Speaking at SBC Summit Barcelona, Hakobyan shed some light on Pascal Gaming’s portfolio of classical games and the features that help keep players on their toes – both in the online and offline spaces. 

“So a lot of our games are simple. We have a slogan of classical games that are simple but exceptional,” she began.

“Our games are very easy to play and easy for bettors to understand too. That is something that we think is really important. We also feature very colourful, vivid animations that are eye catching for our players. 

“At Pascal Gaming, we are creating games for online platforms. There is a large number of players which prefer to bet online; but let’s not forget about those that prefer offline solutions, those that enjoy visiting a betting shop and playing on terminals. 

“Our Gravity Solution basically transfers that online gaming experience to the offline space. Now, players can play Pascal games in their local betting shops.”

Something that was highlighted as an integral feature of Pascal’s portfolio was the provable fairness across its games. 

Hakobyan added: “Provable fairness is one of the most important features of our games. What provable means is that you receive a hash code five steps forward. Once you then receive a result, you can compare that hash code and see that your result was random. 

“It isn’t determined by your stake, your game style or your betting history. It’s completely random. So this, we believe, shows that our games are very trustworthy. 

“We deploy provable fairness across our bet-on games, our table games, our arcade games too. We also have them on our offline solutions.”

Watch the full interview HERE

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Joining CasinoBeats Business Journalist Danny Lee on a busy first day of the Summit was Niall Thomas, Spinza Co-Founder, to look back on the company’s growth in the online casino space and explain why suppliers “need to be bringing really fresh elements” to the table to avoid falling victim to a saturated slot market. 

Touching on Spinza’s motivation behind exhibiting at SBC Summit Barcelona as an upcoming name in the casino industry, Thomas stated: “I wouldn’t say we’ve got huge influence right now, but that’s what we’re aiming to get with these sorts of conferences.

“To distinguish ourselves, we’re aiming at having a much more innovative mathematical model behind a lot of our games. I think, especially for providers these days, [the market] is so saturated that you need to be bringing some really fresh elements. Otherwise, you’re just going to fall into the plethora of games that are out there already.”

Elaborating on the supplier side of the company’s decision to implement innovative maths make-ups into its slot releases, Thomas continued: “We’re aiming to have quite advanced mathematical models so that we can appeal to a wider audience. And for us, it’s especially more interesting to target the newer generation of gamblers.

“We’re more concerned with where the future of slots is going rather than what’s current. Everything is planned with what’s going to happen next for us.”

Moving on to the launch of operator brand SpinBet, Thomas said: “With SpinBet, the aim of the game is more functionality on the casino, being able to make the website a bit more fun, a bit more innovative.

“For me, and I say this with empathy because I gamble a lot myself, it’s all about making sure everything is fun and enjoyable, safe and secure. We always go for having a really strong personal touch, making sure that players really do feel like we’re there for them.

“We’re there to service them, and they are the most important thing to us.” 

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Speaking in front of the casino game aggregator’s sponsored hyperbaric oxygen tank showcased at SBC Summit Barcelona, Tomic joined CasinoBeats’ Craig Davies to explain why operators are relying on aggregators to find suppliers that are the “golden nugget” hidden amidst an oversaturated igaming market. 

Detailing the extent of the igaming industry’s oversaturation, Tomic explained that supply is starting to outweigh demand, stating that “there is a bottleneck” as sometimes an operator can only “integrate one provider per month, or maybe even one provider per week, and some of them just have five games.”

“You need a partner to be able to do that for you,” he continued. “You can’t integrate all of them, it’s just not possible. You need to try all of them, because at some point there is this golden nugget in the middle.”

With Alea offering well over 10,000 games from more than 100 providers, Tomic was questioned on the company’s process for vetting suppliers to gain the best quality content for its aggregation platform.

“I’ve been in this industry for 20 years,” he began. “I don’t know if a game is going to be good before the players have adopted it. I can look at the graphics, I can look at the maths, I can play the game, I can feel the game, I can think players are going to like it, but to be honest, there’s no way I can predict [a game’s success].

“However, I can predict it by the team. You see this solid team of Product Owners and Head of Product. You look at Relax Gaming and what they did. Head of Product at NetEnt Simon Hammond moved to Relax.

“Before Money Train came out, I think it took them a year to launch a game but you knew these guys were going to rock.”

As aggregation continues to dominate headlines in the slot space, with aggregation-focused M&A going through the roof, Tomic was asked, simply: Is aggregation the next logical phase of consolidation? 

“I think so, we’ve been approached a lot,” he replied. “Basically, an aggregator is a distribution channel, you’re integrated into many operators. We are seeing more and more demands. Aggregators are definitely becoming the new kids on the block.”

