Online casino developers and operators are in a constant battle to balance innovation with familiarity, hoping to avoid overcomplication while bringing fresh ideas and unique products to the forefront of the industry.
Ahead of her appearance at SBC Summit in Lisbon, we spoke to Laura Petrauska, Head of Casino at BET99, to discuss why striking this balance is so important and find out what plans the operator has in store as the Canadian market continues to grow.
SlotBeats: At SBC Summit you will be speaking on a panel looking into slot innovation, how do you think player preferences towards slots have changed in the past year?
Laura Petrauska: One of my favourite things about the igaming industry is its diversity, which is why I believe that this question doesn’t really have a one size fits all answer.
However, there are a few interesting trends I’ve noticed in the past year. For one, player appetite for bonus buy features is as strong as ever, and I don’t see that going away anytime soon. Even though, a lot of the time, it can significantly decrease the average session time and spins per player due to the high bonus buy costs.
Also, it seems to me that game studios have started to decrease the amount of new game releases that use the traditional Megaways mechanic. Instead, we’re seeing different types of ‘ways’ mechanics, which is refreshing.
However, one thing is clear – player preferences are still standing strong with slots that have high volatility and an engaging storyline, which is why some of the most anticipated this years’ releases are sequels to well known games, i.e. Razor Ways by Push Gaming, Danger! High Voltage 2 by Big Time Gaming, and Rise of Olympus Origins by Play’n GO.
SB: As an operator, do you prefer to see slots with fresh and innovative features, or slots with more straightforward gameplay, what impact do both have on player retention?
LP: I believe that everything in life should be in balance. As someone who’s seen the gaming industry evolve throughout the last decade, I’m always excited to see what new concepts and innovations game studios can offer with their games. However, there’s a tight line where too complex features can take away a games’ true appeal. At the end of the day, our players play slots to gain entertainment, which gets lost while reading pages upon pages of game rules.
That said, in my opinion, the market is saturated with slots that offer gameplay that’s way too simplistic, which doesn’t leave too much excitement for players. As an operator, we’re looking for the right balance in our offering – slots with engaging features while not having overly complicated mechanics.
SB: What else can we expect to see from BET99 in the coming months, ahead of the event and beyond?
LP: I can certainly say that here at BET99 we have exciting future plans. As a company that’s built by Canadians for Canadians, we will continue to focus on localization in all areas of the business, starting from offering tailored casino and sports betting content to exciting marketing partnerships and VIP initiatives.
I’d also like to highlight that only recently we added Nolimit City and Ezugi game providers to our Ontario portfolio, which has been a great milestone, and we’ll continue increasing our casino portfolio with other sought-after game studios. Last but not least, we’re also looking forward to Alberta becoming the next Canadian province to introduce a regulatory framework for online gambling.
SB: What strategies must an operator take to ensure that they are offering a well-balanced online casino offering?
LP: That is a great question. I think that the word balance here is key. How do you offer sustainable entertainment in today’s competitive online gambling space? From an operator perspective, we provide a wide variety of casino content, allowing players to find the right content for their individual preferences.
From high volatility slots and slots with bonus buy features to medium variance games, crash games and live dealer casino games, our game selection caters to a modern day player.
Of course, we can’t talk about sustainability without mentioning responsible gaming. At BET99, Responsible Gaming is of utmost importance, and we provide our players with responsible gambling tools and information about local support resources.
Petrauska also explained why SBC Summit’s move to Lisbon has filled her with excitement for the event, the potential for Portugal’s capital to become an “igaming hub” and more in a separate interview with CasinoBeats.
