• Entain launches “The Chase” live gameshow in partnership with ITV and Playtech.
• The live gameshow is the first of its kind to market.
• Exclusively available to Entain’s UK, Canadian, Belgian and Brazilian customers.

In the first of its kind to market, Entain, the global sports betting and gaming group, announces the launch of a new live gameshow – “The Chase” – modelled on the popular ITV gameshow which attracts up to four million viewers daily in the UK.

The new gameshow has been developed in partnership with ITV and leading technology company, Playtech. It is exclusive to Entain’s brands and brings the excitement of the hit TV gameshow to players in a completely unique way. The game features a showstopping plinko board, as well as two bonus features that will keep players on the edge of their seat until the Final Chase. This means players do not have to worry about tackling tricky general knowledge questions to land big prizes.

In just its first month since launch, player spending on “The Chase” has skyrocketed by 56%, triple the revenue compared to previous top-tier launches with similar plinko mechanics. This overwhelming customer response underscores the game’s compelling design and engaging gameplay, setting a new standard in the gameshow genre.

The game is hosted from Playtech’s live studio in Riga and plays 24/7 for its customers around the world. “The Chase” first went live for Entain’s UK customers, followed by Ontario, Belgium, and Brazil. The next markets to follow with be South Africa and Italy.

Graciella Anthony, Global Head of Live and Table Games at Entain, said: “The launch of “The Chase” reaffirms Entain as the home of innovation, excitement, and fun. We are always striving to create innovative content that stands out in the growing live gameshow genre. As the data shows, it has already been a hit with our customers around the world and we expect the game to continue its impressive growth trajectory.”

Steve Watling, SVP Gaming, ITV Studios Global Partnerships, commented: “The Chase Live has been our most anticipated game release in 2024. We have been working with the teams at Entain and Playtech for many months on bringing one of the UK’s most successful and popular gameshow brands to the live casino space. The atmosphere and game elements of “The Chase” have been turned into an engaging and unique live game with the main plinko game, Head to Head and Final Chase bonus games. We are excited to see the game’s success exclusively across Entain’s portfolio.”

Kevin Kilminster, Chief Product Innovation Officer at Playtech, said: “We are thrilled with this bespoke delivery of popular ITV game show “The Chase” for Entain, following the highly successful launch of “Well Well Well Live”. This new gameshow, developed in partnership with Entain and ITV, is the first plinko live game developed by Playtech featuring two unique bonus rounds, emulating the experience of the original popular game show. This joint project is a testament to our strong partnership with Entain, as we remain committed to supporting them and creating new and unique content for their players.”

The SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator, a leading content hub for iGaming projects, introduced a new game category to its Tournament Tool. Crash games can now be included in tournaments alongside live games and slots. Operators can now create mixed tournaments featuring all types of games or organise tournaments focusing on a single game type.

As more game categories join the Tournament Tool, developers introduce specific measures to accommodate their unique mechanics. For crash games, operators now have the option to add a delay in calculating the final leaderboard. This delay helps exclude rollback bets from the results, ensuring fair and accurate tournament standings.

Crash games continue to gain popularity due to their simplicity, speed, and the level of control they offer, which is often lacking in slots. These games consistently rank among the top popular titles.

SOFTSWISS has analysed and compared player preferences in its focus regions and identified regional trends. Crash games are more popular in Latin America than in Europe. In Q2 2024, Aviator, the most popular crash game, ranked in the top 5 games globally and in Latin America, while slots dominated the European market. The share of crash games in Latin America was 3.9% of all games in Q2, compared to less than 1% in Europe.

SOFTSWISS’ market research in South Africa indicates that fast-paced games that offer instant gratification attract local players. Crash games’ straightforward mechanics and quick results help increase their popularity.

“We have integrated crash games into tournaments, aligning with gamification and social interaction trends. Previously, crash games attracted users with their social elements. Now, any game can become social and even more engaging as players can compete in tournaments across different game categories. The combination of tournaments with crash games, live games, and slots is truly winning – it enhances player experience and boosts casino performance,” said Tatyana Kaminskaya, Head of SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator.

According to internal research, integrating the Tournament Tool results in an average 4.23% increase in player spending during tournaments, rising to 9.01% post-tournament (based on 36 tournaments by ten operators).

The SOFTSWISS team is ready to share its expertise in online casino games and more during the iGB Live! on 17–18 July, stand 12-F30.