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Recent developments in AI art, although controversial to some, have introduced a plethora of time-saving opportunities for design artists to encompass, and with online slot machines being continuously pumped out week by week, suppliers can’t help but consider that AI models with fast-tracked designs could be the key to streamlined content provision. 

Looking at the role that AI could play in developing slot releases, operators, suppliers and affiliates appeared at SBC Summit Barcelona to discuss a range of topics surrounding AI and its impact on game design. 

Hosting a panel titled ‘AI disrupting slot design – Is this the future of game creation’ was Daniel Lindberg, CEO at Breakpoint Invest, who explained that the online casino industry, for both B2C and B2B companies, is “faced with a massive technology shift with the entrance of AI.” 

“I think we’re at the tipping point,” he continued. “The question is not if AI will affect the way we operate, I think it’s more around how much it will affect us.” 

“We don’t really know what is beyond the horizon of our understanding”

Vladyslav Garanko, CBDO at Platipus

Amidst explaining the difference between true AI and machine learning after being probed  by Lindberg, panellist Vladyslav Garanko, CBDO at Platipus, stated that most AI components being used today are actually “limited simulations” of true AI, naming ChatGPT, which he considers to be “quite dangerous, and quite impressive”. 

In response to the notion of current AI technology being referred to as limited, Lindberg stated that “it can’t be that limited” as he mentioned another panel that suggested ChatGPT-4 has an IQ equivalent to Einstein, and that its future successor, ChatGPT-5, will be 10 times as smart. 

To this, Garanko noted: “That’s the thing, we don’t really know what is beyond the horizon of our understanding. So from our limited understanding we see it as a very silly person talking to a very smart person. 

“But, if AI were to develop at such a stage it would start teaching us how to properly communicate with it. Suddenly you have a different level of communication and the master/servant relationship may turn any other way.” 

With the power of AI conveyed to the audience, Lindberg directed the conversation towards its impact on companies across the igaming industry, starting with an operator’s perspective from Philip Sultana, Head of Design & UX/UI at PressEnter Group. 

“Across the company, whether its finance, legal, design or purely casino, AI is being used,” said Sultana. “I would say AI is not the future, but it is actually the present.” 

“Speaking for my team, we tend to use generative AI, like Midjourney mainly, almost like a concept artist that’s in the room with us. We prompt it with ideas and it spits back an image, we then see the image and use it to gather an idea, so it’s almost like we’re playing table tennis.

“Unfortunately, we did not get satisfying results with ChatGPT. It did not cut our costs, it did not cut time”

Aleksandra Andrishak, Editor in Chief at Slotsjudge

“Currently it hasn’t replaced anyone, but it’s a huge benefit to the team and we feel that it’s actually improving quality. Other people then can be a bit lazy and think ‘ok we don’t need all of these design errors’ and only use Midjourney instead.” 

“But, that then limits the creativity because Midjourney or AI is based on a data set, so it copies what there already is. Inherently, it will give you more of what there is. The industry does not need that, there are plenty of games that look and feel the same.”

Bringing an affiliate’s perspective to the stage was Aleksandra Andrishak, Editor in Chief at Slotsjudge, explaining how the company has experimented with AI when writing reviews on the industry’s slot releases. 

“We don’t produce slots, but we do review them, so when ChatGPT became very popular, we experimented with it a lot,” she said. 

“Unfortunately, we did not get satisfying results with ChatGPT. It did not cut our costs, it did not cut time. ChatGPT finds it very hard to make opinions and this is generally what players look for when they read a slot review.”

“Another thing that we discovered is that ChatGPT does not deal with absences very well. Statistically, most of the slot games have wilds, and the particular one we were reviewing did not have them. But, it will still add descriptions of wilds just because all the other slots have them.” 

Moving onto the slot development process, Garanko was first to give insights from a supplier’s experience with AI when using it for content provision. 

“Our team has been using AI in the past, for a couple of years if I recall correctly. The result is a bit of a mixed bag to be honest,” he explained. 

“It is very effective in terms of visualisation. When you have an understanding of the concept, and you want to relay this concept to a designer who will have to draw it properly, with ChatGPT it is possible to nail down a perfect description, making it possible to visualise it for the designer to understand and proceed.

“this is something that for sure will change the future, as it has already started”

Gretta Kochkonyan, Head of Account Management at Endorphina

“But, at the same time, the results may vary, some of them are hilarious, some of them are absolutely horrible. Can AI truly create a slot game from scratch? Yes. It will not work, it will be absolutely horrible. But yes, it can.

“AI is just another tool. I would even say AI is a giant hammer, while we humans are the chisel used to make a perfect sculpture. It’s a giant hammer that you need to carve out the marble and make it into a perfect shape, so that a human can visualise it and liberate the beauty within.”

Prague-based slot developer Endorphina was also represented on the stage, as Gretta Kochkonyan, Head of Account Management, told how the supplier used AI to create recent slot release, Joker Ra, explaining that slight mistakes made by generative AI art models can actually add character to a game. 

