“…the weight behind Tony’s name means that every product or event we launch alongside him hits brilliantly with our playing audience”

“I’m confident that this launch will boost the activity of current players, re-engage lapsed users and most importantly, allow us to tap into a new audience coming over from our competitors.”

In May, KamaGames named Tony Ferguson as the face Pokerist, Blackjackist and Roulettist, with the partnership followed-up with an agreement alongside fellow MMA athlete Petr Yan.

With Ferguson again recruited for the latest launch, Kuznetsov offered an update on how the collaborations are developing: “For the KamaGames community, these partnerships have been highly successful. Forgive the pun, but the weight behind Tony’s name means that every product or event we launch alongside him hits brilliantly with our playing audience.  

“Quite recently we launched a new slot with Tony’s image called Wild Punches. VIP players got the opportunity to enjoy the slot five days before the main launch and it was met with fantastic success in that short time. Now we’ve made Tony the face of Knockout Tournaments because he’s the best at knocking everyone out of the octagon!

“A key reason for the success of these partnerships, however, has been getting our players invested in real-world UFC fights like Tony’s. During Tony’s most recent match-ups, we began running in-game events that included special content, free bets and bonuses for players.

“Based on the engagement we experienced in the app and on our social channels, we can gather that our players loved it. For instance, during one of these events, a post on Facebook reached 100,000 unique users and got 16,000 positive reactions. With this kind of response, it would be absurd for us not to continue building and solidifying these kinds of partnerships moving forward. 

“Online poker is a highly competitive market and we’re determined to make our product the best available”

“While it’s unfortunate that Tony’s fight with Poirier on the 25th of October was cancelled, especially considering it was the same night as Nurmagomedov vs Gaethje, I’m confident that an athlete like Tony will have ample opportunity to take part in more events like this one.”

To conclude, Kuznetsov glanced towards the future to look at how he sees the social casino ecosystem developing during the next 12/18 months: “In my opinion, there won’t be any significant changes coming to light in the next 12-18 months. I think current trends will remain more or less the same. However, there are three major topics which I will be monitoring closely,” it was commented.

“Firstly, we’ll more than likely see several interesting M&A deals. While large companies have difficulty building steady growth, smaller companies will struggle to compete for a user base. For me, M&A seems to be the most effective way to achieve growth for both sides.

“Secondly, Huuuge and Playtika have entered an IPO, first in Poland and then in the US. I would be interested to see how successful that move will prove to be in the future.

“Thirdly, I’m not sure what Apple’s policy with IDFA will lead to from the perspective of mobile advertising. However, the social casino genre has the highest percentage of paid traffic, it is the hardest to compete for and in this market, it’s even harder to find new sources and scale them. 

“The cost is also the highest. Considering all of these factors alongside Apple’s IDFA restrictions means it will be interesting to see the benefit from such updates.”

The post Talking social casino, poker and MMA, with KamaGames appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The company has unveiled the impending launch of its new Knockout Tournaments, which will officially debut on Tuesday 27 October as the group strives to deliver on a prior pledge of becoming the leader within the social casino space.

Coinciding with the debut, KamaGames has once again recruited the presence of UFC’s Tony Ferguson as the face of the tournaments, building upon a similar advertising deal regarding Pokerist, Blackjackist and Roulettist that was inked in May.

Asserting that it is aiming to utilise “one of the most popular tournament templates in online poker,” players will have the chance to engage with several different versions of the tournaments, such as Sit’n’Go, MTT and Progressive MTT tournaments.

Andrey Kuznetsov, KamaGames CEO, commented on the Pokerist launch: “Knockout Tournaments are just the latest example of KamaGames being the first to successfully bring real-money casino mechanics to the social casino market. 

“We did this already with MTTs and social sports betting with great success and we will continue to innovate in this manner. Whilst we’re excited about this launch, we’re equally delighted that Tony Ferguson will once again be bringing his star power to Pokerist. 

“KamaGames hope to continue to work with relevant partners such as Tony and craft long-lasting strategic partnerships for the remainder of 2020.”

In Sit’n’Go Knockout and MTT Knockout players will be rewarded for taking a prize-winning place among their competitors, however, any individual who eliminates a rival from the competition will also find themselves gifted with a predetermined special prize. 

In MTT Progressive Knockout players also receive additional rewards for removing opponents from the competition. In this case, the reward amount depends on the value on said opponent’s bounty. Bounties grow throughout the competition when one player knocks another out of the game, with the increase calculated as a percentage of the eliminated opponent’s bounty.

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