SUPPLIER SPECIAL REPORT

Immediate, easy and safe

ASTROPAY

Recently, AstroPay launched One Touch, the digital wallet that allows a frictionless journey for users who want to purchase online on international sites.

The concept behind One Touch can be summed up in three words: immediate, easy and safe.

Operators can easily access the benefits that this product offers from a single integration. They can identify users from a single code, allowing greater control over transactions and minimizing risk. They can receive deposits with a simple “touch,” with automatic approval for recurring users, which will generate greater fluency and less friction in the interaction between the merchant and its customers.

It enables KYC verification and identification control and has a simplified integration process through an auto enrolment channel, with little to no IT intervention required on the merchant side.

Moreover, they will have a closed loop to their users, to assure that the same person that deposits makes the withdrawal. They will also be able to access analytics and reports, as well as fraud alerts that meet the levels of security and compliance the industry requires.

Users can make deposits and withdrawals through a natural and simple procedure that allows them to set configurable auto limits, as well as generate an account or buy balance from the merchant site. “With One Touch we improve the user experience as well as provide merchants with a safer solution that allows them to process deposits and withdrawals automatically and with greater risk control,” said Mikael Lijtenstein, CEO of AstroPay.

AstroPay, a company operating in Latin America, Africa and Asia for more than 11 years and with a presence in several of these regions, aims to help merchants access emerging markets more easily and safely.

BBIN promotes health and hygiene in India

BBIN

In October, 2020, BBIN’s charitable brand TGB Charity, worked with SAATH and Unipads on a new project to promote the understanding of health and sanitary knowledge in India.

TGB Charity donated US$60,000 and hosted more than 100 workshops in campuses in Gujarat, India, where children were taught about health and sanitation. Meanwhile, 12,000 reusable sanitary pads were given away on-site to girls, preparing them for the up-coming physical and mental transformation.

As a leading iGaming software supplier in Asia, BBIN has been working with non-profit organizations to raise public awareness towards charity through fun and meaningful activities. TGB Charity has focused its efforts on various fields, endeavoring to make a significant difference to the world. Education is one of the major topics that TGB Charity values highly. Through working with local institutions, TGB Charity promotes health/sanitary education to decrease the chance of girls dropping out of school due to menstruation. In the future, TGB Charity will continue to draw public attention to global issues, sharing love and warmth to the world.

SAATH, a non-profit organization in India, has been contributing to children’s rights to education and lives; meanwhile, they provide residents health care, employment consultancy and skills knowledge. Unipads, a reusable sanitary pads company, focuses on corporate social responsibility — providing women job opportunities and improving their quality of life, and empowering the rural areas with health education in knowledge and resources.

East & West virtual expo reconnects the industry

BETCONSTRUCT

With free passes for visitors and flexible stands for exhibitors, BetConstruct’s East & West virtual expo reconnected the industry and created the largest virtual gathering accessible to everyone involved in gaming and sports betting.

On the first day of the expo, industry giants and supporters showcased the best new products and technologies at personalised interactive stands and joined the talks on talent acquisition and industry innovation at the Conference Hall.

By day two, the success of East & West was already abundantly clear. Building on the event’s momentum, BetConstruct has now decided to give its exhibitors an opportunity to further explore the capacities of the platform and hold digital presentations, virtual exhibitions and product showcases during the whole month of October absolutely free of charge.

Commenting on the announcement, Vigen Badalyan, CEO and founder of BetConstruct, said: “Just like anyone, we miss physical exhibitions, the opportunities to see each other, network and have a glass of wine to seal the deal. In vino veritas, as we all know. Although we don’t know when the consequences of the pandemic will pass and allow us to meet again, our East & West virtual expo presented a compelling model for how industry events can be organised in force majeure situations in the future.

“For East & West we created the best tools to bring life and excitement to the virtual exhibition. We attracted key industry players under one virtual roof and with their help and support, BetConstruct will perfect said tools. 250+ exhibitors, including our business partners NetEnt, Playtech, EGT Interactive, eBET, SBC, Sportel and ICE were the first to test out our software, step into the virtual floors of East & West and say their first virtual hello to the visitors of the expo.”