“We played with it a lot,” she stated. “We created the game Joker Ra with the help of AI, basically for the graphics. Yes, it’s funny. Yes, it’s not like someone has drawn it. For example, we have a cat – a symbol within the game – that has five legs, crazy right?

“We can accept that it is crazy, but what then are the emotions that the players are having from this? They are taking a look, they know that it is AI, but the result itself showed that people are interested, they really wanted to see something fresh, something new, something crazy.”

To define AI technology’s current impact on slot suppliers, Kochkonyan added: “This is something that will for sure change the future, because it has already started. With Endorphina, the result was good, we liked it and we wanted to do more, and more, and more.”

The post ‘AI isn’t the future, it’s the present’ – automating igaming at SBC Summit Barcelona appeared first on CasinoBeats.

A strong statement from Evoplay Chief Commercial Officer Vladimir Malakchi made at the recent SBC Summit Barcelona and one that truly reflects the company’s growth over the last 12 months. But it would be remiss to think that the growth stops here. 

With new market entries, new products and even a new flagship game lined up for next year, these next few months are going to be jam-packed for Evoplay.

Reflecting on 2023

Fresh off the back of his SBC Leaders Magazine cover interview, Malakchi sat down with SBC Media to not only sample the range of gin and tonic that Barcelona has to offer but, more importantly, to reflect on his year since the 2022 edition of SBC Summit Barcelona.

During the chat, one thing was for certain: Evoplay has not only reached the goals it set out at the beginning of the year but has exceeded even its own expectations.

Malakchi began: “Many of the milestones from this year have been because of the work we carried out in 2022 and early 2023 – we reached many of the goals that we set out to achieve. The latter half of this year has mostly been spent preparing for 2024. 

“Firstly, we’re preparing for several new licences. We’ve initiated the process at the start of the year and are currently at the final stages, so I believe this will mark a significant milestone for this year.” 

“We’re already underway with preparations for our upcoming flagship game, set to make its debut in 2024. As you may remember, we launch a new flagship title every two years. 

“This is where our marketing efforts will be strategically concentrated. As always, it will be a technological innovation. Our previous flagship game garnered numerous marketing awards, and with this new statement title, we’re determined to surpass even our own achievements.”

The US and Canada will undoubtedly become a big focus for the brand in the coming months. But one particular region that has garnered significant attention, both from Evoplay and the igaming industry as a whole, is Latin America. 

Many have predicted that Latin America will be the next ‘powerhouse’ for the iGaming industry, with the region holding a wealth of untapped potential. So how does Evoplay plan to get in on the action? In simple terms, partner with the best operators in the market.

Malakchi continued: “In Latin America, we’ve been looking at several markets over the last few months. We have been looking at Mexico, Colombia and Peru. But to jump into these markets and be successful, we need to have several more integrations, and that takes time. We’re in the process of finalising some integrations at the moment, but I can’t say much about those just yet!

“We know the Latin American market very well, we’ve been speaking with the top operators from each market. They know who we are and what content we can provide. It’s now just a matter of working through the technical and legal requirements. But I look forward to seeing what happens in the future.”

As a European-headquartered supplier, gaining a solid understanding of player preferences can be a difficult task to undertake. It really requires on-the-ground knowledge. 

Malakchi put it very simply by explaining that developing games for different markets is like learning a new language – it’s more than just the basic grammar, you need to understand the different dialects, sentence structure, even slang terms to be able to effectively communicate with the locals.

So, when entering Latin America, it was important for Evoplay to understand what it is that players want from their games before simply rolling out its entire portfolio of products.

He said: “I wouldn’t say there is just one type of content that these players enjoy. Of course, crash games have shown to be very popular, as have football-themed games. We are beginning to look into whether there is a connection between slot titles and MMA because this is a hugely popular sport across Latin America. 

“Then there are the classic slot games that we’ve seen have been incredibly popular in markets such as Canada and the US. These have also proven to be very popular across Latin America – we’re actually in the process of creating some classic games for this market to appeal to more players.” 

In previous interviews with SBC Media, Malakchi has pointed towards the fact that sport is heavily embedded within Latin American culture – particularly football. 

For a games developer, you may think that tapping into that love of football might not be as easy as it sounds. But this is where Evoplay’s portfolio of football-themed games comes in. 

“From our point of view, Penalty Shoot-out has been very popular and remains so even after we released Penalty Shoot-out: Street. It’s not just the same audiences either, it’s new and different players, so that’s a promising sign,” the CCO continued.

“I trust that this game will remain popular for many years to come. And, of course, we want to continue bringing new and fresh content to the market.”

A promising opportunity

Among the areas Evoplay is looking to expand this year is its European presence, namely in Portugal. 

