Led by Andrea McGeachin, CEO of Neosurf, the pay and play specialists will be welcoming a range of special guests to provide their expertise on all things payments and player protection.

The takeover kicks off on Tuesday when Andrea is joined by Shelley White, CEO of the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC), who talks about the role of her organisation, RGC’s recent Discovery Conference and the latest trends in player protection.

During the episode, Shelley highlights the work done by the RGC to educate young people on responsible gaming before they reach the legal age to gamble in their region.

She says: “We’re in high schools with kids talking about what gambling is, what gaming is, the intersection, what the risks are, how to mitigate those risks to start preparing them because they’re thinking about [gambling], they’re talking about it with their friends and with family and hearing about it in ads and we want to ensure that they’re getting the best possible information” 

On Wednesday, attention turns to iGaming as Andrea chats with the CEO of White Hat Studios, Andy Whitworth. He talks about his 20 years in the iGaming industry and also explains the secrets behind White Hat’s successful expansion into the US.

Andy puts particular focus on White Hat’s Jackpot Royale which he says has been received well since “there aren’t really many good jackpot products in the US”.

It’s back to player protection on Thursday as Bill Pascrell III, Partner at Princeton Public Affairs Group,  joins Andrea to give his take on the latest trends in responsible gaming. 

Although he describes it as an “exciting time” for the responsible gaming market he expresses his disappointment with some operators, describing what they are doing as “more fluff than stuff”. 

Ending the week, Andrea dives into the world of gambling research as she welcomes the Director of Research at the UNLV International Gaming Institute, Kasra Ghaharian to the show.

After explaining the role of the International Gaming Institute and his own journey from avid poker player to gambling researcher, Kasra digs deeper into some of his latest research and explains how data provided by payment companies can be used to identify problem gambling behaviour. 

To make sure you don’t miss out on this week of insightful interviews on iGaming Daily, make sure to follow the show on LinkedIn and wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

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Through the integration, FanDuel Casino app customers in the two respective states will be able to play branded titles from White Hat Studios such as Peaky Blinders and The Goonies.

“White Hat Studios’ is an important component of our strategy to provide FanDuel Casino customers with a differentiated experience,” commented James Davison, Vice President at FanDuel Casino.

“By leveraging their broad array of branded titles across regulated markets — we are creating a more meaningful entertainment experience that drives brand loyalty.”

Connecticut and Pennsylvania aren’t the only two US states in which White Hat Studios and FanDuel Casino have a collaboration, as the two parties also have a similar content deal in Michigan.

Daniel Lechner, SVP of Sales & Marketing at White Hat Studios, added: “We are excited to expand our partnership with FanDuel by offering the best titles customers want in Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

“The launch of White Hat Studio into new markets highlights our determination to deliver top-tier content within every regulated igaming market on behalf of operator partners.”

White Hat Studios has been expanding across several US markets with a flurry of operators since the turn of the year, including BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment and Bally’s.

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As a result of the deal, the ‘house of brands’ provider will become live with Caesars Digital across four states, building on the firm’s launch in New Jersey. 

Ricardo Cornejo Rivas, Vice President of Online Gaming at Caesars Digital, commented: “White Hat Studios’ diverse portfolio of gaming titles has resonated well with our players across the US market. We are excited to introduce New Jersey players to these titles, further enriching our igaming offering in the state.”

It comes after the group’s successful rollout in West Virginia in February and joins Michigan and Pennsylvania in the regulated markets where customers of Caesars Digital can access the provider content portfolio.

Daniel Lechner, SVP of Sales & Marketing at White Hat Studios, said: “Our collaboration with Caesars Digital has yielded exceptional results and we are thrilled to extend our presence into New Jersey. As a popular provider of branded iGaming content, we look forward to delivering unparalleled entertainment to Caesars’ players in the Garden State.”

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The deal elevates White Hat Gaming’s footprint in the US market, as it enters a seventh state in the region. 

Furthermore, it also builds on a period of growth for the firm after the latest Eilers-Fantini Online Slots Features Report detailing how the provider has almost doubled its gross gaming revenue shares at the start of 2024.

Andy Whitworth, CEO at White Hat Studios, said: “Entering our seventh regulated state in the US market is another incredible milestone for us at White Hat Studios, and a showcase of our team’s sheer dedication to achieving our company-wide goals of becoming a leading supplier in the region.

“So far, our games have been embraced and enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of players in the US, with our partner operators noting impressive engagement rates. We’re confident that our entry into Rhode Island will help continue our upward trajectory.”

The deal also continues a focus on igaming for Bally’s as the firm enhances its footprint across the US and forming audience engagement across various avenues.  

Craig Eaton, President, Rhode Island Operations at Bally’s, added: “White Hat Studios has become one of the most prominent providers in North America, and for good reason. Their dynamic, exciting slots – some of the most consistent top-performers in the market – are sure to thrill Bally’s customers.

“We look forward to a successful partnership, and we’re anticipating that our players will embrace their multifaceted content offering.”

