FEATURE NEW ORDER
BURLYWOOD CAPITAL
WWW. BU RLYWOODC A PI TA L .CO M
ROLLER CASINO
W W W. A LC H E M Y B E T.C O M
W W W. R O L L E R C A S I N O.C O M
WHAT IS IT: INVESTMENT FUND SET UP/RUN BY SOME OF THE SMARTEST MEN IN GAMING AND LEISURE WHO IS BEHIND IT: MARK BLANDFORD, SIR DAVID MICHELS, NEIL GOULDEN AND ANDREW BURNETT WHAT MAKES IT STAND OUT: Active since August, Burlywood Capital has so far raised close to £50m, half of its £100m target, to invest in what it describes as the “digital Pay2Play sector”. Backed and run by some of the most senior and successful individuals in gaming, as well as the hotels and leisure and ?nance industries, it has already attracted plenty of attention. With an open approach to potential investors, the Burlywood quartet are prepared to examine any new ideas around six main themes: operators and platforms; game formats and branding, which includes any brands that take advantage of new networks or technologies such as geo-locational tagging, augmented reality or adaptations of proven nongaming brands or formats; marketing agencies; payment processing (in which Blandford has a strong track record of investment); and new geographies and gami?cation, which it describes as the “application of Pay2Play game mechanics to other areas of industry including ?nancial services, distance learning, education, retail or other media channels”. CHANCES OF SUCCESS: With one of eGR’s top 100 most successful individuals involved in the form of Mark Blandford, whose own fund Valhalla has become one of the most active investors in the digital pay2play entertainment space and that has generated returns of more than 18% in the last ?ve years, it has a great chance of being a huge success.
WHAT IS IT: PURE HTML5 SLOT GAMES WITH PLANS FOR EXPANSION WHO IS BEHIND IT: JAMES HARRISON AND ROB ANDERSON
WHAT IS IT: MOBILE AND TABLET APP AND BROWSERBASED GAMES WHO IS BEHIND IT: PADDY POWER’S INNOVATION TEAM
WHAT MAKES IT STAND OUT: Despite arriving on the scene in 2010, even being praised by Steve Jobs, HTML5 is yet to really take off. The lack of app icons, which many users expect, and which help to retain players, has prompted many operators to focus on native app development and continue building games in Flash. However, the potential of the software language is starting to be realised, with a number of high-pro?le operators embracing the platform, including William Hill and SkyBet, which recently launched its HTML5 Sky Vegas Mobile Casino portal, while AlchemyBet, which is focused exclusively on HTML5 development, secured investment from the bwin. party-backed VC fund NewGame Capital in June. There are lower barriers to entry – as browser-based games they are not subject to Android and iOS content policies – and the ability to be immediately updated and enhanced, with no need for the player to download updates. If the uptake continues, it could begin to edge out native apps in the coming years. CHANCES OF SUCCESS: Success may not happen immediately, considering the general reluctance to adopt HTML5, and depends heavily on the success of Sky and Hills’ offerings. If companies begin to invest in the language it may prosper more as a supplier, especially as its B2C brand is aimed at casual gamers rather than hardcore players.
WHAT MAKES IT STAND OUT: Paddy Power claims its mobile product Roller Casino is the ?rst to be designed speci?cally for the iPhone and iPad, and has launched following a lengthy development process to ensure the games are designed to ?t how players use the devices. It incorporates a number of games mechanics more commonly associated with titles like Angry Birds, such as allowing players to throw the ball and spin a roulette wheel by swiping their ?ngers across the screen. By integrating features which will feel familiar to non-casino players, and by offering free versions of the titles, the company could well attract new demographics and may stand a stronger chance than most of converting gamers to gamblers. One of the few examples of integrating social features into gambling games, Roller could allow Paddys to supplement its strong mobile sportsbook customer base – 54% of active sportsbook customers paid via mobile devices in June this year – with equally impressive growth in mobile casino players. CHANCES OF SUCCESS: High. Paddy Power has a strong brand, and is already seen as a mobile gaming specialist. The operator’s decision to create smaller brands will allow it to cross-sell from channel to channel, while the game mechanics show excellent awareness of the differences and similarities between social casino and real money gambling and look to be an effective solution to combine the two.
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