“ We ’ ve added content in Romania , in Greece , in Switzerland , and other European countries . We are pushing more content into more countries .”
— Gil Rotem , President , iGaming , IGT PlayDigital
Big cross-channel successes have included the Rakin ’ Bacon ! franchise , particularly Rakin ’ Bacon ! Odyssey . “ That was the first omnichannel launch , which we did with Caesars ,” Ebling says . “ We knew that game was going to be successful , so we married up those roadmaps more quickly .”
In the end , collaboration between teams producing for land and online is leading to a new era of omnichannel content . “ Our land-based content is a core tenet of our U . S . strategy , and we see players engage with content across both channels ,” says Light & Wonder ’ s Slaney .
“ Games like 88 Fortunes and recent record launches of Rich Little Piggies and Cash Falls have seen strong success across both channels . Crossplatform launches are a key focus for our growth strategy , and we have dedicated teams who focus purely on bringing our great land-based content to players within the digital ecosystem .”
IGT PlayDigital has done much to foster the rise of omnichannel content . In May 2023 , the company launched the first omnichannel wide-area progressive link in the U . S . with the Wheel of Fortune brand in New Jersey . For the first time , players online and on land in New Jersey were playing the same game , incrementing the same big-money progressive jackpot .
“ If you have a good stand-alone digital team , it will give you a good omnichannel strategy ,” says Rotem .
Into the Future
All of the suppliers seeking that omnichannel strategy have increased their online footprints over the past year , and all are looking forward to growth — as much growth as the legal spread of iGaming allows , at least in the U . S . Rhode Island just became only the seventh U . S . state to authorize online casino gaming , compared to 38 states plus the District of Columbia now offering legal sports betting .
Part of the reason that online casino games have lagged so far behind sports betting legalization is a lingering misconception among lawmakers in gaming states that online games will cannibalize the brick-and-mortar revenues .
“ One of the more impactful analyst reports I ’ ve seen actually shows that when there ’ s online gambling in a state , it boosts land gaming as well ,” says Ebling at AGS . “ So I think that our two halves of the business are a lot more symbiotic than most people would expect .”
Despite the slow spread of U . S . iGaming , the overall market is growing , and suppliers are responding by increasing the flow of content . “ For the past few months , we ’ ve focused on going live in Delaware , where we haven ’ t been live before , and we went live in Rhode Island ,” says Rotem at IGT PlayDigital .
“ We ’ ve added content in Romania , in Greece , in Switzerland , and other European countries . We are pushing more content into more countries . We went live with Fanatics ( in Michigan ), and we ’ re now pushing forward in Canada as well . We went live with the Prosperity Link in Canada in Ontario , and we ’ re adding more Powerbucks games and other omnichannel slot and table games .”
“ Everi Digital has been growing consistently since we launched in April 2019 , both in the amount and type of content we provide , but also where we are distributed ,” says Adair . “ This year , we enhance our content mix to include a wide range of game types , including many of our land-based premium video slots , mechanical three-reel games , table games , instant win , and even a new genre we call ‘ perceived skill .’
“ This year also marks our distribution further and deeper into the U . S . with our launch in Delaware , and then most recently , internationally with our launch in the U . K . through Light & Wonder .”
“ Our Q4 and full-year 2023 results posted at our earnings call on February 27 shows the continued momentum we have in our iGaming business ,” says L & W ’ s Slaney .
“ It was another record year for the iGaming business . We set new records with the launch of digital and omnichannel content . A key driver of this growth was the U . S ., and we now have a dedicated studio in Las Vegas that is bringing more of our great land-based content to players within the digital ecosystem . This is a core tenet of our strategy , and one which we intend to build upon in 2024 and beyond .”
As far as the speed of iGaming legalization in the U . S ., Slaney says it ’ s just a matter of time before the spread of iGaming accelerates — and in fact , it already is .
“ The U . S . iGaming market has seen tremendous growth during 2023 ,” Slaney says . “ There are very few ‘ entertainment ’ verticals that are growing at a faster rate , and despite the maturity of these markets , we have seen strong organic growth .
“ The proliferation of iGaming into more states has happened at a slower rate than many predicted , but I believe iGaming will come to more states over the coming years ; it ’ s just a matter of ‘ when ,’ not ‘ if .’”
16 Global Gaming Business APRIL 2024