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Taking its existing partnership with Caesars ‘to new heights’, White Hat’s catalogue of branded slot releases will become available on the operator’s West Virginian online casino offering. 

This will see slot titles such as Peaky Blinders and The Goonies hosted on the Caesars Palace Online Casino platform for the Mountain State. 

Ricardo Cornejo Rivas, Vice President of Online Gaming at Caesars Digital, commented: “White Hat Studios is a valuable partner for us that continues adding impressive gaming content to our platforms. 

“Their dynamic and expansive range of titles have been embraced by our players in multiple jurisdictions, so we’re thrilled to bring more of their popular games to our West Virginia players.”

White Hat Studios has also offered Caesars its jackpot function Jackpot Royale, available in 30 of the provider’s games. 

The supplier has been broadening its US presence throughout the year so far after recently agreeing to a deal with BetMGM.

Andy Whitworth, CEO at White Hat Studios, added: “We’ve seen incredible results through our partnership with Caesars, one of the leading operators in the US market, so we’re thrilled to be expanding upon that with entry into West Virginia.

“As the leading ‘house of brands’ provider, we’re extremely proud of how our IP-inspired content has been received by Caesars’ players, and we’re excited to grow engagement and retention rates even further with this development.”

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Slots from the developer will now be available to the operator’s players across the states of Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. A portfolio of table games will also be delivered to PokerStars players.

Titles that will be playable for customers in these respective markets include Peaky Blinders, Masters of Atlantis and Almighty Buffalo Megaways.

Daniel Lechner, VP of Sales and Marketing at White Hat Studios, commented: “We are thrilled to be partnering with PokerStars, a prominent name in the US igaming market, and the deal exemplifies that the industry’s key players recognise the quality of our content.

White Hat Studios’ partnership with PokerStars is part of a series of content deals in the US that the slots developer has made since the turn of the year, with agreements in place with the likes of Kindred, Caesars Sportsbook and Casino and betPARX. 

The slots supplier also recently launched its content in West Virginia, giving players in the Mountain State access to a portfolio of over 100 titles.

“The partnership is another major milestone for White Hat Studios and having recently gone live across all regulated states will allow us to further expand our presence within each,” added Lechner.

Earlier this month, PokerStars also enhanced its offering across numerous European and North American markets with the integration of content from Bragg Gaming.

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It has taken 13 months for the slots provider to launch across all regulated US igaming states, as players in the Mountain State now have access to a portfolio of over 100 titles.

Titles available to players in West Virginia include Peaky Blinders, The Goonies and the Almighty Buffalo Megaways, as well as the provider’s progressive jackpot system, Jackpot Royale, which features more than 20 titles that have awarded players over $4.2m in prizes.

Andy Whitworth, CEO at White Hat Studios, commented: “We are thrilled to be entering West Virginia and further expanding our impressive reach within the US. This latest market entry means we are now active in every regulated state, a remarkable feat and we are proud of our dedicated and talented team for making it happen.

“White Hat Studios represents quality, whether that is through the record-breaking rate at which we have entered the US, the gaming experiences we provide, or the numerous awards that recognise our consistent achievements.”

Alongside West Virginia, White Hat Studios igaming content is also live in Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The developer’s titles are featured on over 30 online casino sites.

Earlier this month, Kindred expanded its online casino offering through a partnership with White Hat Studios, bringing the supplier’s entire portfolio of titles to the Unibet platform in the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

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Through the deal, Kindred will bring White Hat Studios’ entire portfolio of titles to the Unibet online casino platform in the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Miranda McPhail, Product VP at Kindred Group, stated: “Having recently launched our Kindred Platform in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, we now have the technology and tools to allow us to expand our partnerships and be laser focussed on our content.

“Delivering players the most entertaining and varied portfolio of titles is key to our expansion plans in the US and partnering with White Hat Studios will deliver on this.

“The company’s titles have won numerous awards and have quickly established a loyal fan base that has solidified it as a brand within the US gambling industry zeitgeist. We are excited to be welcoming White Hat Studios onto Unibet across New Jersey and Pennsylvania.”

Games such as Almighty Buffalo Megaways will be made available to Unibet players in the Garden State and in the Keystone State, as well as the Jackpot Royale jackpot system and a range of table games.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Kindred Group,” added Daniel Lechner, VP of Sales & Marketing at White Hat Studios.

“Its prominent market position in various jurisdictions around the world makes it a key player across the gaming sector and specifically within the rapidly expanding US market.

“Our high quality, engaging titles will boost both player acquisition and retention and we look forward to seeing Unibet’s players’ reception to our releases across the two states involved in the deal.”

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The provider’s slots portfolio will be made available to players in each respective state through the operator over the coming months, including titles such as Ted, Crazy Fishin’ and Almighty Buffalo Megaways.

A selection of table games will be added to the offering in the future, as well as slots with the Jackpot Royale progressive jackpot mechanic.

Gil Bushkin, Senior Director of Marketing at betPARX, stated: “We’re thrilled to announce our latest partnership with White Hat Studios. As one of the best icasino apps to play on, we remain committed to providing our users with a diverse and rewarding igaming experience. Integrating high-quality, fun, and entertaining content is at the heart of our mission.

