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Spectrum Gaming Group Reveals Top 10 Trends for 2020

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Spectrum Gaming Group Reveals Top 10 Trends for 2020
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Spectrum Gaming Group, an independent research and professional services firm serving public- and private-sector clients worldwide, has developed its list of Top Trends that the global gaming industry needs to monitor in 2020.

For 16 years, Spectrum professionals have accurately predicted critical trends, ranging from its prediction 15 years ago that the gaming industry would move from rejection to acceptance to embrace of online gaming to its 2019 prediction that Asia’s online gaming industry – including the streaming of casino games to China from the Philippines and Cambodia – will face scrutiny from China and from international regulators.

The 2020 list has been developed in conjunction with experts from the Spectrum Group of Companies, including:

  • Spectrum Gaming Sports Group
  • Spectrum Asia
  • Spectrum Gaming Capital
  • Spectrum Esports Advisors

Spectrum tracks these and other trends on a regular basis, and we note that many of the trends we cite and monitor are multi-year trends. To view previous years’ lists, visit https://spectrumgaming.com/gaming-trends/

The top 10 trends for 2020 (in order of prominence) are:

  1. In Japan, 2020 will be the “Year of the Prefecture” in that prefectures will be fully involved in evaluating whether or not they will compete for one of three authorized integrated resorts (IRs). Prefectures will establish working groups and advisory councils to assist in this process and by the end of next year one or more prefectures will have selected their IR operator partner. Meanwhile, the National Government will name the Commissioners to the Casino Regulatory Commission and the regulatory agency will become operative by issuing a series of regulatory guidelines.
  2. The internationalization of gaming brands will continue, with Hard Rock International, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, and MGM Resorts International leading the pack. More jurisdictions in EuropeAfricaLatin America and elsewhere will seek out such brands as they continue to look to the development of IRs as economic generators.
  3. While igaming has been active for more than five years in the United States, more states will expand into this area in 2020. Digital sports betting will also continue its post-PASPA expansion. Those simultaneous trends could lead to more conflicts between lotteries and casino operators, as both industries look to igaming and sports betting as the means to attract younger demographics. Related to that, the expansion of sports betting into non-traditional outlets such as stadiums and sports bars will fuel the use of self-service betting terminals (SSBTs), leading to the potential installation of thousands of SSBTs in multiple states.
  4. Electronic gaming devices characterized as “skill-based” games that are not regulated will become more pervasive throughout the United States, garnering support from legislators seeking additional revenue as well as from retailers attracted by the prospect of additional revenue and foot traffic. This trend is also generating significant pushback from regulated offerings, particularly lottery games, based on concerns that such games cannibalize other forms of gaming.
  5. As mergers and acquisitions among gaming companies continue, more states will find themselves in a position in which their licensees operate facilities in nearby states. This will put pressure on states to develop more investment-friendly regulatory and tax systems to keep capital, jobs and revenue from flowing to more appealing jurisdictions.
  6. The Asia-Pacific Group, the organization affiliated with the Financial Action Task Force in Paris overseeing anti-money-laundering issues worldwide, will continue to push countries in Southeast Asia to increase their regulation of gaming especially in the areas of Licensing (determining beneficial ownership of casinos and online casinos) and anti-money-laundering.
  7. Crypto-based betting and gaming will continue to gain momentum. Many countries are seeking to regulate this activity, thus adding legitimacy and stability to what had been a highly fluctuating, volatile currency market. Similarly, the gaming industry’s use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality technologies will expand, with a focus on enhancing the customer experience.
  8. Handle from betting on team-based leagues and players in competitive esports gaming will grow in international regulated markets. In the US market, esports betting will remain minimal as the domestic gaming industry continues to focus on traditional sports betting, and will not devote significant resources to esports. However, regional gaming operators will increasingly view esports as an amenity, fueled by the increasing frequency of esports-related events in gaming hubs such as Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
  9. In Europe, gambling advertising will come under increasing pressure and scrutiny in the face of regulatory and pubic concerns that some messages do not sufficiently promote responsible gaming policies and practices, as required by law. At the same time, regulators throughout Europe and especially in the UK have signalled an increasing willingness to levy more fines, with greater penalties, against their licensees in a broad-based effort to ensure full compliance.
  10. Separating real estate from operations with real estate investment trust (REIT) ownership will become a more commonplace activity. At least one more REIT will enter the gaming field to provide more competition to leaders GLPI, MGP and VICI. Traditional, non-gaming real estate funds such as Blackstone will continue to buy well located but underperforming properties.

