Industry News
NSoft: Why do we have three variations of Lucky Six?
Do not fix it if it isn’t broken, right? Well, no, not really, and let us tell you why. This is the story on how we upgraded the perfect game by adding necessary variations to global success based on our customers’ feedback and our own know-how.
Lucky Six back story
Our draw-based, bingo-style game Lucky Six is almost as old as the company. It was our firstborn child and the first asset for the foundation of soon to become a successful business in the betting and gaming industry on a global level. Everybody loves Lucky Six. Since the V1, the game was simple, neat, running on any device, with good (configurable) RTP. The RNG driven entertainment soon became a must-have for any betting shop. And yes, it was first made for bet shops.
How to play
A total of 48 numbers are divided into eight groups. Every group has its colour, so the player will find red, green, blue, purple, brown, yellow, orange and black coloured balls with numbers. The player chooses six to ten numbers, and 35 out of 48 numbers will be drawn from the drum.
To win the draw, the player has to guess six numbers correctly.
Evolution of the game
Ever since this basic setup, the game has been continuously renewed, always featuring something new – visual enhancement, better performances, new bonus games, simpler UX, richer statistics, sound effects, etc. It was and still is the ongoing process that resulted in one of the best bingo-style games on the market for the retail distribution channel.
In cooperation with our partners, and betting operators, we have gathered invaluable information from the players themselves, and that is the secret of Lucky Six – the players helped us polish it!
Satellite distributed
Lucky Six is available to the operators and players even in areas with a poor internet connection, thanks to satellite streaming. The satellite stream is performed via the shared channel and with no additional fee for the satellite steam service.
Lightning Lucky Six is born.
After conquering retail, naturally, we have released the game on the online channels: web and mobile. The process demanded the adaptation of the well known and lovable product to the somewhat different surroundings. Online Lucky Six needed to meet quite different expectations of online players. The biggest one was speed-related.
So, fast Lucky Six was born, and it was named accordingly: Lightning Lucky Six.
As we have already mentioned, and as the name itself suggested, the main change of Lucky Six for web and mobile app were speed rounds. The number of markets was optimised as well. This was done in order to keep desired dynamic of the game even with the speeded process and not to overwhelm the players. The entire setup of the Lightning Lucky Six game had the basic premise of creating a fast bet experience for the players. The backend used for the game is similar to one at Lucky Six, with the same flair and simplicity. It can run on almost any device as well.
Although the round duration is configurable in both games, it is evident that the optimal time between rounds for the online is significantly different from the land-based presentations. The payment procedure in a physical shop lasts longer, thus the longer in-between desired time, while online players can only be annoyed with a long delay between rounds.
Optimised markets do not diminish the overall betting experience. On the contrary, it lifts the game and aligns with the desired fast betting experience. Predefined systems 6/7, 6/8, 6/9 and 6/10 in both games give the players more options for winning.
Lucky Six in the Casino category
The expansion of Casino content spin games and video slots is exponential. A lightning-fast!
Online players have easily related to the fast, flashy games, IT games for the online channel.
NSoft has offered and still offers third party integration with leading casino providers covering every aspect of this industry niche. Recently, our Games team have started an exciting journey: the production of our own video slots and casino content. Together with several exciting slots representing the vertical, like Classic Neon, Temple of Horus, and Vice Nights, there is also a spin version of Lucky Six. The game is called Slingshot 6 and proudly represents the latest upgrade of our classic.
Slingshot 6 is a casino game for the online channel. It is a spin game based on bingo which brings diversity into inevitable video slots category and ultra-popular crash categories.
The game’s duration is configurable, but being an on-demand game, there is no waiting time between rounds unless the players choose to have one. The round duration spans from up to 3 sec in turbo mode to 35 seconds.
Similar to Lightning Lucky Six, Slingshot 6 offers optimised betting options, sweetened with the possibility to play on favourites and run the game within one second. A system bet is also available, as well as the bonus symbol, a star, which multiplies the winnings.
User Interface differences
Lucky Six UI differs from the UI made for lightning and casino game categories mainly due to the differences between the number of markets. Still, all of them offer neat design, simplicity, showcase round history, statistics, favourite numbers and appealing drum visualisation.
All games share the same legacy, yet every one of them has its place in the operators’ setting. The popularity of Lucky Six made Lightning Lucky Six desirable online content, which led to a version for the popular casino category.
Industry News
Dutch Mental Health Care Calls for Total Ban on Online Gambling Advertising
The Dutch mental health service is calling for a total ban on online gambling advertisements in the Netherlands.
Although a ban on untargeted gambling advertisements and a ban on the use of role models has been in effect since 2023, a recent research by KRO-NCRV’s Pointer shows that (illegal) gambling companies and sports tipster platforms are still enticing young people via social media such as TikTok and Snapchat.
By using influencers and terms like “free money”, they try to attract a young audience and thus lower the threshold to start gambling. This concerns both legal online casinos and online casinos that do not have a license in the Netherlands. The Gaming Authority has started an investigation based on Pointer’s findings.