“With this exciting collaboration, betPARX continues to deliver an easy-to-use igaming experience across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Michigan, ensuring our users have access to the finest selection of games. This partnership marks another milestone in our journey to becoming the ultimate destination for online gaming excitement.”

White Hat Studios’ partnership with betPARX is part of a US expansion for the slots provider. Earlier this year, the provider agreed to a similar deal with Caesars Entertainment in Pennsylvania.

“We are thrilled to announce this content agreement with betPARX. As a prominent operator across the US, betPARX will allow more users than ever before to gain access to our award-winning slots,” added Andy Whitworth, CEO of White Hat Studios.

“Users can expect innovative, high quality and familiar IP-driven titles, which have already proven so popular with a wide audience, along with a robust roadmap that will see frequent new titles released every month.”

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Coming after Rick Eckert, Managing director of Slot Performance and Analytics at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, singled out the pair, alongside Everi, as being best placed to challenge the status quo, the new top game ranks (analysed below) continue to be fruitful.

In addition, Eckert also cited Anaxi, Aristocrat’s real-money gaming arm, as a potential one to watch in potentially overhauling the dominance of Evolution, International Game Technology and Light & Wonder.

He said of the latest publication: “We published the Eilers-Fantini Online Game Performance Report – June ’23. Tracking GGR over the past 12 months Light & Wonder, Everi, and Digital Gaming Corporation show growth trends while Evolution and IGT are being impacted by more internal development in the table game segment and increased competition with slots.” 

Despite the rivalries within the US’s digital gaming domain becoming increasingly fierce, the familiarity witnessed across previous months when looking at the overall top grossing games is maintained through June.

The dominance of IGT’s Blackjack (1.86 per cent), L&W’s 88 Fortunes (1.55 per cent), up one spot, and Evolution’s Live Dealer Roulette (1.54 per cent) are proving a tough nut to crack, as the big three retain their places, despite falling percentages as competition ramps up.

Of the top 25 titles that are dominating the GGR charts, online slots maintain the lion’s share with 19 games. Live casino, all courtesy of Evolution, have four entrants, while table games comprise the remaining pair.

Sticking with the overall rankings, but adopting a slots focus, DGC’s previously unranked Gold Blitz surged to the top spot as L&W’s 88 Fortunes was displaced once again and closed the month in second. Bonanza by Evolution’s Red Tiger Gaming closed out the top three.

Eight unique suppliers are represented in the top 10, which, Eilers-Fantini noted, shows a continued variety in the segment. Joining L&W, DGC, Evolution, IGT and Everi are AGS, Inspired and Reel Play.

On an overall basis, familiarity was witnessed once again. Evolution leads the way overall with a total GGR of 22.4 per cent (16.1 per cent on a slots basis), which is up from the previous month’s 15.7 per cent. 

IGT was next in line with an overall percentage of 16.9 (April: 17.4 per cent), of which 15.4 per cent was slots, while L&W rounded off the top three once more with 16.7 per cent (April: 16.2 per cent) and a slots score of 19.9 per cent.

On the new games front, which saw the overall and slots ranks display identical rankings, DGC boasted six entrants, including four of the top five.

Gold Blitz knocked sister title Squelin Riches off top spot, with Amazon Kingdom and Bison Moon coming in fourth and fifth. 

The only previously unranked game comes from White Hat Studios, with the Jackpot Royale version of the popular Goonies theme splitting the DGC quartet.

On the ‘supplier mix by game category’ classification, it is Evolution that maintains its place at the summit via a slight rise month-on-month. Through June the group occupied 22.6 per cent (May: 22.3 per cent) of the space, of which 85.2 per cent (May: 85.8 per cent) are online slots.

IGT was next in line regarding the supplier percentage of GGR with 17 per cent (May: 17.6 per cent), of which 85.4 per cent (May: 85.3 per cent) were slots. L&W was up of 90.4 per cent (May: 90.1 per cent) of which slots claimed 16.9 per cent (May 16.3 per cent) of the total ecosystem.

Slots remained the dominant segment when looking at the total games tracked with a total percentage of 90.9, ahead of table games’ 4.3 per cent.

Live casino was next in line with two per cent, ahead of video poker’s 1.3 per cent, the 1.2 per cent gained by instant win and 0.2 per cent shared by lottery and bingo/keno. Each of these remained consistent MoM.

Mobile maintains its frontrunning status with the highest percentage of theo win generated at 66.6 per cent (May: 65.7 per cent) and leads across most segments, with desktop, via a theo win of 31.6 per cent (May: 31.9 per cent), soaring ahead in video poker and virtual sports. Tablet continues to bring up the rear with 1.9 per cent (May: 2.4 per cent).

This latest analysis examines data from Michigan, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut across 30 online casino sites, tracking 44,615 games to represent 59 per cent of the market.

If interested in learning more, subscribing, or participating in the Eilers-Fantini Online Game Performance Database reach out to Rick Eckert at reckert@ekgamingllc.com.

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