Streamlining conversion

BLUE TECHNOLOGY

Blue Technology remains committed to understanding local requirements and working with our partners to develop games and solutions for ease of business, while streamlining game conversion.

One such project, which was recently approved by Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, is with Amatic Industries, where we developed 10+1 games on the machine hard drive, giving the operator the choice to select any one of these ten games + one feature game configuration.

It allows player selectable English, Simplified Chinese & Portuguese language options and multi denomination selections.

The key difference to this unique approach is it gives operators the flexibility to configure to their preference without having to raise CAPEX in order to purchase game conversion, as is the common industry practice today.

“I am proud to be working with Amatic over the past five years, as they have shown commitment to this Asian development, by not rushing in, but first spending time here in Asia to understand players interests, engaged with local operators to understand and identify strength and opportunities within the market. This was brainstormed and discussed in detail before R&D game development work began, to enter this market with a meaningful game offering that takes advantage of operators frustrations while adding variety and preference within one multi-game, languages and denominations within a game pack.”

These ten Asian centric games have been developed using a varied array of game types, while keeping the Asian game volatility focus across these following DICJ approved themes;

Dragon Gift: Big Panda; Dragon’s Pearl; Three Dragons; God Of Wealth; Golden Rain; Beauty Warrior; Wild Dragon and Golden Emperor.

Making tax less tedious

DIGITAIN

Digitain has launched its new Tax Engine - an automated tool developed to allow operators to deal with complex betting tax requirements.

Edmond Ghulyan, Digitain’s Head of Sportsbook Development said, “This development came about as a result of feedback from some of our partners who needed help in complying with betting tax requirements in regulated markets.

Our new Tax Engine does all the heavy lifting for the operators and allows them to confidently tackle their key business objectives.”

Key functions of the Tax Engine include the ability to automatically deduct betting tax from the customer’s stake, from their winnings, or in the case of some countries, from both ends of the transaction. The Tax Engine offers multiple potential tax configurations and is suitable to be used in markets globally.

This flexible solution works efficiently with all versions of the Digitain sportsbook - from Turnkey to Sportsbook API, and also works across all channels; web, mobile and even in betshops. The Tax Engine includes a sophisticated suite of reporting tools to enable operators to provide compliant and accurate data to regulators.

In other news, Digitain also announced a new partnership agreement to supply sportsbook services to leading Russian operator; Pin-Up.

For Digitain, Edmond Ghulyan said; “Pin-Up operates two separate sportsbooks, one for the Russian market, the other with an international focus - and combined have over 100,000 active customers. Digitain looks forward to developing a very long and beneficial relationship”.

Pin-Up’s COO, Vladimir Gorev stated; “We’re delighted to partner with Digitain and feel sure that integrating their fully featured sports betting offering will be warmly welcomed by all our customers.”

Don’t fear the future, make the future fear you

ENDORPHINA

Endorphina is a popular slot game provider known for its creative twists and trendy games. Endorphina releases an incredible range of slots, each with characteristics that will appeal to every type of player, leaving no one behind.

Continuing its ambitious march around the world, Endorphina proposes its slot in multiple languages and includes a great bonus tool, which allows a high level of transparency and flexibility to deduct the bonus cost with Free Spins.

Its recent futuristic slot - The Rise of AI - has been extremely popular in Asian cultures due to its unique symbols and daring theme taking place in the heart of Tokyo. This is a 5-reel, 3-row, 10 pay line slot game that brings players right into a new cyber world packed with robots, cyborgs, neon lights, techno music and many uncertainties.

The futuristic symbols reveal what life would be like in a truly anti-utopian cyber world that only seems to exist in Sci-Fi novels. This slot, its features, and its Risk Game provides an out of this world experience. Especially for those Japanese Sci-fi lovers and players who are experienced in cryptocurrencies, this is definitely the best choice.

Set in 2050, the world has just recovered from a pandemic and is under the control of an AI. Players will be engaged to find out if their heroes will survive, win big, and to uncover what the future has in store for them.

