New Gambling Games Q3 September 2011

Friday September 16,2011 : Despite challenges in the form of international regulatory and enforcement events, and the impact of economic recession across the world, the online gambling industry has continued to innovate and develop a plethora of new games, distributed via a diversity of channels, in the three months since our last report of this nature.
 
The following is a snapshot covering the latest releases.
 
ONLINE CASINO:
 
Recent game releases show no sign of slowing down with new, challenging and exciting offerings brought to market to attract new and keep existing customers.
 
Online gaming firm 888 Holdings PLC finalised a licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Digital Distribution for the right to distribute two Warner Bros. cinematic classics; The Clash of the Titans and Nightmare on Elm Street.  InfoPowa will report in more detail after release.
 
Terrestrial slot machine manufacturer Aristocrat Leisure Limited subsidiary Aristocrat Gaming continued its foray into the online games arena with the adaptation of another two of its popular land-based slots to the online market; "Choy Sun Doa", a Chinese-themed 5-reel online slot with 243 ways to win; and a 5-reel, 25-payline slot titled “Werewolf Wild”.  An agreement reached in March 2011 between the company and online Gambling Network GameAccount saw the development to online of a popular and high performing Aristocrat terrestrial slot, the African safari-themed “50 Lions”.
 
Ash Gaming’s contribution to the period under review is titled “Chests of Plenty”, a 5-reel, 20-payline slot that promises to take players on a pirate-filled, swashbuckling adventure to Treasure Island.
 
“King of the Aztecs” from the Barcrest Group is another successful land-based game optimised for the online environment.  A feature-rich offering, themed around the ancient Mexican empire.
 
Online gambling software provider Betsoft forged ahead with numerous new releases over the review period augmenting its Slots3 interactive games inventory with titles including;  “A Night in Paris”, “The Glam Life”, “Arrival”, “Viking Age”, “Tycoons”, “Treasure Room”, “The Heist” and its latest offering “True Illusions”.
 
Canadian-based Amaya Gaming Group’s recent acquisition of Chartwell Technology didn’t slow the firm’s gaming development team down with the debut of its highly anticipated 20-line slot “Vampires vs Werewolves” that includes an industry-first ‘clash scatter’ reward feature.
 
Other releases over the review period included;  “Shogun Showdown”, a 50-line slot; “Call of the Colosseum”, a Roman-themed 25-Payline slot, “Thundering Zeus” and Chartwell’s first 1024-ways slot “Lost Temple”.
 
Cryptologic released the 5th addition to its DC Comics slots category, a 5-reel, 50-payline video slot titled "The Flash: Velocity".
 
European television production house Endemol’s gaming arm Endemol Games showcased “The Million Pound Drop”, a 5-reel, 20-payline video slot based on the well-known TV game show of the same name.
 
Other releases over the review period included a 20-line slot machine game titled “CatchPhrase!”, also based on a popular TV Quiz show; and “Dusty Bin”, a slot combined with a game show experience.
 
“Fun Fair Ride” is a new release from EU Casino, presumably from the games development team at SkillOnNet.  The third 3D slot game in-a-series is a 10-payline slot expected to be as popular as the company’s two previous releases “Vampire Feast” and “Magic & Wonders”.
 
Australian-based online gambling software developer Eyecon Pty Ltd launched a 25-line, 5-reel slot game based on a British television character and titled “Roland Rat Super Star”.  The game joins Eyecon’s inventory of over sixty slot games.
 
Gamesys’ new development team released two new games to the company’s Jackpot Joy operational website titled “Jalapeño Racers” and "Jungle Jump".  The new games join an inventory of unique proprietary games.
 
The online gaming company’s latest scoop is the rights to develop a series of online games based on the British prime time TV game show “Red or Black?” which has proven to be popular with the British public.  “Red or Black? Slots”, “Red or Black? Instant”, “Red or Black? Hi Lo” and “Red or Black? Stacks” have been developed and launched on Jackpot Joy.com.
 
A new online football game “Goaldash” launched into the UK market by Goaldash UK.  The game is a combination football pool and lottery game where players attempt to guess or predict which six UK or Scottish professional football league teams will score the six fastest goals producing six hopefully winning numbers at a cost of GBP1.00 per ticket.

International Game Technology’s (IGT) recent release “Monopoly: You're in the Money” takes players on a journey through London’s famous landmarks.  The 30-payline slot is an exclusive, officially endorsed title from the renowned Monopoly brand.
 
Isle of Man-based developer Microgaming steamed ahead with numerous releases over the period.  “Multi-Player Premier Roulette – Diamond Edition”, offers players the opportunity to play roulette with other players, placing bets alongside each other and watching how they play.
 
“Hexaline”, an alternative slot style game from Microgaming where players aim to complete a coloured chain of adjacent hexagons from left to right on a honeycomb grid.
 
