Free-to-play specialist unveils ingenious new football game to improve fan engagement for rising-star operator

SportCaller, the leading free-to-play (FTP) sports-game provider, has rolled out a cutting-edge game, The Ladder, to instant acclaim and spikes in fan engagement for UK operator, Virgin Bet.

The game is the latest in an ongoing partnership between the pair, which began with the launch of LiveScore6 in early 2020. The Ladder is a live-quiz product, tailored exclusively to Virgin Bet’s thriving Sports base, which asks customers to test the strength of their football general knowledge and compete over 10 questions for a wide range of easily-attainable free bets or prizes which are awarded at the start of any given weekend.

In order to collect, players must submit their answers within a 10-second timeframe, as a live countdown clock unwinds for each question. However, true to the quiz’s easy-trigger nature, players can enjoy a helping hand from a series of Power-Ups which offer them valuable lifelines as they progress through the game. These unique features include Go 50-50 (taking away two multiple-choice answers), Free Pass (the answer is automatically provided) and Extra Time (extending the time permitted to submit an answer).

Incorrect participants slip down The Ladder for the day or week, while correct respondents are required to complete the full 10-question course to win their share of a big prize pool, or one of many other smaller free bets. The signature limited-time countdown, coupled to varied question-alternating functionality and a deep well of topical football data, guards against system-manipulation and improves the customer experience with its fun, intuitive gameplay.

SportCaller has also added live leaderboards, which update in real-time, allowing players to keep track of their performance and join in a daily battle for bragging rights against their friends or peers, thereby organically driving brand loyalty, repeat visits and core retention for Virgin Bet.

This innovative live-quiz product showcases SportCaller’s flexibility and capacity to deliver softer marketing functions with which to responsibly maintain player engagement and digital dwell-time. Accordingly, it constitutes another agile and timely component for the market-leading supplier’s progressive portfolio and marketing strategies for both leading operators and media partners.

Cillian Barry, MD at SportCaller, said: “We’re delighted to both extend and evolve our current collaboration with Virgin Bet by launching The Ladder. This general knowledge live-quiz format has proved particularly popular and versatile for operators and their players, not only during the lockdown but also as sports have returned. The pent-up passion among fans is palpable.

“Our array of games and mechanics now allow any client to offer a softer, and more accountable, means of keeping players engaged with their key products of interest. Indeed, this recent movement is part of a wider trend that’s very encouraging to witness – in that most of our games with Tier-1 operators in mature markets are aimed at securing retention in a sustainable and responsible way. It’s vital for our industry to promote consumer protection and education.”

Richard Leask, Marketing Director for Virgin Bet, added: “We’re thrilled at The Ladder’s immediate connection with our customers, as they pit their wits against each other on these rapid-fire tests of trivia. SportCaller’s live-quiz configurations are as engaging as they are simple to play, and this has quickly shone through in some impressive weekly repeat-visit rates for the game.

“SportCaller offer us flexible formats that responsibly sustain players’ attentions and allegiance, fostering long-term loyalty that comfortably outstrips those customers who have never enrolled in games like The Ladder.”

SportCaller has now launched almost 100 games across 47 countries and in 20 languages in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, Australasia and North America. In the past 12 months it has also rolled out 44 new games, doubling the total number of games offered across the previous three years.

FunFair Games will play a major role in this year’s digital World Gaming Executive Summit (WGES) as both a sponsor and multiple panel participant at the exclusive iGaming conference.

The digital edition of the prestigious industry event will take place from the 8^th to the 9^th December and will see senior executives from around the world attend two days of live presentations, panel debates, fireside conversations and roundtables. The event will also offer plenty of networking opportunities for delegates.

As well as being a Silver Sponsor of the event, FunFair Games’ COO Lloyd Purser will participate in three speaking slots across the two-day event. He will host a fireside chat alongside Mattias Wedar, CPTO of LeoVegas and Tobias Svensen, CEO of CasinoGrounds, on innovating the online casino experience for Gen Y and Z players; sit on a panel with industry colleagues outlining the things companies should be wary of when getting into the blockchain-based gaming space; and discuss innovation in iGaming payments with Gregory Kirstein from PaySafe.

The event will be the culmination of an exciting year for FunFair Games that is gearing up to launch its new and unique multiplayer gaming content designed for new generation players. The developer’s first title – Rocketeers, To The Moon! – is set to lift off in late Q1 2021, and will invite players to team up for big wins in a ‘Crash’ style game sure to ramp up the anticipation for its Gen Y and Z target audience.

FunFair Games is also planning to introduce additional innovative multiplayer concepts products in 2021, in what will be a landmark year for the business.

Lloyd Purser, COO of FunFair Games, said: “WGES is well-known as one of the most exclusive events on the industry calendar and one that always offers an agenda of thought-provoking panels and high-level presentations from sector executives.”

“We are thrilled to play a major role in this year’s digital edition and look forward to sharing our views and expertise to industry colleagues while learning about the latest trends and developments.”

Swedish developer Gaming Corps AB has signed an agreement with operator Interwetten for the distribution of casino slots via aggregator. Interwetten is a pioneer of the iGaming industry, focused on German-speaking markets.

Gaming Corps has partnered with operator Interwetten, a pioneer in the iGaming industry founded in 1990. In 1997, Interwetten was the second operator in the world to go online and in 2004 they started their online casino business. Interwetten has several licenses internationally and a strong position in German-speaking countries. Gaming Corps, a publicly listed Swedish developer in Gaming and iGaming, will provide Interwetten with casino slots, distributed via aggregator.

“I am happy to present this new agreement today, having had great experience working with Interwetten in the past. It will be a positive partnership for both parties I am sure. Interwetten has a dominant position in the German-speaking markets, as well as a loyal following in many other markets too, and that will have an effect on the distribution volume of Gaming Corps’ products. My colleagues and I look forward to what we believe will be a successful partnership for the long term.” says Mats Lundin, Chief Commercial Officer, Gaming Corps.

“We are excited to engage another developer and add more content to the Interwetten game portfolio. Gaming Corps is a young, ambitious company with the drive to grow, and that fits our strategy as we continue the geographic expansion of Interwetten. I am excited to see this partnership evolve over the coming years and bid Gaming Corps welcome!” says Mario Bilic, Head of Product Management, Content and CRM at Interwetten.