Ahead of the event, Myke Foster, Group Head of Gaming and Commercial Strategy at Fortuna Entertainment Group, provides a sneak peek into what could be discussed at the event, delving into social media’s impact on player preferences and how companies are aiming to completely immerse players in the casino experience. 

How do you think player preferences towards online casino gaming have evolved in recent years? 

Primarily, I think players are more willing to explore our offering now than ever before. The sheer variety in terms of products, suppliers and content on offer has driven this in part – but the incredible uptick in visibility of casino content which has come from the dawn of TikTok & other social media channels has also. 

People are now able to enjoy slots and casino content without needing to play themselves, the modern day equivalent of peering over the shoulder of a high roller at the blackjack table, all from the comfort of your own phone. I’m happy to see that, coupled with this increased interest and exploration of our content, we’re also seeing a consistent theme of more sustainable, recreational players entering the space. 

Slots, live casino and game shows. These are now undeniably in the mainstream as a form of entertainment, much the same as computer games or movies, and people genuinely enjoying our content – rather than seeing it solely as a way to profit – can only be good for the industry globally.

Do you think these preferences will remain in place for a while or could players in three to five years time be looking for something completely different? 

I think we’d be foolish not to look at some industries which have traditionally moved faster, or innovated more effectively than us, in order to take a steer on what may well come next. The concept of loot boxes, and similar mechanics, would have been laughable 15 years ago, and yet here we are. Almost every mainstream Playstation or Xbox title carries an element of ‘chance’ within its core gameplay. 

A similar challenge may have come from the concept of DLCs. Buying a game, or a movie, and only receiving a percentage of the finished product. But, these things are commonplace for global audiences now. 

I think the entertainment industry as a whole has done well to test the water when it comes to innovation – 3DTV’s, VR, AR, Haptics etc. have all had varying levels of success – but it’s a testament to the strength of the industry as a whole, and the appetite of the customer, that these innovations keep coming. 

People will always look for the next big thing, but as the fashion and movie industries have taught us, the new ‘next’ thing is usually a very slight variation on an old ‘next’ thing from your parents’ era. Who knows what that might look like for the casino industry.

What technologies do you think could impact the slot gaming industry in the coming years?

Processor power in handheld devices, and 5G/Wifi have for me, been the most impactful technological developments for our industry. Combined, they have allowed us to take a product which only exists either in-person, or in a fixed position in licensed premises, and potentially place it into the pocket of every adult around the world, whenever and wherever they see fit. Being able to offer a consistent experience for both customers in a physical casino, and one sat on their sofa, is an incredible thing. 

I’d hope and expect this trajectory to continue, but I do hope that the industry as a whole looks to keep pushing on doors that have closed on us in the past in order to find the next breakthrough. I don’t believe that it’s necessary to use experiences such as VR to immerse customers, but there is absolutely more we can do to create a more immersive experience within our apps and sites, and we’re constantly engaging our product teams, customers and suppliers to help find out what that might be.

What are some interesting, recent techniques that you have seen studios use to engage audiences with slot gameplay? 

Some of the most successful techniques I’ve encountered recently have actually been between suppliers and operators. The fact is that regardless of how good a game is, its success is governed by the level of visibility and support it receives from the operational, or marketing team who are bringing it over the line to an audience. 

We’ve had great results recently with some surprising titles, purely because of the way in which suppliers and account managers have introduced a product, and its customer benefits, features and assets, to some of the teams who are ultimately crafting lobby positioning, graphics and customer-facing communications. 

“qualitative engagement with your customers and products will always have value”

Myke Foster, Group Head of Gaming and Commercial Strategy at Fortuna Entertainment Group

If a sales team believes in a piece of content, they will sell it in a more authentic way, to the right audience, at the right time, and a discerning customer can tell the difference. Marketing teams need to know in detail how a game works, why it resonates with an audience and how customers react to it consistently translates to a more effective launch. We work hard with key suppliers to ensure this happens as often as possible, tailoring product releases to certain times of the week, month or year, placing them in the right lobby positions, in order to get the most value out of them. More studios are following suit in being open to such collaborations.

As we continue to welcome a younger generation of players, what sort of design techniques are studios using to appeal to these new players? 