Evoplay initially entered the Portuguese online casino market back in August of this year alongside Solverde in an agreement that aims to “deliver an unmatched gaming experience to an even wider audience”. 

But the road to gaining a certification has been a long one. Malakchi said: “It’s very easy just to say, ‘we entered at exactly the right time’. But in all honesty, we did, and that’s because of how much time we spent preparing for our Portuguese market entry. It wasn’t an easy process, but we made it work.

“Evoplay is always entering new markets with the top players; Solverde.pt is the top player in the market, especially given its offline and online presence. It is a huge company, and so are we, so managing all of the legal requirements and commercial questions took some time. 

“The certification process was also very new for us. The Portuguese regulator requires different information from other markets, so that was different. But it was definitely the right time for us to enter because of how prepared we were. So far, we have received very positive feedback, and I believe that Solverde has received similar feedback too. This market has definitely been worth it!”

Something of note to consider when looking at the Portuguese market is its high tax rate, standing at 44% – arguably one of the highest in any regulated gaming jurisdiction in the world. 

The high taxes may seem like a red flag at first, but this hasn’t deterred Evoplay, which has, instead, identified a multitude of opportunities for expansion within the market. The driver of this? Having the right partner.

“Evoplay is in a very fortunate position in that we have the right partner with us. This is not just important for the Portuguese market but for any new market entry. Without that local, boots-on-the-ground knowledge, you are really going to struggle to enter a new market,” the CCO added.

“Solverde has helped us to attract different demographics of players and expand the reach of Evoplay’s content even further. And despite the high tax rate, the Portuguese market is still continuing to grow rapidly. 

“There are a lot of operators, this is a huge market that we believe is going to be very profitable. Portuguese players know how to bet, they’re used to these types of games, so we look forward to delivering some great titles.”

New additions to the portfolio

With all these new market entries, you might be thinking, ‘how does Evoplay find the time to even consider new products?’. Don’t worry, we asked. 

The development of new products requires input from the entire team but also an in-depth understanding of some of the biggest trends taking place across the market at any given time. In 2023, Malakchi believes the big trend was Bonus Buy features, a topic that cropped up during his panel session at SBC Summit Barcelona.

He told SBC Media: “During a panel at SBC Summit Barcelona, Laura Petrauska (Head of Casino at Bet99) made a very good point about bonus buy features being used to buy multiple different things within a slot game – not just being used for free spins. 

“In 2023, the trend really was these bonus features. We saw them grow in popularity and become more commonplace across the industry as a whole. And I do think they’re a really great idea. This was probably the most innovative thing that we saw from this year, and it has been something that providers and game developers have truly embraced. 

“In answer to your question over whether this will continue? Absolutely. This is only the beginning for this type of feature. I can see this still remaining popular in 2024.”

As you can probably guess, Evoplay already has plans in place to capitalise on this trend in the latter part of this year and into 2024. However, Malakchi kept his cards somewhat close to his chest on giving away any of the finer details.

He concluded: “I can’t let you in on too many secrets just yet. But Evoplay is more than ready to capitalise on these trends. We already have games with these different bonus features. In 2024, we will continue to grow – not just the portfolio of bonus buy games but the functionality within those features. 

“We’re preparing to launch a range of special gamification features based on Bonus Buy features and the buying opportunities within slots. So we’re getting ready to test those now. Our portfolio is continuing to grow, so we want to keep pushing the boundaries of innovation and create stand-out games for our partners.”

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This year’s exhibition and conference drew an impressive crowd of around 15,000 attendees, a threefold increase from last year’s figures, solidifying its status as the industry’s fastest-growing event.

The post-event survey data revealed a net promoter score of 49 for the event, highlighting SBC’s dedication to upholding high-quality standards, even in the face of substantial growth in attendance year-on-year.

The event kicked off with grandeur at the SBC Leaders Summit—an inaugural edition of the exclusive pre-event invite-only gathering that attracted 500 top-tier industry executives. 

This full-day affair featured a wealth of conference content, including a keynote from Frank Abagnale, the man who inspired Steven Spielberg’s ‘Catch Me if You Can,’ networking opportunities, and a poker tournament. 

A significant highlight of the event was the induction of Gustaf Hagman (CEO and Co-Founder, LeoVegas), Jordan Levin (CEO, OpenBet), Per Widerström (Incoming CEO, 888 Holdings – effective October 16, 2023), and Brigid Simmonds OBE (Chair, Betting and Gaming Council) into SBC’s Hall of Fame.

Taking place at Fira Barcelona Montjuic on September 19-21, SBC Summit Barcelona boasted a massive 38,000 square metres show floor accommodating 350 exhibitors, marking a 175 per cent increase as compared to the previous year.