Pointer’s research shows that part of the gambling industry deliberately targets young people who are often susceptible to promises such as “fast money” and the influence of role models. Ruth Peetoom, chair of the Dutch mental health service, compares this approach to that of the tobacco industry, where similar marketing strategies were used to get young people to smoke.
Despite the existing advertising ban, gambling companies continue to explore the boundaries of the law, according to Peetoom. The Dutch mental health and addiction care associations in the Netherlands therefore push for a total ban on online gambling advertising and stricter rules for the duty of care of gambling providers.
With the call for a total ban, the Dutch mental health care sector hopes to prevent further normalisation of gambling behaviour among young people and to protect them from the temptation and consequences of online gambling.
Compliance Updates
UKGC: Market impact data on gambling behaviour – operator data to Oct 2024
The Gambling Commission has published further data on the gambling industry in Great Britain.
This data, sourced from operators, reflects the period between March 2020 and September 2024, inclusive, and covers online and in-person gambling covering Licensed Betting Operators (LBOs) found on Britain’s high streets.
Comparison should not be made with the industry statistics dataset, as this dataset may include free bets and bonuses and does not include data from all operators.
This release compares Quarter 2 (Q2) of financial year 2024 to 2025, with Q2 of 2023 to 2024, looking at how the market has changed in comparative periods over a year.
The latest operator data shows:
- online total Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) in Q2 (July to September) was £1.32 billion, an increase of 11 percent from Q2 the previous year. The overall number of total bets and/or spins increased 12 percent Year-on-Year (YoY), reaching a new peak for the third consecutive quarter of 25.2 billion, whilst the average monthly active accounts2 in the quarter increased 8 percent
- real event betting GGY increased by 6 percent YoY to £453 million. The number of bets decreased 10 percent, while the average monthly active accounts in Q2 increased 9 percent
- slots GGY increased 16 percent to £680 million YoY. The number of spins increased 13 percent to 23.3 billion while the average monthly active accounts in Q2 increased 16 percent to 4.4 million per month. Although this is a new peak for GGY in this dataset for the slots vertical, it should be noted that one operator has re-classified some of its products into the slot vertical this quarter, which has had an impact on the vertical data
- the number of online slots sessions lasting longer than an hour increased by 9 percent YoY to 10 million. The average session length remained at 17 minutes. Approximately 6.1 percent of all sessions lasted more than one hour compared to 6.6 percent in Q2 the previous year. The number of spins per session has fallen from 147 to 142 YOY, whilst the GGY per session has fallen from £4.20 to £4.13 in the equivalent timeframe
- LBO GGY decreased by 1 percent to £533 million in Q2 2024 to 2025, compared to the same quarter last year, while the number of total bets and spins decreased by 0.1 percent to 3.1 billion.
Industry News
Petra Maria Poola Joins Xace as Group Commercial Director
Xace has announced that Petra Maria Poola has joined the company as Group Commercial Director.
Petra brings a wealth of experience from the iGaming industry having formerly held roles at several iGaming companies such as Yolo, Relax Gaming and SiGMA. She will lead the commercial growth of Xace and its group companies, including crypto and iGaming focused xda.io, helping to drive strategic initiatives across banking, fintech and iGaming solutions.
In her new role, she will mainly oversee the growth of the group’s sales, marketing and account management functions, ensuring a cohesive strategy that supports Xace’s ambitious expansion plans.
“I am incredibly excited to start this new chapter with Xace, and work alongside such a talented team and management. Transitioning into the fintech space, while still connected to iGaming, presents an exciting opportunity for growth and learning. I’m looking forward to applying my expertise to help Xace and its group companies achieve new heights commercially, while gaining deeper insights into the fast-evolving world of fintech,” said Petra Maria Poola.
Reuben Abel, CEO of Xace, said: “Petra’s extensive background in the iGaming sector, combined with her commercial acumen, makes her a valuable addition to the Xace team. She will play a crucial role in expanding Xace’s market presence and enhancing its suite of services tailored to the specific needs of the iGaming and fintech industries.”
-
Asia6 days ago
NODWIN Gaming partners with Japanese gaming company KONAMI for ‘eFootball Diwali Showdown’
-
Asia7 days ago
Red Bull M.E.O. returns in 2024 to India: BGMI qualifiers lead to thrilling LAN National Finals in Chennai
-
Asia7 days ago
GG.BET is inviting BLAST Premier: World Final attendees to the GG.BOOTH to take part in some fun activities
-
Australia7 days ago
ALLIANCE PARTNERS TABCORP AND 1/ST CONTENT COMPLETE DEAL WITH THE JOCKEY CLUB OF TURKIYE TO DELIVER TURKISH RACING TO AUSTRALIA VIA SKY RACING
-
Africa7 days ago
Tekkorp Launches Strategic Initiative To Capitalize On African Market
-
Baltics7 days ago
Genome launches SEPA instant payments, adding another valuable feature for iGaming companies
-
Industry News7 days ago
Swedish Gaming Group Cherry Weighs Sale of ComeOn
-
Eastern Europe7 days ago
ICONIC21 makes Romania debut with Princess Casino