We’re at an important point in the development of our customer base, whereby for the first time, in many global markets, we are catering a product to customers who haven’t grown up seeing a one-armed-bandit in the corner of their local bar or shop. These customers are coming to us from new channels – be that social media, sponsored events, digital markets or our new, modern-look retail estate. This means that we’re currently building a product for at least two distinct customer cohorts, and it presents us with a significant challenge. It’s for this reason that I think we’ll hear and see more when it comes to customisation, personalisation and segmentation from suppliers and operators globally. 

Can we bake variations in creatives, customer journeys and in-product experiences which then tailor the same product to different audiences? An example of this being done incredibly well is Netflix. Different customers have a fundamentally different experience of the same product, whether that comes down to recommendations, visual assets used or communications sent when new titles are released. I know many large operators are distilling this mentality down into product development, and we’ll see more and more of it in the near future.

How can operators find the right balance between appealing to new players and catering to older audiences when it comes to offering slots? 

I think the simplest answer is to create a product which is either dynamic enough, or smart enough, to cater to these different audiences, without needing significant human intervention from the operator’s side. 

Every gaming company is exploring some element of machine learning, or AI – be that in recommendation engines, content management, or any number of other areas. There are now so many ways in which to segment and approach an audience, and we should be developing tools that help make the product experience feel as personal and tailored as possible for every customer. 

However, it would be wrong to underplay the human element. When it comes to designing new games, crafting campaigns or assessing quality, local expertise remains invaluable. There are intangibles in every customer base and every market, which means that qualitative engagement with your customers and products will always have value.

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Through the agreement, poker has been introduced on Fortuna for the first time, giving its online players access to a variety of poker games and an international pool of players. 

Playtech is hopeful that the deal with Fortuna will build upon the pre-existing engagement with poker in the Czech Republic, as live poker tournaments are held in cities such as Prague and Rozvadov.

Myke Foster, Group Head of Gaming & Commercial Strategy at Fortuna Entertainment Group, commented: “Poker has a significant presence in the Czech market with an established player base and we are impressed by the quality of Playtech’s poker product. 

“We see tremendous potential in this product and are confident it will deliver an exceptional and modern user experience to our customer base. We have had a very successful partnership with Playtech over the years and we look forward to watching this partnership continue to grow from strength to strength.”

Playtech has been expanding across Europe throughout April, as the provider recently agreed to deals with LeoVegas and bet365.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Fortuna to expand our iPoker network into the Czech market,” added Marat Koss, VP of Interactive Gaming, Poker at Playtech.

“Playtech is committed to providing a high-quality player experience through its cutting-edge poker product and continuous innovation and together with Fortuna’s continued success and significant growth trajectory as the leading betting and gaming operator in Central and Eastern Europe, this partnership will offer a modern, seamless, and engaging user experience for Fortuna’s players.”

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Through the partnership, Gaming Corps will tap into audiences across several jurisdictions in which Fortuna operates, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Romania and Croatia.

The supplier will host an array of content on Fortuna’s range of online casino brands, offering crash, mine, table and slot games, as well as plinko titles. 

Mats Lundin, Gaming Corps’ Sales Director, stated: “I’m immensely proud to partner with another renowned and leading operator in Fortuna Entertainment Group. This has been a monumental year for Gaming Corps and we are delighted to add another prestigious name to our partner list before it ends.

“With Fortuna having established itself across five European markets, we have a fantastic opportunity to grow our footprint on the continent and give players in each country the chance to enjoy our first-class games.”

Now, Fortuna players on the European continent will be able to access Gaming Corps titles such as Wild Woof, Raging Zeus Mines, Shootout Champion and Ramen Puzzle, alongside game series like Jet Lucky and Coin Miner. 

Myke Foster, Group Head of Commercial Gaming Operations at Fortuna, added: “We are delighted to add Gaming Corps’ high-quality games content to our portfolio and give our players the chance to have an even more memorable gaming experience with us. 

“As a leading operator in Central and Eastern Europe, we are always hoping to boost our offering with the best games available, and that ties in perfectly with what Gaming Corps can provide. 

“I look forward to seeing how this partnership can develop and offer yet more Gaming Corps titles as they continue to produce more exhilarating games.”

