6 minute read
The Rise in Popularity of Evolution and Ezugi Live Dealer Games in South Africa
Evolution Service’s SA’s CEO, Dean Finder sits down for a Q&A with Gaming for Africa and tells us more about Live Dealer Games and what he foresees for the industry’s future.
It seems Live Dealer games are growing in popularity in online gaming at the moment?
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Since the commencement of lockdown in March 20, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Evolution Services SA Recorded a significant increase in the number of transactions and players, playing Live Dealer Games on our operator’s websites. Factors influencing this trend would have been the closure of Land Based casinos and suspension of Sporting Events and Horse Racing during the hard lockdown. Players who would normally place bets in Retail Betting Shops and Casino’s migrated to online betting platforms as a form of entertainment.
South African consumers now have access to state-of-the-art mobile technology and data and Wi-Fi packages are more affordable which facilitates more online gaming activity. The sheer thrill and user experience players are getting on bookmakers’ websites is unprecedented and this is also assisting in making these games so popular. Players don’t need to study form or have intimate betting knowledge to participate.
Do you see this trend continuing, and what do you think the future holds for igaming?
Definitely! We are very bullish on the growth this sector will continue to show for all operators and suppliers. While there are of course economic headwinds, COVID has changed the landscape not only for betting and gaming but all sectors of the economy. There will always be a place for bricks and mortar, however, no one can dispute online, and the growth thereof is the future.
From a personal perspective, we anticipate further growth within the Evolution Services SA stable, as Evolution and Ezugi launch exciting new games and we onboard new Operators. We currently have our flagship retail Bet on Numbers live lottery draw active in Betting World; however, we have a fullblown retail roll out strategy in place for 2021 across multiple operators, with four exciting new retail games being added to our retail wagering platform.
Evolution recently acquired NetEnt and Red Tiger which means that Evolution Services SA will be adding Slots and Instant games, to our already enormous offering, to our operator’s websites to cater for that segment of the market. This is due to launch in the latter part of 2021.
What are the benefits to operators and players?
There will always be players who enjoy the hum of the Casino machines and being in the casino environment, however, there is an ever-growing number of players who prefer to gamble in the comfort of their own home. Online gambling provides entertainment 24/7, 365 days a year, especially in the current times that we live, where social distancing has become a way of life. This also means that one does not have travel to a gambling establishment to have access to your favourite traditional live dealer games.
We live in a society where people love to be connected via social media platforms, therefore Evolution and Ezugi games live chats are a great way for players to interact with our dealers and other players across the globe.
Most of our operators run various promotions and loyalty campaigns on their websites and it is a great way for the players to earn rewards and potentially win prizes while playing their favourite Live Dealer Games.
Dean Finder, CEO Evolution Services SA
The benefit to operators is that apart from an initial set up fee and regular technical maintenance on their sites, the overheads on Live Dealer Games are low. Ezugi and Evolution deal with staffing issues, development of new games and features as well as equipment maintenance and sanitisation of studios. A plug and play concept!
Online gaming eliminates the need for cash transactions and the issues and safety and risk that comes with dealing with large amounts of cash. Players can easily credit their online accounts with operators and winnings are transferred directly into the players online account, and the player can decide when to cash out and credit their bank account.
Most of all the games suite we offer are backed by tried and trusted brands that are of the highest integrity. Odds and pay-outs are standard worldwide and the RTP’s are transparent and very fair to the player and operator. Importantly, all our games and integrations are tested and certified to comply with the local regulations.
Tell us a bit more about your products and services.
Both the Ezugi and Evolution teams are made up of industry professionals, product experts, developers and talented designers, that ensure the player gets the ultimate gaming experience.
Evolution was voted the Live Casino Supplier of the Year for the 11th year running at the EGR B2B Awards and is a testament to the high-quality Live Dealer Games we offer which includes traditional live Dealer Games such as Roulette, Blackjack, Poker, Baccarat and Dice Games. Evolution launched the most entertaining, top- performing Game Show ever, Crazy Time in 2020. Other popular Game Show titles include Monopoly Live, Deal or No Deal, Mega Ball and Foot Ball Studio. Most of the popular Game Types are also available in RNG/ First Person Variations with R1 minimum bets and is a great way for first time players to try their hand at the games before moving to the Live variations.
Ezugi has grown into an industry giant in a very short period of time, now broadcasting from nine studios around the world and various land-based casino’s, such as the Golden Nugget in New Jersey and Portomaso in Malta, to mention a few. Ezugi’s game portfolio includes popular favourites such as Roulette, Poker, Baccarat and Sic Bo and Blackjack. Ezugi caters for Niche markets with the addition of the Chinese games such as themed Baccarats, Dragon Tiger and Sic Bo and Indian Games which include favourites like 32 Cards, Lucky7, Teen Patti, Bet on Teen Patti, and Namaste Roulette, Andar Bahar.
Ezugi have a presence in Retail with our Flagship Lottery Style game Bet On Numbers being streamed in Betting World branches. I have already outlined earlier our retail plans for 2021, of course depending on COVID-19 restrictions and its impact on retail betting shops. I also alluded to the addition of NetEnt and Red Tiger slots resultant of them being acquired by Evolution in December 2020. We believe slots online will be the next big game changer in online betting in South Africa. Watch this space.
What is your advice to an operator looking to offer Live Dealers as part of their gaming mix?
Our Advice would be to always deal with suppliers who are licensed and certified according to requirements set by the various Gaming Boards in South Africa. Adding Evolution and Ezugi Live Dealer games to an operators existing product offering not only adds another revenue stream for the operator, but Live Dealer Games and Games Shows are live when other forms of sports and retail betting could be affected by COVID-19. Operators who were live with our products over the hard lockdown experienced this benefit which helped cushion the loss of revenue from retail operations.
Do you foresee local African and South African terrestrial casinos stepping into this space soon?
They have already! Peermont via their online operations Palacebet, BETcoza who are 50% owned by Tsogo are all live and performing well, while Sunbet, who are the online operations of Sun International are set to go live with our offering in the next few months. Both Ezugi and Evolution offer Dual Play also known as OTT (Over the table) Roulette and Baccarat Tables, where high resolution cameras are placed above the tables in Casinos and has proven to be very popular, as players know and have the peace of mind that they are betting online, however, on the outcome of a real live Roulette or Baccarat game in from a licensed casino. This allows land-based casinos to add an additional revenue stream and benefit from online gaming platforms.
We are currently exploring these opportunities with a local casino group, along with the respective regulator to take this exciting local opportunity forward in the very near future. Again, watch this space!