If you interested in providing this rush of pure adrenaline for your players learn more about this game and see if it’d be the perfect fit in your casinos, check out the game at – https:// endorphina.com/games/the-rise-of-ai

Happy Ape, happy customer

HABANERO

A lot has changed in 2020. It's safe to say that global markets have been rocked by a dramatic series of unforeseen events, and our industry has certainly seen its share of alterations.

In spite of all the changes, some things have remained constant. Talk of a large-scale migration to the casino sector amongst sports bettors, for example, has not panned out in reality. Although Skill games, poker, virtuals and esports have all registered a significant uptick, the number of players enjoying casino titles has generally stayed the same.

For that reason, the retention of existing customers remains priority number one for the coming months. And above all, high-quality content will ultimately prove key to engagement. Enter Habanero’s latest smash-hit, Happy Ape.

We went bananas with new features in the action-packed 5x3 release, which encourages Jungle Book fans to access modifiers and multipliers by unlocking the game’s alluring treasure chest. The innovative Ape Smash feature removes nonwinning combinations to award prizes, with up to six further Wild symbols landing on the grid during the Banana Toss feature.

The title’s immersive soundtrack and stunningly realistic graphics recreate the thrill of swinging from the trees for nature-loving gamblers with a taste for adventure. And for those dreading a winter without European travel, we’ve pulled out all the stops in the internationally popular slot title, Scopa.

Launched earlier this year, the title takes players on an action-packed tour of Italy’s internationally renowned cities, trying their hand at the country’s most popular card game en route. A beloved national tradition for more than 200 years, Scopa (meaning broom) rewards those who ‘sweep’ the table by matching another player’s card.

Inspired by the card game of the same name, Scopa showcases expanding wilds, stunning graphics and historically themed characters in an authentic adventure through some of Italy’s most-visited destinations. With stay-at-home restrictions likely to stay in place, Habanero’s adventurous titles allow players to discover new environments without leaving the house.

Elevating excitement with Golden Ball

INTERBLOCK

Interblock’s latest innovation on the classic Roulette game, combining both mechanical challenges and software ingenuity, is the Golden Ball.

It was first launched at G2E Las Vegas 2019 and ICE London 2020 on the MiniStar Roulette platform, taking on Interblock’s unique Roulette ball changer magazine and a golden ball creating Golden Ball Mystery and Lucky Number Golden Ball side bets.

Golden Ball Mystery side bet wins up to 500:1 if the roulette ball lands on one of the six randomly selected roulette numbers represented by the letters G, O, L, D, E and N.

Lucky Number Golden Ball side bet allows the player to place a bet on a lucky number. The appearance of a golden ball guarantees a side bet win 3:1 unless the golden ball lands on a chosen number, which pays 350:1.

Whenever a golden ball comes out, the betting field user interface changes to a golden glow, coupled with an attractive audio-visual display around the Roulette rim and on a 42” Player Information Display (PID).

The side bets are designed to increase the hold of the traditional Roulette single zero and double zero games, increase occupancy and appeal to new types of players.

“The Golden Ball side bets brings an elevated level of excitement and anticipation to an otherwise traditional Roulette game. We look forward to bringing this feature to your region in the coming months,” said Michael Hu, President of Asia for Interblock.

Interblock is a worldwide leading developer and supplier of luxury electronic table gaming products. Its multi-player gaming devices set industry standards and provide the ultimate in luxury interactive entertainment experiences.

Immersive arcade experience

JADE ENTERTAINMENT

Inspired by Atari, but built with today’s players in mind, Synergy Blue’s new 2600 cabinet series combines the immersive experience of an arcade with the excitement of wagering to create the perfect blend of ‘fun you can bet on!’

Synergy Blue’s new 2600 cabinet series is designed to invoke the memories of discovery, excitement and fun experienced at the dawn of the video game era, drawing in new players with crisp graphics and familiar visual elements, while fast-paced fun keeps them engaged. Echoing the original Atari 2600 console, the new cabinets provide casinos with a unique marketing element, as well as more variety of gambling options for today’s players. From the thrilling arcade driver, Joyride Jackpot, to mobile-style games like Lucky Candy Ca$h and Mahjong, Synergy Blue truly has something for every type of gamer and gambler.