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Through this agreement, PSK will gain access to a selection of 30 BF Games slot releases as the igaming supplier looks to maintain the pace of momentum witnessed across recent weeks.

Claudia Melcaru, Head of Business Development at BF Games, stated: “It’s been an incredibly successful year for BF Games as we have continued to expand in a number of markets including Croatia.

“We’re delighted to add to this growth by further extending our successful partnership with Fortuna. Our growing portfolio of content has already resonated well with PSK’s customers and we look forward to collaborating together to offer great entertainment to players in Croatia.”

Slots within BF Games offering include recent releases such as Buffalo Trail Ultra, Burning Slots 40 and Lucky Ticket 41, in addition to established titles Stunning Hot Remastered, Energy Fruits and Hot Sunrise. 

This deal furthers the partnership between the two entities, following a deal in the summer that saw BF Games  launch its titles in Romania through Fortuna brand Casapariurilor.ro. 

In an interview with CasinoBeats last month, BF Games CEO Ewa Kazmierska discussed her time at the helm of the company and expansion into Swiss and South-East European markets. 

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As a result of entering into a content integration agreement “with yet another betting and gaming operator giant in the region,” the Romanian market is to become the first targeted country.

Stanislav Sopko, Group Head of Product & Channel Management at Fortuna Entertainment Group, stated: “Tom Horn has built a reputation for creating slots that resonate well with Central European players. 

“Offering the supplier’s titles to our customers is a huge boost to our casino portfolio. We believe this deal will lead to a long and successful partnership that will generate impressive growth for both of our companies, whilst providing highly engaging and entertaining content to our players.”

In Romania, where Fortuna operates the two brands of fortuna.ro and casapariurilor.ro, players are to gain access to a suite of games that includes slots such as 243 Crystal Fruits, The Secret of Ba and Sherlock. A Scandal in Bohemia.

Ondrej Lapides, CEO at Tom Horn Gaming, added: “Fortuna is one of the strongest brands in Central Europe and we’re delighted to have joined forces with them as this collaboration will further expand our footprint in the region. 

“The Romanian operation is the first market where we launch our games with the operator and we’re sure to capitalise on our expertise and exquisite knowledge of player preferences in the region in order to contribute to increased player retention and overall revenue growth.”

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This will see the former add further strength in regulated European markets, with growth across Romania and Croatia coming as Pragmatic seeks to maintain its commercial growth trajectory.

Sopko Stanislav, Group Head of Product & Channel Management at Fortuna Entertainment Group, said: “Pragmatic Play is a creator of some of the most popular slots in Europe and particularly so in Romania and Croatia.

“Being able to provide our players with their titles is a great benefit to us and our brand which has received a huge shot in the arm thanks to this agreement.” 

Under the terms of this latest alliance, FEG’s players across Romania and Croatia will soon be able to access the online casino provider’s complete slot portfolio of more than 200 titles, including Sweet Bonanza, Big Bass Bonanza and Gates of Olympus. 

FEG is a Central and Eastern European omni-channel betting and gaming operator that was founded in the Czech Republic, the group’s footprint now extends to the Slovakian, Polish, Romanian, and Croatian markets. 

“FEG is an important operator in Romania and Croatia and its reach in those markets is impressive, so getting this deal over the line is particularly pleasing,” stated Irina Cornides, Chief Operating Officer at Pragmatic Play.

“Its presence will provide a fantastic platform for us to expand our exposure in two key regions.” 

Last week, Pragmatic Play took players through time to meet some of London’s most memorable icons as SlotBeats headed Down the Rails in awarding its Slot of the Week award.

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This see see two of the betting and gaming operator’s Romania-focused brands, namely Fortuna and Casa Pariurilor, become the subject of Enteractive’s reactivation and NRC campaigns. The latter of which is scheduled to commence later this year.

Alexandru Tarog, head of marketing at Fortuna, commented: “We’re keen to see how Enteractive’s expertise can bring back players that are otherwise hard to reach, and how this will affect our business in the long-term. We see loyalty and retention as key factors in improving bottom line revenues.”

Enteractive, which boasts 12 years experience in the space, will deploy its (Re)Activation Cloud platform, which aims to provide a seamless integration of player databases, and allow the group’s native-speaking agents to approach players in a more personalised way. 