Roger Redfearn-Tyrzyk, VP of Global Gaming at IDnow, provider of identity verification solutions and one of the exhibitors, said: “We are being treated as a partner, not just as a company that pays money to get services. We’re being taken to events and get introduced to people. SBC is a solution-finding partner for us.” 

The 2023 show floor was effectively split into five zones denoting key areas of the industry: Sports Betting; Casino & iGaming; Affiliate, Media and Marketing; Payments & Compliance; and Emerging Tech. In addition, there was a designated ‘Festival area,’ which not only showcased exhibitors but also provided the perfect casual networking setting, featuring a sangria & tapas bar, an ice cream bar, a smoothie and juice bar and various other amenities. 

The exhibition area was enriched by multiple networking zones, with the SBC Connect+ Lounge serving as a central meeting hub for delegates who had organised their meetings through the official event app. Noteworthy is the fact that the app included a lead assessment feature that saw active use, totalling 2,560 interactions.

When asked what sets SBC Summit Barcelona apart as an industry event, Sab Jhooti, Founder & CEO of investment firm Bonmoja, said: “It’s the community element. Whenever I come, I have the opportunity to meet the who’s who in this industry. Everybody you want to meet comes to this event, so I don’t really have to go anywhere else.”

Spanning seven stages, the comprehensive conference agenda delivered over 80 hours of content and offered insights from over 450 industry leaders. 89.4 per cent of the speakers held C-level positions, while 63.7 per cent represented operators, and 8.9 per cent came from affiliates. The remaining 27.4 per cent represented suppliers, associations, regulators, media, sports teams, and investors. With a total of 302 questions directed at the speakers on stage, the event adopted a more interactive approach. 

Based on insights from SBC Connect+, it’s evident that the following five panels were the most sought-after by app users.

• Sports Betting’s Makeover: The Influence of Gamification, Streaming, and Stats.
• Affiliate Leaders Panel: Leading Partnerships in Emerging Markets.
• Sports & Sponsorship Landscape: Growth Markets and Partnerships.
• SBC Leaders: Exploring Global Growth Markets.
• Everything, Everywhere, All-of-the-Time: Managing Marketing, Tech & Compliance.

Highlighting the 2023 program were keynotes by Matthew Ball, a renowned metaverse expert and bestselling author, and Daniel Taylor, CEO of Flutter International. In the spirit of increased engagement, each day’s agenda in 2023 concluded with enlightening roundtable sessions — 30 in total — each dedicated to specific markets, verticals, or topics.

A distinctive highlight of SBC’s events, the First Pitch competition, designed to assist start-ups in bringing their innovative visions to life, announced its latest champion. SnapOdds, the victor of this competition, secured a coveted prize package worth over €60,000, which includes a two-day workshop experience in Tallinn, provided by competition sponsor Yolo Investments, among the list of prizes.

Marking its 10th-anniversary edition, the SBC Awards Ceremony unfolded in style at the iconic Caves Codorníu and recognised industry leaders across 39 featured categories. Hosting the event were the familiar face of SBC Awards, TV personality Kirsty Gallacher, and former professional football player turned manager, Clarence Seedorf, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest midfielders of this generation. The ceremony also featured a special guest appearance by Luis Figo, former World and European Footballer of the Year, who played for both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid and is the current brand ambassador of Digitain.

Thomas Carvalhaes, Managing Director of Brazilian operator VaiDeBob, noredd: “The quality and calibre of people attending is very impressive. I was on a podcast recently and they asked what my favourite event was. I said it’s SBC Summit Barcelona – for its relevance, for the people who are here and for giving us a sense of what’s about to come.”

Rasmus Sojmark, CEO and Founder of SBC, added: “The Barcelona chapter for SBC came to a spectacular close. This event exceeded our wildest dreams as we worked tirelessly to make it the industry’s fastest-growing gathering.

With 15,000 attendees filling the exhibition floor, this show will forever be a cherished part of SBC’s history. However, as you all probably know, we’re far from done. The success of this edition paves the way for an even more prosperous next edition. We can’t wait to welcome you all in Lisbon for SBC Summit 2024!”

In a significant development, SBC has announced the next edition of its renowned global flagship event, now rebranded as SBC Summit to underscore its worldwide prominence. The event is set to make its home at Lisbon’s Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL) on September 24-26 and is anticipated to occupy a vast area exceeding 100,000 square metres. Expecting a gathering of 25,000 attendees, the event will welcome a substantial 600 exhibitors and feature insights from 500 expert speakers.

For more information on SBC Summit 2024, visit https://sbcevents.com/sbc-summit/.

For sponsorship and exhibition opportunities email sales@sbcgaming.com

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Thanks to game show adaptations and slot hybrids, operators continue to witness, acquire and offer new innovations to help tap further into live casino’s expanding audience. 

Representatives from online suppliers, land-based suppliers and operators gathered during the second day of SBC Summit Barcelona, to discuss the current state of the live casino sector on a panel titled ‘High stakes! – Live casino and the serious players’. 