To address the current need for increased sanitation and cleanliness on casino floors, the 2600 cabinet series comes standard with Blue Safe Touch technology, which incorporates modern safety measures for continued cleanliness and sanitary playing conditions for today’s casino gaming environments.

The 2600 series is available in XL (40” wide-set), Slant Top (28” width), or bar top versions and features a variety of cabinet configurations including arcade driver, joystick, buttons, arcade gun, touchscreen and more.

The video game-like wagering experience of the 2600XL is further enhanced by arcadestyle peripherals, including an arcade driving configuration (complete with steering wheel and foot pedals), making it stand out on the floor and attracting players who seek a different, more modern gambling experience.

Synergy Blue works with Jade Entertainment Solutions to deliver ‘fun you can bet on’ to Asia Pacific and the surrounding areas. As experts in their market, Jade works with individual operators to determine which of Synergy Blue’s one-of-a-kind gambling experiences would best fit their unique players. Built for maximum fun and flexibility on Synergy Blue’s patented HAWG platform, the 2600 cabinet series is now part of the exciting offering provided by Synergy Blue and delivered by Jade. Coupled with a wide-ranging library of exciting, skillinfluenced games, Synergy Blue’s new hardware provides the fun and interaction that today’s players expect — bringing the modern gaming experience to casino gambling, the key to attracting new demographics.

Asian progressives add colour

NOVOMATIC

With a gaming show calendar full of postponed and cancelled events, there was little opportunity to present the growing range of NOVOMATIC Progressives to a broader audience, face-to-face – but, nonetheless, there’s plenty to see!

CASH CONNECTION Edition 1 has now launched, with installations rolling out in the international markets. This Linked Progressive multi-game compendium comprises four titles with a variety of Progressive options: Charming Lady, Emperor’s China, Empress of the Pyramids and Sizzling Hot Lock’N’Win. Presented in banks of leading NOVOMATIC single screen and multi-screen cabinets, each title comes with a Lock’N’Win feature that thrills players with instant prizes and more and more chances for the big jackpot wins.

Adding two special Asian highlights to the broad NOVOMATIC game portfolio, the single-screen titles Dancing Tiger and Dancing Lantern present colourful variations of the popular ALLPAY game play and exciting Standalone Progressive thrills. The central character on both titles is the benevolent Asian Emperor, keeper of a marvellous bowl full of gold coins and jackpot treasures. Both games come with a Free Games feature including a Mystery Pick option, plus a Pick & Win Jackpot Feature for the SILVER, GOLD, MAJOR or GRAND.

POWER PRIZES is another set of Standalone Progressives that is getting ready to launch with three magnificent Asian ALLPAY titles: Noble Peacock, Royal Crane and Eternal Mandarin Ducks. The precious Lotus Flower opens extra chances in the free spins while Red Envelopes add some extra Coin power to trigger the POWER PRIZES Coin-Respin Feature for the jackpot prizes. With player-friendly multi-denomination options and the most powerful talismans crowding the reels, the POWER PRIZES collection of games can be presented in both, single screen curve and multi-screen versions for all the latest NOVOMATIC cabinets.

As autumn moves on, further Progressive products will make their mark – with the LUCKY TWIST Link soon ready to launch, the stunning Samurai Beauty preparing to hit the Gong for great news and even more Progressive highlights in the pipeline.

Keeping its promises

PLAY’N GO

As we move towards the end of the year, we are also moving closer to Play’n GO fulfilling its promise of 52 top-quality games in 2020.

It all started back in January with Legacy of Dead, and the success of that title set the tone for what would be a colossal year for the supplier and their operators.

Our commitment to giving More. In One GO, was not just a testament to increasing the number of games that we offered to the market but offering more within those games.

That meant more mechanics, more features, more variety to add to your already stacked portfolio and, most importantly, more value for operators and their players.