A 40-payline slot themed on ancient Egypt and titled “Multi-Player Isis” is based on the popular Isis video slot.  The game allows players to play alongside fellow online slot players participating in the same game.
 
Microgaming’s August 2011 offering takes the features of a traditional slot game and incorporates them into a new game where the aim is to complete a chain of matching adjacent coloured triangles anywhere on the triangular grid.  The game is appropriately named “Triangulation”.
 
Continuing with its August release, “Mount Olympus: The Revenge of Medusa” is a new 5-reel, 25 pay-line video slot, based on the mythical Greek legend of Medusa.
 
The latest table game additions to Microgaming’s gaming portfolio are titled  “Baccarat Gold” and “Spingo”.  The new multi-bet table game “Baccarat Gold” debuted with an innovative ‘Card Peeking’ feature that allows the player to rotate, twist and peek at the cards being dealt.  “Spingo” is based around a bingo-style draw machine that draws numbered bingo balls onto a roulette-style wheel.
 
To round off the company’s contribution, the epic “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” has been revamped with the addition of four progressive jackpots, enhanced imagery and a new character.

Microgaming’s progressive game “Mega Moolah” launched its own dedicated website.  The popular African-themed 5-reel, 25-payline slot and "Wheel of Fortune"-style progressive jackpot game’s website launched following a six-month soft launch.
 
Swedish developer Net Entertainment joined the ranks with a slew of new releases.  A 5-reel, 3-row, 15-bet line slot “Dragon Island” – its first video slot to feature “Win Both Ways”.   The latest in the company's Smart Range series, "Egyptian Heroes" launched with a new feature ‘the Golden Bet line’, a randomly selected bet line that has a random multiplier ranging from x2 to x5.
 
Net Entertainment’s “Kings of Chicago” is the first game in the company’s portfolio that blends the essential elements of a video poker game into a video slot  using playing cards in a video slot environment.  While not an industry first, it’s bound to provide some formidable competition.
 
Ending off the period under review, Net Entertainment’s most recent slot release “Robin Hood: Shifting Riches” features the famous medieval outlaw who took from the rich to give to the poor.  A 5-reel, 20-payline slot with entertaining features.
 
5-reel, 25-payline slots “Hot Hot Volcano” and “The Snake Charmer” went live, the games were developed by independent gaming supplier NextGen Gaming.
 
“Frank Miller's Sin City” slot launched by PartyGaming in June 2011, offers 50-paylines across 5-reels.  The theme is based on the comic title of the same name, authored by comic legend Frank Miller.
 
Software developer Playtech augmented its newly-developed online scratchcard line with scratchcards based on some of its most popular titles.  “Iron Man 2 Scratch”, “3 Clowns Scratch” and “Kong Scratch” augment a portfolio that includes previously released “Santa Scratch” and “Pharaoh’s Kingdom” amongst others.
 
The company’s latest slot offering is titled “Mr. Cashback”, a rich-featured slot game in which players have the innovative opportunity to win back money for lines that did not win.
 
QuickSilver Games, a Talarius Ltd subsidiary, is capitalizing on the upcoming 2012 London Olympics with the introduction of  “Capital Cashpot".  The 5-reel, 20-payline multi-slot is themed around London’s famous landmarks.
 
Fans of RealTime Gaming’s development studios enjoyed the June 2011 release of “White Rhino”, a 5-reel, 25-payline slot machine with an African safari theme. A 5-reel, 15-payline slot “Reel Blood” followed in August 2011 exploiting the current fascination with all things scary and blood curdling.  The company’s most recent release is themed on high living in a Hollywood of yesteryear.  The entertaining 5-reel, 25-payline game, “Glitz & Glamour” provides the backdrop to a wide range of features.
 
Rival Gaming’s recent launch of a golfing-themed slot titled “The Back Nine” is a continuation  of the company’s flagship title “Hole In Won”.  A 5-reel, 15-payline video i-Slot with 27 winning combinations.  The company also released “Summer Ease” during the review period, a 5-reel, 20-pay-line slot themed on summer holidays.
 
Relative newcomer to the games development scene is the Costa Rica-based games development studio Sheriff Gaming.  The Company continues to impress with a range of new entertaining, feature and graphic-rich releases augmenting an inventory of over twenty 3D games since it was first established a little over two years ago.  All games are designed and developed by this in-house development team that recently entered into a licencing deal with Rival Gaming.
 
Some of the company’s latest releases include “King of the Tyrannosaurids: Jack's T-Rex” – a comical, childlike fantasy slot incorporating dinosaurs, the FBI and special friendships.
 
“Castle Mania” goes back to the Middle Ages introducing players to a goofy Joker in homemade armour who is on a quest to slay a terrorizing dragon.
 