To kick start the panel, moderator Dan Phillips, from SBC Advisory, pointed out that although live casino player activity data “is pretty much led by commodity products like roulette” – which he referred to as “cash cows” – the sector is starting to see a shift in player persuasions. 

“there’s room to grow in older-style games”

Todd Cravens, President and CEO at Galaxy Gaming

He posed the question: “We’re seeing more and more interchangeable entertainment products, in game shows and slot-type products. Just to kick us off, what do we think the main drivers are for live casino products?” 

“I think it comes down to serving two different kinds of players, ” responded Todd Cravens, President and CEO at Galaxy Gaming. “You have your existing, more hardcore casino players, who like blackjack and roulette, but certainly now you’re trying to bring new players in that maybe don’t understand, or have a different value set in regards to how they want to play.”

“I still think personally there’s room to grow in the older-style games as well, with progressives, omnichannel progressives and things like that, but I think we’re basically trying to find new players.”

Moving on to reasons behind a shift in desire from specific sets of players, Graciella Anthony, Entain’s Head of Live Casino, played down the idea that newer, more social and engaging products like game shows are not causing a divide in live casino products, but are simply enhancing the sector. 

“I think it’s important to remember that by introducing game shows we have expanded our product. It’s just an additional product offering something different,” she said. 

Anthony also detailed how these more innovative products are helping to bridge a gap between typical slot players and live casino alternatives. 

She added: “With game shows, we see them as a kind of gateway into live casino. We see more recreational players playing these types of games and we see a lot of slot players coming to experience these kinds of games.”

Providing a supplier’s perspective on the topic was Albert Pesca, VP of Commercial at ARRISE powering Pragmatic Play, who claimed that each time he has reached out to a company with new live casino products, operators are constantly asking “what else do you have?”, suggesting a high demand in modern live casino innovations. 

As the conversation moved on, Phillips questioned where the next innovation within live casino will come from as the industry continues to adopt new technologies such as AI, machine learning and the metaverse.

Anthony looked at the question in terms of player engagement, suggesting that the next big advancements in live casino content could come from tailoring products to audiences more interested in instant gratification through shorter play times. 

“with game shows, it’s just about who’s got the best product at that time”

Graciella Anthony, Head of Live Casino at Entain

She said: “The gap I see at the moment is that you’ve got customers who just want digital snacking, where they’re in for seven seconds, and we don’t have products in the live space where players can come in waiting for the bus and they just want to be able to dip in and out.”

“I think it’d be something nice for the live space, and I’d be interested to see how suppliers get over this. For the short attention span that the next generation has, what kind of product would be popping up?”

However, Sargis Poghosyan, VP of Casino at CreedRoomz, suggested that the “next steps will be VR and AR”, explaining that “live casino will be something mixed with reality” and that “all these [developments] will lead to new game styles.” 

Phillips was also intrigued by trends in players’ affiliations with certain live casino products, asking whether the panellists had noticed any and asked: “Do you have a lot of people moving around through the different live casino products, or do people stick to their favourites?” 

Suggesting a noticeable difference in player attitudes towards the different segments of live casino gaming, Anthony elaborated: “When it comes down to your traditional games, I think players are comfortable with a product that they like. But, I think with game shows, it’s just about who’s got the best product at that time.” 

The post SBC Summit Barcelona: are game shows bringing live casino back to life? appeared first on CasinoBeats.

While these companies are beginning to lay the foundation for virtual and augmented reality, each advancement brings the world closer to a functional Metaverse in which users can converse, explore and engage with one another in a digital, 3D simulated world.

But what actually is the Metaverse? How long have the world’s top minds been speculating on the prospect of a virtual, immersive world? And why has the Vatican taken an interest? 

Kicking off the second day of SBC Summit Barcelona to try and answer questions like these was Matthew Ball, entrepreneur, Investor and Author of national bestseller ‘The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionise Everything’, presenting his keynote speech simply titled ‘The Metaverse’. 

“My goal today is to talk about a topic that many of you have probably found yourselves frustrated with, and with good reason” he started. “It doesn’t matter whether you make food or video games, whether you make physical toys or petrol, odds are you have heard these companies talking about this term.” 

“i’ll be the first to tell you the term metaverse is lost”

Matthew Ball, Author of ‘The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionize Everything’

An abundance of company names and logos then popped up behind Ball, listing Google, Microsoft and Facebook, with a recognisable coat of arms also appearing on the screen. 

“Those of you less familiar with that pair of keys, that’s the Vatican City,” he explained. “Yes, even the Vatican. Their chief philosopher started talking about the role of the Metaverse for the clergy, for the Vatican, for belief.”