The latest title on the road to 52 is the biggest one yet, Reactoonz 2. A sequel to the smash hit cascading gridslot Reactoonz; this newest title has already taken the market by storm upon its release.

While Reactoonz 2 brings back all of the elements people loved about the first game; its cascading grid format, its lovable characters and its bright and fun style of gaming, it also takes the opportunity to add more to the player experience.

That includes introducing brand new features such as the Quantumeter, and Electric Wilds, and also adding new characters to the grid, in the form of the Energoonz!

Play’n GO has aimed for the perfect balance between the familiar theme and gameplay of the much-loved original, and new and exciting elements to create a new dimension to Reactoonz that aims to augment the first game experience, not replace it.

A challenging task but, from the initial reaction to the game’s release, it can safely be said it’s one that they have succeeded in.

We look forward to what the rest of the year brings.

SA APP supports screen rotation

SA GAMING

Mobile gaming is a huge market where technologies are ever-changing. To stand out from such competition, suppliers have to combine technology, innovation and design into products and features that can win the favour of the market. As one of the leading platforms in Asia, SA Gaming has recently made portrait mode available to its native app, SA APP.

Most of the apps available in the market can only run in landscape mode. SA APP offers its users both landscape and portrait modes. Most important of all, users can rotate their screens any time in the app to achieve seamless orientation change. Gaming has become even more convenient.

SA APP is a one-stop mobile gaming portal developed by SA Gaming. Apart from supporting in-game screen rotation, it comes with several features that provide the best user experience for players. Containing all the functions of H5 Mobile, SA APP has its UI re-designed and re-engineered to cater for human needs and to fit across all screen sizes. SA APP is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. The app is capable of fitting in various screen sizes – both landscape and portrait orientations.

SA APP also places great emphasis on ease of use. The provider has spent enormous resources to add features that facilitate the use of the app. There are various modes of log-in to suit users’ needs. Other than conventional password log-in, there is pattern log-in, where users can draw unique patterns to access the lobby effortlessly.

SA APP is the hard work of SA Gaming’s programmers and designers, who spend their every effort to ensure everyone can enjoy a great and smooth gaming experience. It is the gaming app that all players need on their devices.

Enhanced cybersecurity

SYNETICS

Synectics recently launched a range of new security features in its advanced Synergy software to deliver unparalleled protection for customers.

Sitting at the heart of casino control rooms around the globe, the Synergy command and control platform powers security solutions for the most demanding gaming environments. Built on a rich history of customer-driven innovation, the platform is regularly updated in line with rapidly evolving demands from both clients and the wider industry.

A continued focus on cybersecurity now sees Synergy include a range of additional safeguards, including the new Secure Check feature.

This interactive tool displays recommendations to improve system security and enable administrators to implement changes, all from a single dialog box. Notable checks include encryption of comms and configurations, password management, and workstation lockdowns.

Further enhancements to existing system protection measures make it easier to monitor and enforce the management of authenticated system access.

As Dan Noble, Product Manager – Synergy, at Synectics, explains, these capabilities are particularly important when it comes to demonstrating compliance with regulatory demands.

Dan said: “Adherence to strict security and data sensitivity protocols is not an option. It’s fundamental. Therefore, our goal is to make it as easy as possible for our customers to implement. With these latest developments in Synergy, that’s what we’ve done.

“We’ve made it considerably easier for users to safeguard their systems and data, and to assign a much wider range of permissions, restrictions, and approvals for specific tasks and scenarios. It all adds up to a solution that significantly enhances cybersecurity and promotes process-driven, efficient usage that complies with regulatory requirements.”

Specialising in solutions that are engineered with gaming in mind, Synectics applies more than 30 years of experience to deploy dependable surveillance systems in over 100 of the largest, busiest, and most tightly regulated casinos in Asia, North America, and Europe.

TVBET partner network grows

TVBET

TVBET has continued to grow its partnership network, inking new deals with sportsbook platform provider BtoBet and online casino software developer SoftGamings.