Past releases include “Funky Chicken”, “Fortune of the Pharaohs”, Beretta’s Vendetta”, “The Temple of Shangri-La”, “Dog Ca$her”, “French Cuisine”, “The McMurphys”, “Dr. Magoo’s Adventure” and “Crazy Jewellery”, previously credited to Rival Gaming but originating in Sheriff Gaming’s design studio’s.
 
Forthcoming attractions include a 20-winline slot with jackpot titled "No Mercy".  The game will take the player into Chicago's underworld in the early 1930s… incorporating gangsters, cops, bootleggers, tommy guns and the like.  Others to look forward to are “Captain’s Treasure”, “Lucky Heroes” and “Ca$h Hunter”.
 
Online casino operator Sky Vegas launched “Banzai Challenge!” a 5-reel slot based on the popular Banzai! television show in the United Kingdom.  Complete with Japanese-style graphics, fun voice-overs and crazy tasks, Banzai Challenge! is an innovative departure from the norm, with the possibility for players to win up to 2 000x their bet.
 
Slotland online casino added another proprietary slot to its portfolio this month (September) titled “Pearls of Atlantis”. The game is a 5-reel, 9-payline slot featuring a unique bonus round where players can win up to five times the value of a "Treasure Chest Fund".
 
Online gaming and entertainment software provider TopGame debuted a variety of new games over the period.  “Bee Land”, new five-reel, twenty-payline slot game; the “Casino War” card game; “Weed Whacker” a six section online scratchcard; and “Cool Stone Age”, a 20 pay-line game with an amusing Fred Flintstone-like cartoon theme.
 
“Magic Pot”, a 5-reel, 25-payline slot with a decidedly rural Irish feel was released in August by Viaden Gaming.  Other releases over the period from this established internet gaming developer include five feature-rich online slots: “Cherry-Go-Round”, “Dragon’s Tale”, “Empire’s Glory”, “Land of Unicorn” and “Lucky Pirate”; a lottery game of Keno and an entertaining Golden Flush video poker – joining a gaming suite that already includes a variety of poker games, online roulette, fruit machines, card games, and video pokers.
 
The proprietary gaming suite at WinADayCasino.com has been boosted by the addition of another new internet slot to its unique collection titled “Grand Liberty”, a 5-reel video slot machine with 30-paylines featuring two bonus games. The title and theme for the game was decided in consultation with players in a promotion on the casino's Facebook page.
 
WM Games (World Match Ltd), a Malta-licenced online gaming software provider introduced a slew of new offerings to the industry including: “King Tut’s”, a multi-line 2D slot; “Polar Adventure”; a 5-reel, 25-payline fairy tale adventure “Mad Hatter”; a comic-style slot featuring super heroes “Hero War”; and its latest release, “The Last Crusade”, a multi-line 5-reel, 25-payline slot.
 
The prolific games developer WMS Gaming was unstoppable over the review period with the release of a multitude of new games on its operational website Jackpot Joy.
 
First up was “Blue Lagoon”, a tropical island-themed addition to its Hot Hot Penny series, followed by “Chieftan” an Aztec-themed 5-reel slot with generous bonus and free spin features. The company successfully converted a popular land casino slot to the online environment titled “Gold Fish”, a proven five-reel, 20 pay-line online slot that has been a hit with land players. “Star of India”, another addition to its Hot Hot Penny Series, launched featuring iconography of the Taj Mahal and the giant Star of India diamond.  “Black Knight”, another of the company’s popular land based slots converted to online is a 5-reel, 30-payline G+ slot joining others such as “The Wizard of Oz”, “Bruce Lee” and the “Star Trek” series.
 
September 2011 saw WMS Gaming’s latest release go live exclusively on Jackpot Party.com, the much anticipated “John Wayne”.  This slot captures the true grit of Hollywood past by introducing a theme featuring all-time great John Wayne.
 
A recent deal with Phantom EFX will see several WMS Gaming slot-based themes brought to PC, digital download and mobile platforms in the near future.
 
It is worth noting that an all-time internet gambling record for largest progressive jackpot could be in prospect following the news this week that Net Entertainment’s MegaFortune progressive slot’s jackpot is currently approaching Euro 11 million.
 
 
MOBILE SECTOR
 
A new study released in August 2011 by gambling consultancy H2 Gambling Capital predicts more growth for the popular mobile gambling channel, with a further prediction that usage patterns will change over the next five years.
 
The consultancy forecasts that the mobile gambling market in 2015 will be worth Euro 5.4 billion, achieving a compound annual growth of 19.3 percent.  The market is currently valued at around Euro 2.22 billion.
 
Usage patterns in the next five years will sway from the current driving force of betting on racing to gaming and lottery activity, predicts H2 Gambling Capital.
 