 

About Spectrum:

Spectrum Gaming Group is a non-partisan consultancy that specializes in the economics, regulation and policy of legalized gambling worldwide. We have provided independent research and professional services to public- and private-sector clients since 1993. We bring wide industry perspective to every engagement, having worked in 40 US states and territories and in 48 countries on six continents. Spectrum also serves as the Executive Director of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS).

 

SOURCE: Spectrum Gaming Group

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Industry News

Maximising Your Cross-Market Appeal

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Maximising Your Cross-Market Appeal
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With Bitblox introducing an entirely new breed of crypto-based price prediction games to the iGaming industry, we talked to CEO, Brandt Page, to discover how combining elements of both chance and skill with lightning-fast betting rounds has helped improve their cross-market appeal.

 

When Bitblox was first established, our core concept was relatively simple; we didn’t just want to provide players with a new twist on an existing format like slots or casino games, but instead sought to create an entirely new vertical that combined elements of chance and elements of skill.

One of the main drivers behind this decision was the fact that we wanted our releases to appeal to as broad an audience as possible – and I think from the figures we’ve seen so far, we’ve already had some notable success on that front in terms of the players that are engaging with our games.

Funnily enough, I was recently talking to the Head of Marketing from one of the operators that we work with and they told me they were struggling to place our games optimally. Initially, they’d put them in with crash and instant win content, but they soon discovered a lot of their in-game traffic was coming from sports bettors. A move to the sports betting tab followed, but the exact same-thing happened with casino players, leading to the games eventually winding up on the front page.

As this was going on, our games were continuing to post solid numbers with the customers who bet on both sports and casino – and all of this engagement was coming without there being any additional promotion from us or the operator. So why was it that our games were performing so well across these different player segments? I believe there are a number of contributing factors.

First and foremost, having this hybrid model of games of chance and games of skill that I’ve already mentioned has placed us in a fairly unique position within the iGaming industry. On the one hand, the simple premise of our Bitcoin-based titles – coupled with their attractive designs and intuitive UI – makes them highly accessible to casino players who are just looking to have fun.

On the other, the fact that Bitblox games aren’t based on RNG and are instead pinned to the real-time movements of the Bitcoin market certainly resonates with a sports betting audience. As they have the ability to follow the charts and use this information to inform their decisions, they definitely feel they have more control over the outcome than if they were playing a traditional slot.

Another key aspect of our cross-market appeal is the fast-paced nature of all Bitblox releases. With casino players being accustomed to the quick wins and instant gratification of slots and crash games and sports bettors also showing a growing preference for in-play wagering, we’ve ensured each game round is resolved quickly and that there are multiple opportunities for betting.

When we first launched Up or Down?, which features one-minute betting rounds, we soon learned that even this timeframe is too long for some players. This resulted in us developing Up or Down? Turbo – a game which kept the same mechanics as its predecessor but reduced the betting window to 20 seconds – and this has gone on to become one of our most successful titles.

Keeping all this in mind, one of the things I’m most excited about is the upcoming release of our latest game, 3 in a Row, as I think this is a title that really ties everything I’ve talked about so far together. Designed to look like a slot machine, 3 in a Row challenges players to correctly predict how the Bitcoin price will move over three separate 20-second windows for even bigger payouts.