BtoBet has a strong focus on African markets, which dovetails with the plans of the TV games provider.

According to TVBET, players in Africa have a crush on lotteries in live streaming format. And that’s why the company makes it possible to satisfy customers’ needs as best they can.

BtoBet is a pioneer in the sports betting and online casino technology solutions, providing award-winning sports betting and online casino solutions and a full range of management services to its clients. Thanks to technological intelligence at the core of products and deep know-how at the local level, all its products and services are fully compliant in regulated markets all over the world.

“I am sure that our lotteries in live streaming format will be highly popular with BtoBet’s portfolio of partners,” said Peter Korpusenko,TVBET’s CEO. “It is our goal to deliver an optimal betting experience through product innovation, and that’s why we seek to satisfy all customers’ prerequisites, whatever the market characteristics.”

With Softgamings, an online casino software developer, TVBET aims for a cooperation that will enhance both the image and the effectiveness of both teams’ promotion.

TVBET aims to create immersive content for betting and casino players. Its progressive card-, table- and lottery games are well loved and the cooperation with SoftGamings will allow the company to expand its coverage with greater speed.

“The cooperation of TVBET with SoftGamings will lead operators to new opportunities,” Korpusenko said. “Thanks to the new live TV games offering, clients could satisfy the needs of the more demanding audience. This strong signing represents a win-win situation for both companies.”

Taking the risk to innovate

ULTRAPLAY

Innovation is something you create before the need for it is born. That’s why it’s so risky in the beginning,” said Lyubomira Petrova, CMO at UltraPlay during the European Gaming Congress, which was held online in October.

“When UltraPlay started offering eSports back in 2014, it was perceived just as that - unreliable and risky, as we were the first in many ways. Now eSports is no longer perceived as a niche gambling vertical, and has shown the entire industry its great potential especially during COVID-19 and the lack of sports events over the past few months.”

Petrova was part of the panel discussion on the latest industry innovations and how the industry has adapted to current times, together with other professionals from the iGaming industry.

The panel highlighted product innovation and enhanced user experience and placed these two elements at the cornerstone of every business that wants to stay relevant and a few steps ahead of market demand.

In terms of innovations that have been key this year acquisition and retention wise, Petrova pointed to eSports as the main driving force for sportsbooks during these past few months.

Sports punters shifted quickly towards eSports - another testimonial for the great potential it holds. UltraPlay continues to record a great interest. For example, the company’s trading team is experiencing unprecedented levels of bets on the first to return live major tournament – League of Legends Worlds. This was the first big eSports live tournament to return in 6 months and the entire viewership as well as betting on it skyrocketed.

Esports betting continues to grow exponentially and does a perfect job in terms of player acquisition and retention. The key reason for that is its main audience – the new generation of bettors, who tend to prefer more skill or knowledge based-gambling.

Long-term vision intact

ZITRO

Zitro continues its plans of expansion in the Asian region. While the world has been hit by the most severe crisis in recent history, the company has not stopped working on new products, planning the next steps to bring Asia its incredible video slot games, as well as further expanding its already important presence in the video bingo market.

As Nadège Teyssedre, Director for EMEA of Zitro commented, “The global situation has forced all of us to change our short-term goals, however, our long-term vision hasn’t changed at all. Thus, our complete Zitro team, including the team based in the Philippines, is working hard in getting everything ready to execute our ambitious plans and focusing full steam ahead to extend our brand all over the Asian region.”

Sebastian Salat, CEO of Zitro adds: “Experience taught us that whenever an obstacle arises, an opportunity usually goes along with it. As the effects of COVID are being felt in land-based venues we understand PAGCOR may be considering regulated Online and Mobile gaming in the Philippines. Zitro has outstanding offerings in this area and we are already preparing the groundwork with local partners. Whether for land-based or online operators, at Zitro we have a diverse, robust and performance proven game library that is a sure investment for any gaming establishment”.

To find out more about Zitro’s product visit www.zitrogames.com or contact its commercial office in the Philippines lead by Rodney Hall via rodney.hall@zitrogames.com.