Panellists:
Vigen Safaryan, chief product officer, Galaxsys
Danielle Calafato, chief commercial officer, Gaming Corps
Anna Vikmane, director, BETER Live
Julian Borg-Barthet, chief commercial officer, Lady Luck Games
What challenges did you face coming into a competitive market?
BETER Live: Across the past five years, the live casino industry has expanded significantly. More and more confident and competitive players are entering this market and providing quality services. As a new live content provider, we wanted to come into the market with strong USPs and even stronger products. This has meant striking the balance between developing and releasing core, classic live table games that are simply better quality than those offered by our rivals and bringing innovations and never-seen-before concepts to the table.
How has your content given you cut-through and how has it developed since you first came to market?
BETER Live: We have used cutting-edge technologies and the latest code to build the foundation of our portfolio, with core table games such as blackjack and roulette, combined with new product verticals such as gameshows. Our strong technical base gives us the platform to do this.
How do you think the value of branded content compares to original content?
BETER Live: I think it’s important to define the two types of live branded content that operators can offer. The first is games based around a brand/theme, such as the World Cup, and the second is dedicated studios/tables that incorporate their branding (logos, colors, etc.).
Both offer massive opportunities, but especially for operators that roll out dedicated tables. Players are drawn to these titles because of the affinity they have with the brand, but also because of the personalised experience they receive. Many get to know the dealers and this becomes part of why they play certain games at certain times.
To what extent has seasonal content helped improve your offering and what long-term value do these games offer?
BETER Live: There’s a lot that can be done with branded games and seasonal content fits into that. This is certainly the case around major events like Christmas and Halloween, as well as specific sports and tournaments. These can be big acquisition opportunities if operators combine themed tables with well-targeted marketing campaigns and promotions.
What are the current trends in casino games/live casino you need to be aware of?
BETER Live: There are two big trends right now. The first is the rise of gameshow titles and the second is the preference among a growing player audience for games and tables offering lower stakes.
Live gameshow titles have significant appeal among the next generation of players that operators are looking to engage and they also open up significant cross-sell opportunities too. When it comes to smaller stakes and lower bet limits, this aligns with the increasing prevalence of casual players and more consumers trying live casino for the first time, but that want to take it steady. They are looking for affordable entertainment and live gameshow titles with small stakes certainly provide this.
Where do you think casino games/live casino can improve and what kind of innovations do you think we will see in this space in the coming years?
BETER Live: When it comes to live content, the sky really is not the limit and I think we will see great strides taken with the gameshow format. Of course, such is the scope of what can be done with live content, I think we could ultimately see new formats land in operator lobbies, including live crash games.
Going forward, how do you see player habits and trends developing across the next five years? How will you update your offering to cater for this?
BETER Live: I think the way in which an audience communicates and interacts will evolve. But what makes live so special is that we have the human connection that other gaming verticals simply don’t have. It’s my personal belief players will continue to seek out entertainment options that allow them to chat and interact with others.
The full text of the panel discussion is available at iGB.