Many top European gambling groups have already identified mobile innovation as key areas for optimization and the results speak for themselves.  In the past month these and other firms have reported exceptional growth in mobile thereby producing a positive impact on their recent financial results.
 
–     William Hill’s mobile betting activities generated a 600 percent growth in revenues.
 
–     Paddypower.com’s mobile sportsbook turnover was up 279 percent with 35 percent of active customers transacting via mobile, generating 22 percent of stakes.
 
–     The SBR A+ rated sportsbook operator BetDSI provided further affirmation reporting that it has seen impressive annual growth in mobile betting of over 700 percent on the channel.
 
–     Mobile gambling helped to offset losses in other areas for online betting exchange Betfair, with the number of bets on smartphones and other mobile devices almost doubling – translating to an increase in revenues of GBP 4.2 million.
 
 
GAMES LAUNCHED / ADAPTED FOR MOBILE:
 
Bwin, a brand of bwin.party digital entertainment plc, launched its real money Bwin Poker app for Android smartphones.
 
A relatively unknown Indonesian company CV. Unlimited Satisfaction released a new horseracing-based offering branded “Horse Race Card”.  The app is compatible with most smart phones on platforms such as iPhone, with Blackberry and Android versions due soon.  The game provides social interaction and excitement for up to five players, as it seeks to recreate the experience felt when picking the winner of a horse race.
 
Mobile developer mkodo in conjunction with online gambling group Rank Interactive presented an Android version of Rank’s mobile bingo game “Britain’s Got Talent” based on the popular TV show of the same name.
 
Probability PLC’s mobile flagship brand, LadyLuck’s mobile casino, launched a new graphic-rich five-reel, 30-payline mobile slot game titled “Knight Quest” featuring fire-breathing dragons, damsels in distress, and a brave knight.
 
Spin3 released Microgaming’s “Mega Moolah” slot as a fully native Android app.  The game provides immersive mobile gaming through rich graphics, detailed animations and sound effects.
 
Viaden Gaming ventured into the mobile market with the successful launch of its “Real-Money-Casino” application.  The fully HD and 3D real-money casino software is available to UK gambling businesses and is for use on Apple's iPad, iPhone and iTouch devices.
 
 
FUNCTIONAL MOBILE APPLICATION RELEASES:
 
UK bookmaker Betfred and Fantasy iTeam partnered up to release a new fantasy football manager app pertinent to the English Premier League.  The app is iPhone, iPod or iPad accessed, managed and compatible.
 
Swedish mobile gambling technology specialist Mobenga, recently acquired by Playtech, developed an online sportsbetting app for SkyBet in anticipation of the new Premier League season. The iPhone and iPad app allows mobile customers in the UK and Ireland to browse and place online bets on over 4000 events per week, including 750 football events with enhanced live betting and live scores.

The association continued with SkyBet releasing another Mobenga-developed app titled "Bet 2 View" in conjunction with Racing UK.  The app is designed to meet customer demands for live horse racing streamed to iPhone and iPad clients.
 
UK online and land gambling group Paddy Power also collaborated with mobile technology specialist Mobenga to launch a dedicated Blackberry service for all Blackberry mobile punters.
 
On-Mobi, a boutique mobile ad network and app developer specializing in the finance and gaming sectors debuted "Poker Planner", an iPhone/iPad/iTouch compatible poker tournament scheduler.  Special features of the real-time schedule app include tournament schedules for leading poker rooms, multiple filtering options, notification setup and promotional updates.
 
Digital media solutions outfit Tiger Spike developed a mobile betting app for Australian online sports betting company Centrebet, successfully attaining approval from Apple’s iStore.  The app will initially be targeted at the Aussie betting public.
 
Another collaboration between UK bookmaker William Hill and the Racing Post has resulted in a new football app titled “Football Bet”.  The app launch coincided with the start of the Premier League football season and provides simple, fast betting combined with easy-to-digest betting stats and tips.  It is iPhone, iPad, iTouch compatible.
 
The launch of an integrated digital betting product marked the renewal of The Sun's “GBP 1 Million Dream Team" fantasy football game commercial partnership between UK bookmaker William Hill and News International.  The Dream Team iPhone and Android smartphone app will allow customers to tap-through and make bets on matches with William Hill without leaving the app. The integrated betting functionality will go live later in the season.
 
 
SOCIAL GAMING RELEASES:
 
Another identified growth area for many firms from both a marketing and product perspective, is the social gaming arena with various cross-over strategies being implemented on these platforms.
 
London-based social gaming studio iwi launched a new game “Jackpotjoy Slots” as a free to play social entertainment on Facebook.  The game is based on a classic slot mechanic, with a strong real-time social interaction component. Jackpotjoy Slots launches with 10 different themed slot games, each with its own unique characters and bonus rounds.