Conferences in Europe
Can Fun Be Safe? The Role of Social Responsibility in Slot Game Design
The European Gaming Congress (EGC) returns to Warsaw for 2024 on 15-16 October, and organizer HIPTHER is proud to introduce the conference’s esteemed Sponsors – trailblazing companies and accomplished professionals that help make the magic happen! In this Sponsors Spotlight Interview, we welcome Maciej Makuszewski, iGaming Director at Promatic Group, parent company of the Platinum Sponsor for EGC 2024, Promatic Games.
For many people outside the gaming industry, putting social responsibility and online slot games in the same sentence might seem counterintuitive. What’s your perspective on this? How can a slot development company demonstrate responsibility?
You’ve hit on a very interesting point right from the beginning. From an outsider’s view, social responsibility and online gambling might seem like polar opposites—like water and fire. But within the industry, we understand that to succeed, all parties, and especially operators and game studios, need to cater to a broad audience. This includes not only players seeking excitement and adrenaline but also casual players who just want a bit of entertainment. We simply need to think about the mass market when designing the gaming experience.
From there, it becomes essential to safeguard ALL players by promoting responsible behaviors and minimizing risks. After all, even with a naturally risky activity like gambling, people still want a sense of security in their experience. This is where social responsibility becomes key. While the public often associates our industry with problem gambling or even addiction, this is a simplistic view. A problem gambler is not a good player—not for them, and certainly not for us. We aim to create a safe and enjoyable environment for all players, which ultimately benefits everyone involved.
So speaking of iGaming in general, what are the key areas when it comes to promoting responsible behavior and minimizing risks for players, as you rightly put it?
I would consider Responsible Gaming as an umbrella term that encompasses a range of measures. I usually break these down into several key categories:
- Identifying and protecting vulnerable players
- Game mechanics
- Transparency and communication
- Youth exposure
- Game design and incentives
- Financial limits and self-exclusion mechanisms
- Utilization of player data
Of course, this list can evolve depending on specific market needs, but these are the core elements. I haven’t included aspects like fairness or certification, as these are typically viewed as basic prerequisites in most regulated markets—they aren’t specific to Responsible Gaming but rather fundamental requirements for offering games to customers. Additionally, technical standards can also play a supporting role in fostering a responsible gaming environment.
Given that your role as a game studio is to provide the games themselves, how can you contribute to making the experience as responsible as possible? You’re not in full control over all of the seven areas you mentioned earlier.
You’re right—our role is narrower compared to operators, but we still have a significant impact in key areas. We can influence game mechanics, transparency and communication, youth exposure (to some extent), and game design and incentives. While we don’t manage player data, we can still support the identification of problem gambling behaviors.
Take game mechanics, for example. As a studio, we invest a lot of time in balancing the speed of gameplay with clear, accurate visualizations of the spin results. One of our key principles is ensuring that all our designs and developments are configurable to meet Responsible Gaming requirements. For instance, our games were recently certified in the Czech Republic, where the regulator mandates that each spin lasts at least two seconds. This is a Responsible Gaming measure, and our configurable software allowed us to implement this requirement quickly.
Another area that’s been a focus of many regulators is the Bonus Buy feature. We were hesitant to introduce it because some of the behaviors associated with this feature may heighten the risk of problem gambling. After months of careful consideration, we decided to launch it only with the ability to monitor every player action related to this functionality. We are committed to tracking this feature closely to ensure it aligns with responsible gaming standards.
You’re also going to touch on game design and incentives at the European Gaming Congress (EGC), correct?
Yes, that’s right! We’re excited to share the story behind one of our most innovative games, Ale Fajny BOBER. The game’s theme is inspired by a popular viral video, and it was a fascinating challenge for our team to translate the essence of a two-minute YouTube clip into an engaging slot experience. We had many discussions on how to best capture and visualize that story within a slot game format. But I’ll save the finer details for the conference—we’ll be talking about it on Day 1 during our presentation! Feel free to join and ask questions!
You mentioned the game Ale Fajny BOBER. Could our readers be familiar with other titles that have come out of your studio?
Ale Fajny Bober is indeed a new game, which had its premiere in Poland on September 26. Promatic Games has a portfolio of hundreds of exciting slot games that have been both successful and widely appreciated by players. Some of these include: Mummy’s Treasure Deluxe, Janosik 30 and Miss Joker Show – the latter has even been shortlisted for the Best iGaming Product category at the EiGE2024 awards, with the final taking place at the upcoming conference. I warmly invite to join us at the event and cast your vote for our title. See you there!
Promatic Group’s iGaming Director, Maciej Makuszewski, and Product Design Manager, Luka Oblak, will be presenting a workshop at the European Gaming Congress on ‘Mastering the Art of Balanced Slot Development.
Join us in Warsaw and meet the Promatic Games Team in person:
The International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) and the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL) are preparing to host the largest conference in their history. Taking place in Rome from 21–24 October 2024, the event has confirmed over 400 attendees from across 50+ countries and six continents.
‘This year’s record attendance is a clear reflection of the global appetite for collaboration and innovation within gaming regulation,’ says Ben Haden, President of IAGR.