Intended to appeal to casual users and serious sports bettors alike, players can elect to either spin the reels for fun and select a random price sequence or use the bet builder feature to put together their own custom prediction. With the latter essentially functioning like an accumulator bet, players can select up to three possible combinations – i.e. Up/Up/Up, Up/Up/Down etc – and only one result needs to land for them to win, ensuring they stay engaged until the final seconds.

I believe that 3 in a Row can help build on the strong foundations we’ve laid down with casino and sports bettors and provide operators with another popular option that offers significant cross-market appeal. Based on what we’ve seen from previous Bitblox releases, the audience for titles that combine elements of chance and elements of skill is definitely out there – and I’m looking forward to our unique brand of crypto-based games being enjoyed by even more players in future.

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Industry News

Gaming Corps to launch with lotteries in the USA via EQL games deal

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In-demand content provider extends reach into largest iGaming market in the world with its full suite of games made available via iLottery aggregation platform

Gaming Corps, a publicly-listed game studio based in Sweden renowned for creating industry-leading games, has made its debut in the US market through a breakthrough agreement with leading lottery provider, EQL Games.

The distribution agreement will see Gaming Corps’ full suite of games made available to EQL Games’ powerful iLottery Aggregation Platform, developed to provide lottery operators across America with direct access to a portfolio of proprietary and third-party games.

Following the integration, EQL Games’ lottery operator partners will be offered proven Slots, Table Games, Multiplier Games, Mine Games and Plinko Games, as well as titles under Gaming Corps’ innovative and trademarked Smash4Cash™ series.

The deal and integration come at a time of growing demand among online lottery operators in the US for non-traditional content, a format that Gaming Corps has excelled in, especially with its Smash4Cash™ games, which have been a hit with players in global markets.

EQL’s aggregation platform has been developed to allow online lottery operators to quickly and easily access content from multiple game studios simultaneously through one integration and one commercial agreement.

Its iLottery Aggregation platform simplifies the process of adding new games to an online lottery brand across regulated states. In addition to the third-party content provided via its aggregator platform, EQL Games has a portfolio of in-house titles.

This includes games produced under licence with Team USA which were rolled out by several state lotteries for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this year, with new titles being planned ahead of the Winter Games in Milan (2026) and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles (2028).

Juha KauppinenCEO of Gaming Corps, said: “The USA has always been somewhat of the holy grail for game developers like us, which has been further emphasised as markets in several states have become regulated. The potential in the American market is enormous, and the impact for us is a bit difficult to assess, but we have great hopes for the collaboration with EQL Games, which has an impressive platform towards U.S. lotteries.

“We believe it will have a significantly positive impact on our revenues. I would like to personally take the opportunity to thank EQL Games and Brad Cummings for the collaboration, and we are now working hard to complete the integration so that all our games will be offered to EQL’s customers via their platform.”

Brad CummingsCEO of EQL Games, added: “Including Gaming Corps as a supplier to the EQL Games iLottery Aggregator is an exciting step forward in our mission to offer unique, high-quality content to state lotteries. Gaming Corps’ expertise in iGaming, along with their unique game portfolio, fits perfectly with our vision of enhancing the lottery experience through dynamic and engaging content.”

 

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Industry News

Public Voting Starts for Ortak x B.F.T.H. Arena Awards 3.0

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The highly anticipated Ortak x B.F.T.H. Arena Awards 3.0 has officially entered the public voting phase as submissions are closed.

More than 70 game providers have turned in over 160 submissions, including Tom Horn Gaming, Pragmatic Play and RubyPlay. Public voting involves enthusiasts casting their votes to pick the winner of the Game of Public Choice category.

The Public voting phase ends on December 1st 23:59 GMT+4.

Concurrent to public voting, the first phase of private voting also starts during which all participants who have submitted entries get the chance to vote for one favourite in each category. An international auditing company oversees this phase to eliminate duplicate votes and self-votes. This phase ends on November 19, 23:59 GMT+4.

The second phase of private voting will also take place with a jury of industry experts making their decisions based on the shortlist picked by participants during the first phase.

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