Andrew Foster, CBO at Enteractive, added: “Retention and reactivation are two essential terms for the igaming industry, and many operators in this sector are seeing benefits in paying more attention to this. 

“We’re excited to be working with such big brands in this emerging market, and to bring back churned players for Fortuna and Casa Pariurilor.”

Working with igaming brands across the globe, Enteractive currently reactivates more than 13,000 players every month for a variety of operators.

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Under the terms of the agreement, the casino games and software developer will integrate various titles from its catalogue of slots, including Royal Coins: Hold and Win, 5 Fortunator and 9 Happy Pharaohs. 

Blanka Homor, sales director at Playson, explained: “We are excited at the prospect of partnering with a brand that has three decades of experience across Central and Eastern European markets.

“We look forward to working with Fortuna Entertainment Group’s leading online brands and pleasing a new range of audiences with our successful portfolio of enthralling titles.”

Furthermore, Playson has lauded the deal with “one of Europe’s leading operator groups”, extending the company’s presence across key jurisdictions within the continent. 

A Fortuna Entertainment Group spokesperson added: “We are delighted to have struck a deal with a leading developer such as Playson, which has a strong reputation for creating exciting content that resonates with players in our core markets.

“Having its content on board will improve the online games offering across our brands and ensure players will have access to some of the industry’s most exciting slots.”

The deal with Fortuna Entertainment follows on from Playson’s link-up with OmniSlots towards the end of October which saw the developer deliver its suite of games to the Full Force Gaming Group brand. 

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The move marks the culmination of a multi-year project, with six Fortuna brands migrating in five countries to a unified, scalable, omni-channel and multi-product platform. 

Shimon Akad, chief operating officer at Playtech, said: “Fortuna Entertainment Group is a key strategic partner for Playtech, and we have continued to be impressed by its significant growth trajectory as it firmly establishes itself as the leading betting and gaming operator in Central and Eastern Europe. 

“Our multi-product and omni-channel capabilities, combined with multi-market partnership has proven the strength and stability of Playtech’s IMS platform, and we look forward to building on our excellent working relationship with FEG.”

Fortuna Entertainment Group has seen significant growth across its brands in each of its core markets since going live with Playtech in August of 2016, as it strives to become the leading betting and gaming developer in Central and eastern Europe. 

Per Widerstrom, CEO at Fortuna Entertainment Group, added: “We are delighted to launch our PSK.hr brand in Croatia on FEG’s unified platform, using Playtech’s industry leading IMS account and wallet solution. 

“The success of our strategic partnership with Playtech over the last five years is testament to the strength of our omni-channel offering in Central and Eastern Europe, and we look forward to watching this partnership continue to grow from strength to strength.”

Earlier today, Playtech collaborated with SkillOnNet which saw the latter’s range of live casino and igaming titles go live to operators via the platform and content providers platform.

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The partnership will give Fortuna access to all of Yggdrasil’s proprietary slot content, including latest releases such as Hades, Jackpot Express, the Viking series, and content such as Neon Rush Splitz, Lucky Neko Gigablox and Multifly.

Furthermore, Yggdrasil will also supply the company with its full portfolio of YG Masters titles, a program that enables independent slot suppliers to produce games and accelerate their global strategy by using its GATI technology.

“We are delighted to partner with Fortuna, the largest operator group in central Europe. Through this deal we will swiftly grow our presence significantly in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania,” noted Fredrik Elmqvist, CEO at Yggdrasil. 

“We have a very strong roadmap and are confident that Fortuna and their player community will enjoy our innovative, well known and exciting game titles. Both parties will now focus on the integration and planning for successful go live.”

Fortuna is active in a multitude of European markets and will soon see its player base enjoy Yggdrasil’s roadmap offerings go live in territories such as Slovakia, Romania, and the operator’s home nation of the Czech Republic.

Nicklas Zajdel, COO at Fortuna Entertainment Group, added: “Yggdrasil has a sterling reputation as one of the premier game providers in the industry so we couldn’t be happier to integrate their content. 

“With innovative mechanics and thrilling themes, its varied games portfolio will be fantastic for our customers and we can’t wait to see their reaction.”

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