‘With over 400 attendees from over 50 countries, this is not just our largest conference, but a testament to the desire of regulators, lawyers and industry thought leaders to address the evolving challenges and opportunities in gaming. The conference provides the opportunity for us all to come together, share insights and shape the future of gaming regulation.’
Close to 100 expert speakers and panelists will present at the event. Attendees will explore topics including artificial intelligence, responsible gaming and the battle against illegal gambling.
IMGL President Quirino Mancini commented, ‘This conference offers a breadth of topics and insights, with deep expertise from the speakers and panelists. I’m excited to welcome delegates to my home city of Rome for this unparalleled opportunity to exchange knowledge and ideas.’
Speakers and panelists include:
- Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive, Gambling Commission Great Britain
- Dr Tony Schellinck, CEO, Focal Research Consultants, Canada
- Anders Dorph, Director, Danish Gambling Authority
- Peter Kesitilwe, CEO, Botswana Gambling Authority
- Anna Harry, General Counsel, Casino Gaming Commission, Jamaica
- Matt Smith, Head of External Affairs, Betknowmore
- Simo Dragievic, Co-Founder, The Game Safety Institute, United Kingdom
- Mark Pace, Vice-President, IGSA & GSA Europe Managing Director
- Matthew Anderson, Manager – National Self-Exclusion, Australian Communications and Media Authority
- Dr Mary Donohue, CEO & Founder, The Digital Wellness Center, Canada
- Kevin Mullally, CEO, General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, United Arab Emirates
- Bonnie Andrews, Research Manager, Massachusetts Gaming Commission, USA
- And many more
Milena Tsankarska, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer, represented ZettaOnline at the SBC Summit, leaving the event with promising new opportunities for the company. The summit, held from September 24th to 26th, 2024, at the Feira Internacional de Lisboa, brought together some of the top global experts in the gaming industry in the Portuguese capital.
“We have the chance to exchange ideas and form promising new partnerships which faced directly our marketing strategy to expand our services to different markets by establishing and cultivating long-term partnerships with new clients,” shared Milena Tsankarska. “At Lisbon our team was actively involved in engaging with industry peers, showcasing our cutting-edge solutions, and discussing potential collaborations that could drive mutual growth and success,” she added afterwords.
More than 600 exhibitors showed their new products and services within the gaming and entertainment industry in Lisbon. There also were a variety of dynamic conference formats where 450+ speakers shared their experience, and everyone had the opportunity to connect with 25,000 industry professionals.
“We would like to thank the organizers for hosting such an outstanding event. We’d also like to extend our gratitude to our esteemed partners and clients for the opportunity to reconnect, explore new possibilities, and create memorable moments together,” said Milena after the SCB Summit. At the SBC Summit, there were several themed areas like the Casino & iGaming Zone, Sports Betting Zone, Player Protection Zone, ESI Lisbon – Esports, Gaming & Creators Zone, and two summits: Payment Expert Summit and Affiliate Leaders’ Summit.
Next stop for Zettaonline’s team is BEGE/EEGS, which are two of the premier events in the gaming and entertainment industry. The Balkan Entertainment and Gaming Expo (BEGE) will showcase the latest innovative technologies and trends from across the sector. The Eastern European Gaming Summit (EEGS) is an annual gaming conference, just parallel to BEGE, with more than 400 industry representatives from 25 countries. For more information about our participation and to book a meeting with us, please contact [email protected].
ELA Games, an innovative game studio, successfully concluded its participation in the prestigious SBC Summit in Lisbon. Over the course of the multiday event, the team demonstrated multiple games and new content to guests.
Over 25,000 delegates attended the networking conference, and the ELA Games team welcomed iGaming professionals, operators and industry leaders at its accommodating stand. Interest and attention around the studio’s new games and upcoming titles flourished as current and prospective partners and customers visited the stand to demo ELA Games’ offerings.
Joker Cashpot and Devil’s Treasures were key points of interest for visitors. The team described Joker Cashpot’s unique gameplay mechanics and outlined the game’s success. Visitors were also intrigued by Devil’s Treasures’ captivating PopWins™ mechanics, which allows players to chain together massive wins. Apart from these two key games, the team highlighted new releases like AquaMafia and Farm Hunt.
David Fall, ELA Games’ Business Development Manager, commented on the studio’s attendance at the event, saying, “It’s always a pleasure to meet current and prospective partners, as it allows ELA Games to gather feedback and communicate with the public directly. The SBC Summit was a great success for our studio as we made valuable additions to our professional network and feel motivated to close 2024 strong. We look forward to future events where we can continue to demonstrate our growth.”
The ELA Games studio held key discussions with industry figures and outlined the company’s recent expansion. In 2024, ELA Games committed to double its game output to two titles per month. To facilitate this increase in production, the studio underwent a massive change, doubling its creative and technical teams. This news was well-received by partners, who are excited to see how ELA Games will continue to create innovative and high-performing games.
ELA Games has more expansive plans for 2024 Q4. It will continue to publish two games per month and attend key industry events. You can meet David Fall and the team at the SiGMA Summit Europe in Malta from November 11 to 14.
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