After capturing the audience’s attention with those religious links, Ball presented a timeline of Metaverse mentions across previous decades, from 1999’s ‘The Matrix’ to Stanley Weinbaum’s 1935 science fiction novel ‘Pygmalion’s Spectacles’, a vague concept of the Metaverse has been around for much longer than expected. 

To explain the concept himself, Ball stated: “When we’re talking about the Metaverse, we are talking about a distinction, which is to understand it not as an encapsulation of information.

“Not about an individual experience, not about me broadcasting a presentation, but about the production of a sheer virtual plane using digital technology to sustain a living experience, and that is where we end up with a 3D element.”

“We will never know when the metaverse has arrived”

Matthew Ball, Author of ‘The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionize Everything’

This led him to describe what concepts are often considered to be the Metaverse, stating that multi-layered video games, virtual reality headsets and the internet, in general, do not represent a Metaverse, but are rather closely associated. “I’ll be the first to tell you the term Metaverse is lost,” he added. 

Continuing, he said: “Simplifying the Metaverse and these other ideas does a disservice to each, because while they may often overlap, in many instances they do not.” In fact, Ball stated that the “Metaverse is not yet here”. 

“The crypto rush helped to reinforce the idea that change was imminent. We will never know when the Metaverse has arrived, we will never have a date for it. What is important is the trends.” 

And trends were what Ball moved swiftly onto, looking at the real-world impact of current 3D simulation technology, listing virtual cityscapes for architectural purposes, Tesla producing real-time simulations of US cities and John Hopkins University performing the first ever live patient surgery using a mixed reality device in 2020. 

On that last point, Ball commented that over 470 surgeries have been performed using said technology, proving that 3D simulation has transcended video games with these real use cases.

After presenting several evolutions in simulation technology, machine learning and electromyography, Ball began to explain the concept’s impact on the igaming industry. 

He suggested that companies hoping to launch a virtual casino within the Metaverse must take inspiration from the video game industry, by “investing in the same tools and systems and talent that a video game company will.”

Before finishing off, Ball explained his own attitude towards the Metaverse, stating: “I’m also not going to be someone who says you shouldn’t go outside, that we shouldn’t spend more time socialising with our loved ones.

“I’ll never believe that an immersive reality basketball or football match will be better than going to a stadium. But one of the things that I try to remind people when they’re sceptical of an existence spent inside a video game is that we have to be realistic about current systems.”

Listing a number of statistics behind the average US citizens’ amount of free time in a day, Ball continued: “You get down to a reality where the average person in the US has seven hours of free time a day. Five and a half of that is spent watching television. I’m not going to encourage the Metaverse because we already spend too much time watching television, but we should be cognizant of the fact that as a species. 

“The primary thing that we do in the West is watch television, by ourselves, not moving. The substitution of that time to a more social, interactive medium seems positive to me.” 

The post SBC Summit Barcelona: Measuring the Metaverse with Matthew Ball appeared first on CasinoBeats.

With advances in technology rising exponentially, casino companies are often left playing catch up when figuring out how to capture the latest tech evolutions and utilise them in the best way possible. 

Crowds gathered at SBC Summit Barcelona to better understand the next step the casino industry will take to adopt new technologies and throw them into the mainstream, as ‘the next-gen of casino’ panel showcased how Web3.0 may have already proved itself as such. 

Hosted by Wesley Ellul, Co-Founder and CCO at Quizando, the panel kicked off with an in-depth explanation of just what Web3.0 entails, explaining that a decentralised network is leaving behind a world where the “consumer was the product”, as now, Web3.0 is helping “the community become part of, and a major stakeholder in, profitability on the web”. 

Perhaps the most predominant element of Web3.0 is the mass adoption of cryptocurrency in modern businesses, with the casino industry taking on blockchain technology at a faster rate than ever before. 

“each year the crypto players are growing and the business is increasing”

Dariia, CPO at MegaPari

While crypto-based casino platforms like Stake.com, Roobet.com, Duelbits.com and Rollbit.com are growing in popularity, cryptocurrency casinos remain unregulated in the majority of, if not all of, the world’s leading online casino territories. 

Due to this, Ellul stated that in order for the discussion to go ahead, the panel and its audience would be “throwing regulation out the window” to question just how much impact decentralised technology will have on the future of casinos. 

One speaker on the panel, Dariia, CPO at MegaPari, made the strong claim that the entirety of the casino industry “will go to crypto”, believing that players appreciate the anonymity that on-chain casinos provide to avoid handing out personal information, such as emails, names and addresses when signing up. 

Relaying how crypto can be used to fast-track everyday business processes, she continued: “With Web3.0, you deal with crypto wallets and trust wallets. This process is so much easier because you can connect with the platform and the wallet altogether and give players the chance to have a 10-second registration. So it saves time. 

“Moreover, we know that each year the crypto players are growing and the business is increasing.”

“A much more streamlined KYC process would be a game changer”

Francesco Postiglione, CEO at Casumo

Ellul was fascinated by the subject of crypto-supported KYC processes, adding: “That’s actually very interesting because the idea is we don’t have to identify our players anymore, in that these players have already been identified and KYC’d somewhere else. This could be a big change.” 

This led Ellul to reach out for the perspective of Francesco Postiglione, CEO at Casumo, to gain another operator’s insight on fast-tracked KYC processes, posing the question: “How would that change the game for you in the sense of getting a player into the casino in 20 seconds, rather than that five-minute procedure?”

“We’d have a massive change in terms of costs,” Postiglione replied, suggesting that operators would save money through transactional costs presented by typical KYC processes, which usually require employees to perform manual checks for identity verification. 

He continued: “There are expected situations of course, a dramatic improvement of the conversion rates, so a much more streamlined KYC process would be a game changer, not just for the casino, but for everybody.”

As Ellul moved on to the concept of a casino-based metaverse, he questioned whether the industry could replicate the success that metaverse-based video games have had in recent years, naming Roblox as a key example.

This led him to explain the success of Decentraland, a “very, very widely used” Metaverse game in which “the place that is visited most on a daily basis is their online casino.” Ellul commented that this could prove that casino players are looking for much more than the typically private online gambling experience. 

“This is the attraction that we are seeing in these Metaverse spaces. It’s not just about the gambling side, but the social side.” This got the panel’s host thinking about how adding more social elements to the average casino experience could be “a great precursor before you get into a virtual reality Metaverse space.”

He then considered the issue that regulated operators are facing due to the rise of cryptocurrency casinos, stating that “all the general operators around the world are in a battle with decentralised casinos.”

Postiglione was quick to suggest that “it’s a challenge”, explaining: “We have the .com operators and on top of those now we have the Web3.0 casinos that are not regulated. There is a Bitcoin metaverse out there that is putting a lot of pressure on the regulators.” 

“I believe that regulators could play a key role, firstly in understanding how this kind of business works, and secondly they have to regulate it in some way, otherwise the regular market will simply vanish.”

Before the session concluded, Dariia noted that however casino companies are offering products that utilise Web3.0, how well they can market the products will be “the key to success”, suggesting that this can often be challenging due to the general public’s understanding of Web3.0 technology.  

The post SBC Summit Barcelona: Using Web3.0 to break free appeared first on CasinoBeats.

CasinoBeats: How strong is the Spanish market at the moment and what sort of casino content is proving a hit with players?

Javier Sacristán: We are all very aware of the nuances of the Spanish online market. Despite certain constraints that are placed upon the industry, the sector is nonetheless undergoing sustainable growth. 

Casino games hold significant weight among Spanish players and are furthermore the vertical that is the most receptive to innovation. Content that grants players a certain degree of control over outcomes, or those that provide highly distinct forms of entertainment are, in my belief, those that will stand out to become the next big hits.

CB: Which recent commercial deals have been particularly successful for R. Franco Digital?

JS: No matter which type of partner we form an agreement with, every single deal is important to us and each of them adds value to our products and knowledge to our team. Currently, our platform’s focus lies in the international arena within regulated markets and the Americas, a region rich in potential, is of particular interest as we aim to further accelerate our growth. 

By the end of 2023, we expect to have launched new operations in Mexico, Colombia and Puerto Rico, and believe that in each of those jurisdictions, our content will resonate with players.

CB: From a product/service perspective, what do you expect to be talking about to potential and existing partners in Barcelona?

JS: I believe the two main topics will be responsible gaming and innovation, often combined into a single one. Both of these subjects are timely, with player protection foremost in the minds of so many in the industry right now as we continue to strive to create a safe, secure environment for every player. Innovation ties in with this idea through the provision of new technologies that are focused on reducing potential harm to players all over the world. 

CB: What does exhibiting at SBC Summit Barcelona mean for R. Franco Digital?

JS: SBC Summit Barcelona provides an excellent platform for sharing our passion for the industry with all attendees. By introducing our innovations and solutions to potential new clients, and reinforcing our existing partnerships to address the challenges and opportunities facing this dynamic sector, we believe we will enjoy another successful event in the country we call home.

CB: Finally, could you describe your digital strategy heading towards the end of 2023 and the start of next year?

JS: To provide a couple of headline strategies, in terms of games, our focus will be trained on creating content for specific market needs, as well as client segmentation. On the platform side, we will continue to strengthen and expand long-term global agreements with carefully chosen partners, as we continue to grow our influence in regulated markets worldwide.

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R.Franco Digital will be exhibiting at booth CG712 in the Casino & iGaming Zone at SBC Summit Barcelona, which takes place at Fira Barcelona Montjuïc on 19-21 September. 

The post R. Franco Digital: Accelerating growth worldwide appeared first on CasinoBeats.